Religion and Power in "King Lear"

Paper Summary:

This essay examines the relationship between religion and power in 'King Lear'. It draws from some of the ideas presented by Michel Foucault and applies these primarily to the characters Edmund, Edgar and Lear.

From the Paper:

"Studying Shakespeare's King Lear using the new historicist method as opposed to a liberal humanist one offers a critical approach which explores the historical background of the text and studies it in the context of its social and political framework. Rather than analysing the play in isolation, with the belief that human nature is essentially unchanging, New Historicists place fundamental value on the era's political dimensions and concepts such as state power and its hold on the individual. The approach is influenced by the post-structuralist views regarding the notion that reality is textualised rather than the liberal humanist idea of literature being an enhancement of reality. The French philosopher Michel Foucault produced much influential literature. His work was political and dealt with the issues of power and the subject. The New Historicists have used many of his ideas."

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