Biblical Influences In King Lear

On the surface, King Lear is a pagan play, as it is set in pre-Christian England. But it has, for all that, no shortage of appeals to deity and interesting speculation. This is, after all, a play set on the brink of eternity and it must make us wonder on the universe in relationship to the characters and ourselves. However, I believe that, although set in pre-Christian times, Shakespeare’s King Lear provided myriad allusions to Christian themes, parables, and characters such as the enduring of suffering by the innocent, the motif of Lear as the Prodigal Son, and the representation of Cordelia as a Christ-like figure.

In King Lear Shakespeare found a story resembling in its broad outlines that of the Prodigal Son. The title character starts by rejecting the one who loves him most then embarks on a reckless course which brings him eventually to suffering and want. Paradoxically, it also brings him to the self-knowledge he lacked before and, finally, is received and forgiven by the rejected one. The two main features that were connected with the Prodigal Son are family relationships and the premature granting of portions. The Prodigal Son parallels reinforce Lear as a child. His Prodigal is an old man who has lived to a great age without ever reaching maturity. Although the allusion to the Prodigal Son is ubiquitous in King Lear, there is only one place in the play where Shakespeare might have explicitly referred to it when Cordelia speaks to her father: “And wast thou fain, poor father to hovel thee with swine and rogues forlorn, in short and musty straw?” (IV.vii.38-40)

As the Prodigal in Christ’s parable sank to his lowest state, feeding with the pigs, which he has been employed to keep, his moment of enlightenment came: “Even my father’s slaves live better than this!” is the gist of his cry. So Cordelia chides him, “Have you hoveled with swine in the musty straw?” Since we know nothing of this kind of behavior in the play, even in Lear’s madness, we may safely assume that it is a parallel. To complete the motif of the Prodigal Son, Lear, like the parallel Prodigal, returns to Cordelia as the son to the Father, asks forgiveness and is received with great joy, kisses and tears. (IV.vii.84) If King Lear were to seriously be considered as containing allusions to major themes and characters of Christianity, the central figure of this religion should be included in a parallel of one of the plays characters. The most obvious of these is Cordelia as Lear’s Christ figure.

The allusions begin from the very start. Cordelia mutters to us in an aside as she realizes that she is necessarily betrayed on account of her very nature: “What shall I do? Love, and be silent.” (I.i.63) This is much like the quiet Christ at the trial before the Sanhedrin. He could not deny what he is as Cordelia cannot. He cannot do otherwise but love and this we know Cordelia does. Soon after, Shakespeare put into her mouth a more direct allusion to scripture as she confesses before Lear: “Unhappy as I am, I cannot heave my heart into my mouth” (I.i.93) This echoes the book of Ecclesiastics: “The heart of fools is in the mouth; but the mouth of the wise men is in their heart.” (21:26) The Cordelia/Christ image persists, as a gentleman in act four tells Lear: “Thou hast one daughter who redeems nature from the general curse which twain have brought her to.” (IV.vi.209-10).

This, obviously, refers to Christ’s redemption of man from the original sin of Adam and Eve. At the most tragic of moments at the end of the play, two images occur in close proximity. The first and most striking is when Lear carries the dead Cordelia onto the stage and sinks to his knees, creating a horrifying reverse Pieta. Lear is the Mother of God, cradling the dead Christ in his arms. Shortly thereafter, Lear dies of mistaken ecstasy as his shaking hand betrays him, holding a feather to Cordelia’s mouth in hope of her resuscitation. I believe this is a clear anticipation of resurrection.

An overarching theme of Christianity is the acceptance of suffering despite innocence or lack of sin. This can be seen most clearly in the monumental Book of Job. Edgar echoes this popular Christian belief when he clearly and succinctly states: “Men must endure.” (V.ii.9) The idea of patient suffering has always been a fundamental belief of Christian doctrine, including in Shakespeare’s time. Within this context, the Book of Job was not just a part of the larger biblical text, but, instead, an element of every man’s life. This book was supposed to be an actual historical account designed by God to facilitate the acceptance of suffering as necessary for a later reward with God. Job’s suffering increases with his willingness to suffer and, still, he only responds: “Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:9) Job’s patience with his loss and pain is tremendous and, clearly, this serves as a model for Edgar, who has borne his trials with patience. The reflective Edgar, willing to suffer, reminded by patience of the reward from God, finds an expression of his glory in Job’s text. Similarly, Cordelia exhibits the same stoicism that Edgar and Gloucester do upon her imprisonment alongside her father.

“We are not the first who, with best meaning, have incurred the worst.” (V.iii.3-4) King Lear is a tale of terror and triumph in parable and image after striking image. It speaks to us at a primal level of ineffable despair and infant hope. But whether through references to characters, themes, and parables of The Bible, as interpreted by Christianity, I believe Shakespeare’s King Lear offers rich and undeniable evidence of the play’s influence by this religion as displayed in the parallels to the enduring of suffering by the innocent, the motif of Lear as the Prodigal Son, and the representation of Cordelia as a Christ-like figure. These images portray a God of mercy and incomprehensible cruelty. A God of justice and injustice. A God that would not go gentle into that good night.