“The family is a natural hierarchy, and the father possesses rightful authority. The violation of this order in King Lear leads to tyranny, cruelty and moral chaos
In the light of the above comment, discuss Shakespeare’s presentation of family in King Lear?
According to the 2011 census in the UK, the stereotypical image of a family being a mother, father with two children- often one boy, one girl- living in a semi-detached or detached house is fast “becoming a myth”. Today’s census is expected to affirm the fact that there is a larger proportion of families with single mothers or fathers, and adults still living in the house with their parents. This real-life exemplar degradation of the family ethos resonates within King Lear as Lear almost intentionally disrupts his family community through his power-play and expressions of favouritism, essentially cutting himself off from communication with his three daughters as they all develop spiteful distaste for his actions. The ‘rightful authority’ which Lear certainly possesses in the first instances of the play is ironically reversed as his three daughters adopt the power and authority he abandoned when he stepped down from his position as monarch. The violation of this order in King Lear does indeed lead to tyranny, cruelty and moral chaos as a bitter power struggle ensues. On the other hand, however, the family being a ‘natural hierarchy’ is questionable as- especially in a monarchical family- whoever is heir to the throne, or the next higher position is essentially the possessor of rightful authority. Elizabeth I was the Queen at the time of King Lear, essentially causing her to be the possessor of rightful authority, despite not being the ‘father’ of her family.
Unless a family is communist, some sort of hierarchy must be sustained in order for examples to be set and for a cohesive, family environment to be