George Washington University
King Lear and the Prodigal Son
Author(s): Susan Snyder
Source: Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol. 17, No. 4 (Autumn, 1966), pp. 361-369
Published by: Folger Shakespeare Library in association with George Washington University
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KingLear and theProdigalSon
SUSAN SNYDER
Andwastthoufain,poorfather,
To hoveltheewithswineandroguesforlorn,
In shortand mustystraw?
(King Lear IV. vii. 38-40)'
ORDELIA'S pityingquestion,which precedesher reunion
withLear, expressesan intuitivecomprehension
of his ordeal.
Few readersor spectators,
caughtup in herfiercecompassion,
would stop to considerthat the pictureshe evokes is only
partlytrue,in the literalsense.Lear has hoveledwitha fool
and a "madman", rogues forlorncertainly,but not with
swine.Yet Cordelia'sdescription
strikesno jarringnote,forshe has chosen,as
a kind of emblemforLear's experience,
an image of degradationand suffering
alreadyfamiliar.Elizabethanaudienceswould be remindedof anotherfoolish
man who came down in the world and was finallyreducedto living with
swine and sharingtheirfood.
The parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke xv.II-3I),2 always popular,was
particularly
so in thesixteenth
century.
The elevationof the repentantProdigal
overhis righteouselderbrother,
suggestingthe supremacyof faithoverworks,
made the storyattractiveto Protestants.
Prodigal Son plays,firston the Continentand later in England, exploitedthe storyto promotesound education
and to denounceparentalindulgenceand filialingratitude.
In thesedramasthe
Prodigal'sriotouscareerthroughthe tavernsand brothelsreceiveddue attention, as well as his eventualrepentanceand reconciliationwith his father.
Shakespearehimselftestifies
to theparable'spopularity,
in two ways.Richmond
Noble findsit "the most frequently
mentionedParable of the Gospels in the
plays".3Furthermore,
severalof the references
listedby Noble indicatethatthe
Prodigal and his storywere a common subjectfor puppet shows (Winter's
1
All Shakespearereferences
are to The CompleteWorks,ed. G. L. Kittredge(Boston,1936).
in the AuthorizedVersion.Biblicalquotationsare fromTomson's revisedNew Testament,whichwas veryoftenprintedwiththeGenevaOld Testamentin place of the originalGeneva
New Testament.Accordingto RichmondNoble (Shakespeare'sBiblical Knowledge and Use of
the Book of CommonPrayer(London, I935), p. 8), "thereis good reasonto believethatShakespeare owned or otherwisehad access to a quarto Tomson New Testamentbound up with a
GenevaOld Testamentof i595 or subsequentdate."
3 Noble, p. 277. He lists (pp. 277-278) nine references,
althoughone seemsdoubtful.In spite
of the identification
of "younker"and "prodigal" (see Merch.II. vi. Ia), Falstaff'sdemand "will
you make a younkerof me?" (1H4, III. iii. 92)-that is, will you cheat me?-need not refer
to the ProdigalSon, since the generalconnotationof naive, easilygulled youthis all
specifically
that is necessary.It is noteworthy,
though,that of the othereight allusionsthreeare connected
with Falstaff.They operatedirectlyto underlinehis role as frequenter
of tavernsand adherent
of "riotousliving" and ironicallyto emphasizeFalstaff'sage and girthby contrastwith the lean
youngProdigal.Noble'slistdoes notmentionKing Lear.
2 II-32
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362
SHAKESPEARE QUARTERLY
Tale IV. iii.
I03-I04)
and wall paintings,especiallyin taverns(Merry Wives
IV. v. 7-9; 2 HenryIV, II.i. I56-I57).
patternof associations.Dromio of SyraOtherallusionsshow an interesting
sergeant"he thatgoes in the calve'sskin thatwas
cuse calls the leather-coated
killed forthe Prodigal",presumablyto commentironicallyon the difference
In The Two
betweenthesergeantwho punishesand thefatherwho forgives.4
Gentlemenof Verona,Launce tellsof receivinghis "proportion"like the "prodigiousson" and leavinghomeamid the tearsof his family(II. iii. I-35); while
Orlando in As You Like It taxeshis elderbrotherwithmakinghim live like
Prodigal,with the animals,while refusinghim his rightful
the impoverished
portion:
Shall I keepyourhogsand eat huskswiththem?What prodigalportion
thatI shouldcometosuchpenury?
haveI spent,
(I. i. 40-42)
Falstaff,consideringhis armyof scarecrowsin i Henry IV, comparesthemto
from
"a hundredand fiftytatteredProdigalslatelycome fromswine-keeping,
theProdieatingdraffand husks" (IV. ii. 36-38).Leannessand rags also typify
gal in Gratiano'smetaphorin The Merchantof Venice:
ora prodigal
How likea younker
The scarfed
barkputsfromhernativebay,
wind!
bythestrumpet
Hugg'dandembraced
How liketheProdigaldothshereturn,
ribsandraggedsails,
Withover-weather'd
wind!
Lean,rentandbeggar'dbythestrumpet
(II. vi. I4-I9)
The "strumpetwind" recallsthe harlotsamong whom theProdigalwastedhis
inheritance.5
Apparently,then,the featuresof the Prodigal Son parable that
bothparentcame mostreadilyto Shakespeare'smindwerefamilyrelationships,
childand brother-brother;
"portions"and thepropertimefortheirdistribution;
tavernsand "riotousliving"; leanness and tatteredclothes; and swine and
husks.
This summarysuggeststhat Cordelia's pictureof her fatheramong the
swine may not be the only link betweenKing Lear and the parable.Shakespearefoundin his sourcesa storyresemblingin its broad outlinesthatof the
startsby rejectingthe one who loves him most,
ProdigalSon: the protagonist
and
embarkson a recklesscourse which bringshim eventuallyto suffering
he lacked before-and finally
to the self-knowledge
want-and, paradoxically,
4Err. IV. iii. 17-i8.
See R. A. Foakes's note on this line in the New Arden ed. (London,
I 9 6 2).
5 In additionto thosecitedby Noble, theremay be anotherallusionto the ProdigalSon in MV
II. v. 13-15, whereShylockexplainsto Jessicahis reasonfor agreeingto dine with Bassanio and
me. / But yetI'll go in hate, to feed upon / The
Antonio:"I am not bid for love: theyflatter
prodigalChristian."The word "prodigal"servesto bringout the contrastbetweenthe Jewwho
observesonlythe ritualof the guestwithoutthe love that should informit, and the carelessbut
of values,the letter
generousChristian-a contrastconnectedwith the play's centralconfrontation
of the law vs. the freegiftof love, justicevs. mercy.Jewand Christianare used by Shakespeare
of the contrastingvalues, followinga traditionwhich operatesalso in the
as representatives
of the ProdigalSon parable (see below). Gratiano's"How like a younker
standardinterpretations
linesafterShylock'sstatement.
or a prodigal"speechappearsonlyfifty-five
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KING LEAR AND THE PRODIGAL SON
363
is received
and forgiven
bytherejected
one.The inherited
pattern
is common
enough,butit is markedbytwofeatures
whichwe haveseenwereconnected
in Shakespeare's
mindwiththeProdigalSon: familyrelationships
and,more
significantly,
thepremature
granting
of portions.
If theBiblicalstorywas in
histhoughts,
as theswineimagesuggests,
it mayhaveinfluenced
certain
other
imagesand situations
in theplay.The constant
references
to nakedness
and
raggedness
in theheathscenesmayowe something
to theragsandtatters
that
characterize
theProdigalforShakespeare.
Like theProdigal(especially
in the
to
dramas)Lear is ashamed seektheone he has wronged(IV. iii.40-49);but,
liketheBiblicalfather,
Cordeliais so readyto forgive
thatsheanticipates
him,
commanding
a "century"
to "searcheveryacrein thehigh-grown
field/ And
bringhimto our eye" (IV. iv.6-8). In likemannerthefather
in theparable
saw his son at a greatdistanceand ran to meethim (v. 20). The brokenLear
is greeted
as theProdigalwas,notwiththeexpected
butwithmusic,
reproach
fresh
garments,
anda kiss.In bothcasesthereconciliation
is presented
explicitly
in termsofrebirth:
Lear is,in hisowndescription,
takenfromthegrave(IV.
vii.45); whiletheProdigal's
father
rejoicesthat"thismysonnewas dead,and
is aliveagaine"(v.24).
Thereare echoesin the subplotas well.Gloucester
also mustfindselfin adversity,
mustdie symbolically
knowledge
beforehe emerges
intoa new
stateof loveand acceptance.
WhenEdgarhas to lead his fatherto thevery
brinkofsuicide,
we areshowndramatically
theneedforhisspiritual
deathand
thuswithhis despair/ Is doneto cureit" (IV. vi.
rebirth:
"WhyI do trifle
33-34).Shakespeare
appears,in fact,to havemadedoubleuse of theProdigal
motifin theGloucester
plot.In thefalsereport
givenbyhis brother,
Edgar's
forhis patrimony
impatience
(I. ii.48-57)is liketheProdigal's,
and as Poor
Tom he givesan accountof thepastthatbrought
himto penury(III. iv.87ioi) thatrecallsthedrinking,
oftheerrant
dicing,andwenching
youthin the
in thisconnection
ProdigalSon plays.Interesting
is Regan'sattempt
to connect
the much-disputed
Edgar with her father'sroistering
hundred
followers,
"Was he notcompanion
withtheriotousknights
knights:
/ That tendupon
as a falseProdimyfather?"
(II. i. 96-97).6The soberEdgaris thuspresented
whathe is not,to underline
therealcondition
gal,seeming
ofhisfather.
The ProdigalSon parallelsreinforce,
and mayevenhavesuggested,
ShakeofLear as a child.His Prodigalis an old manwhohas
speare'spresentation
everreaching
livedto a greatage without
The termsusedbyothers
maturity.
himat theplay'sopeningareappropriate
to describe
to youth,
notage: he is
"fullofchanges",
"rash","unruly",
givento "unconstant
starts",
"folly",
"way6 The insistent
and repeatedapplicationof the terms"riot" and "riotous"to Lear's followers
(I. iii. 6; I. iv. 223; I. iv. 265; II. i. 96; II. iv. 145) may be a directecho of the BiblicalProdigal's
4'riotousliving".If Shakespearewas thinkingof Lear as a spiritualProdigal,he mayhave chosento
in sinsof thefleshand thustransferred
avoid involvinghim directly
thedebauchery
themeto Lear's
knights,who are almostprojectionsof himself.Certainlytheirbehavior,as describedby Goneril,
recallsthedissipationscenesof theProdigalSon plays:
Men so disorder'd,
so debosh'd,and bold
That thisour court,infected
withtheirmanners,
Showslikea riotousinn.Epicurismand lust
Make it morelikea tavernor a brothel
Than a grac'dpalace. (I. iv. 263-267)
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364
SHAKESPEARE QUARTERLY
"hideousrashness".
Lear'schildishdesireto havethetrappings
wardness",
of
kingship
withouttheresponsibilities
leadshimto inverttheusualpattern
of
tobecomethepowerless
childinsteadofthestrong
tomake
dependence,
father,
hisdaughters
(as theFool remarks)
hismothers
(I. iv. i87-i88). It is theywho
nowmakedecisions
him.
forhim,demandhisobedience,
chastise
and instruct
"Old foolsarebabesagain",saysGonerilcontemptuously
(I. iii.i9), andRegan
Lear as if he werea child:
tooaddresses
Youshould
berul'dandled
thatdiscerns
Bysomediscretion
yourstate
Better
thanyouyourself.
(II. iv. i50-i52)
Motherknowsbest.If he refuses
hercounselhe will haveto learnthehard
his own mistakes.
way,through
"To wilfulmen",moralizesRegansententiously,"The injuriesthattheythemselves
procure/ Mustbe theirschoolmasters"(II. iv.305-307). ThisimageofLear as a schoolboy
hasalready
beenintroducedby theFool: "thoumad'stthydaughters
thymother. . . thougav'st
themtherodandputt'st
downthineownbreeches
. . ." (I. iv.i87-I90). The
fatherbecomestheson,theportion-giver
becomestheProdigal,theold man
is setto school.
Lear'ssubjection
to hisdaughters,
whilewrongin itself,
is thehumiliation
thatopenshiswaytowisdom.In thelightofit,he realizesthathis"maturity"
was a lie: "Theyflatter'd
me likea dog,and toldme I had whitehairsin my
bearderetheblackoneswerethere"(IV. vi.98-ioo). His new childhood
is a
painfulstate,butnevertheless
morepromising
thantheself-deceived
prideof
A passagefromEcclesiastes,
kingship.
firstnotedby ThomasCarter,7
might
serveas a glosson histwoconditions:
"Better
is a pooreand wisechildthan
an oldandfoolish
kingwhichwilnomorebeadmonished."
GonerilandReganareinstruments
in thehumbling
and educating
ofLear,
buthiswayoutis not,as theshivering
Fool suggests,
to asktheirblessing(III.
ii. I2) and remain
in subjection
to these"mothers"
whoseevilfarexceedshis
own.Theirposeas wiseand guidingparents
is ultimately
as falseas Edgar's
as Prodigal.
The trueparentfigure
position
in thisinverted
pattern
is Cordelia,
who has bothwisdomand mercy,
who knowsLear thoroughly
and forgives
himall,likethefather
oftheProdigal.
Learragesat thethought
ofkneeling
to
Reganto beg for"raiment,
bed,and food"(II. iv.I56-I58); the idea is unnaturaland offensive.
Yet we feelit rightwhenhe kneelsto Cordeliaat their
reunion.Cordeliaplaysa doublerolehere,and his actionpresents
heras his
whileherown instinctive
not
spiritual
superior,
must
kneel"is
"No, sir,you
propertothenaturalandlovingchild.It is Cordelia,
appropriately,
whospeaks
of Lear as "thischild-changed
intoa child.8
father"-changed
byhis children
She is thinking
ofhismadness,
butthephrasesumsup hiswholeparadoxical
thatofa father
whohad to becomea childagainand findhistrue
experience,
mentor
in hisowndaughter.
The themeofchildas mentor,
somewhat
obscured
in Cordelia'scasebyher
7 Shakespeareand Holy Scripture(London, 1905), p. 434. Carterquotes the Geneva version,
Ecclesiastesiv. 13.
8 IV. vii. 17. Scholarshave arguedfor one or the othermeaning(see notesin the New Variorum and New Ardeneds.). I agree withthe opinionof CleanthBrooks,citedby KennethMuir,
theNew Ardeneditor,that"the ambiguity
is deliberate".
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KING LEAR AND THE PRODIGAL SON
365
simultaneousrole of reverentdaughter,emergesveryclearlyin the subplot.
ThroughoutActs IV and V the helplessGloucesteris guided,physicallyand
spiritually,
by his good son. Edgar uses the suicideattemptas a teachingdevice,and Gloucesterhumblyacceptsthelessons:
I do remember
now;henceforth
I'll bear
Affliction
tillitdo cryoutitself
'Enough,enough,'and die. (IV. vi.75-77)
RobertB. Heilman pointsout thatin preventinghis father'ssuicideEdgar is
"protecting
his fatheragainsthimself,normallya functionperformed
by parent
forchild."9
One functionof the Prodigal Son echoes in the play,then,is to sharpen
the pictureof Lear and Gloucesteras immatureold men educated through
suffering.
Beyondthis,the generalspiritof the parableis relevantto a major
concernof theplay-justice.
Like the parablesof the lost sheep and the lost drachmathatprecedeit in
the fifteenth
chapterof Luke, the ProdigalSon storyaffirms
God's mercyand
freeforgiveness
of sins.God is seen not as righteousjudge but as lovingfather.
In all threeparableslove is specifically
placed above justice.The Prodigaldoes
not deserveto be honoredabove his virtuouselder brother;nor does the disproportionate
joy of the angels over one recoveredsinnerseem fair to the
ninety-nine
just persons.The guidingprincipleis not fairnessor rewardof just
desertsbut overpoweringlove. Traditionalinterpretations10
identifythe elder
on thefulfillment
of theLaw, and
withtheJews,who pridedthemselves
brother
theyoungerwiththeGentiles,who acknowledgedtheirsin and perceivedtheir
dependenceon the mercyof God. In these termsthe parable representsthe
supremacyof theNew Law of love overtheOld Law of justice.However,just
as theOld had to comebeforetheNew, justas Luther'sway to theGospelleads
throughthe rigorsof the Law, so the Prodigalmust move fromhis original
sinfulnessto a just evaluationof himself("I haue sinnedagainstheauen,and
beforethee,and am no more worthyto be called thysonne") beforehe can
transcendjusticein the feastof love.
Lear's progressparallelsthe Prodigal'son a human,non-theological
level.
Having violatedjustice,he mustcome to termswithit beforemovingon to a
different
plane in thereunionwithCordelia.
The entirefirstscenedisplaysLear's failuresin justice:to Cordelia,to Kent,
to his subjects.For the initialdivisionof the kingdom,as criticshave pointed
his use of the love-testas the basis of
out,is a sin againstorder;furthermore,
that divisionwould have been unjust even if Cordelia had won the portion
more opulentthan her sisters'.
It is with thisproblemof justicein mind,I think,thatwe must evaluate
Cordelia'smuch-debated
responseto Lear in thisscene.Her carefulstatement
9 This GreatStage (Baton Rouge, I948), p. 52. Heilman notes that this reversalof roles is
ironicallyanticipatedin the opinionsfalselyimputedto Edgar by Edmund: "I have heard him oft
maintainit to be fitthat,sons at perfectage, and fathersdeclining,the fathershouldbe as ward
to theson,and thesonmanagehis revenue"(I. ii. 76-79).
10 See, forexample,Jerome,"EpistolaXXI ad Damasum de duobus filiis",Patrologialatinas
XXII, 379-394; Luther,Lectureson Romans,trans.and ed. WilhelmPauck, Libraryof Christian
Thomas
Classics,XV (Philadelphia,i96i), 302; and glosses on Luke XV in Glossa ordzlnaria,
Aquinas' Catenaaurea,Criticisacri,and theGenevaBible.
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366
SHAKESPEARE QUARTERLY
is meant to contrastnot only with the insincerehyperboleof Goneril and
itself.
Regan but also withthecapriciousinjusticeof the love-test
I loveyourMajesty
tomybond;no morenorless.
According
You havebegotme,bredme,lov'dme; I
Returnthosedutiesbackas arerightfit,
Obeyyou,loveyou,andmosthonouryou.
(I. i. 94-IOO)
that
She returnswhat she owes; this is the essenceof justice.It is significant
Kent,theonlyone who approvesof Cordelia'sspeech,praisesit foritsjustness:
takethee,maid,
The godstotheirdearshelter
said! (I. i. I85-I86)
andhastmostrightly
Thatjustlythink'st
Almosteverycriticof the play has founda faultin Cordelia'sattitude-pride,
On one level theyare
sullenness,obstinacy,withdrawalfromresponsibility.1"
mockeryof love she
this
from
herself
probablyright;that is, in dissociating
audienceknowsof
The
for
him.
failsto show Lear the veryreal love she feels
that love fromher firsttwo asides, but Lear, who has not heard them,is
shockedand hurtby her measuredremarks.But Lear is incapableof understandinglove at thispoint.When one considersCordeliaas tutorto Lear, her
stand on justiceis appropriate.He must apprehendjustice,learn the lessons
Lear is at the
rejectedhere,beforehe can know love. When Cordelia returns,
nextstepand she is, as we would expect,the embodimentof love and mercy.
Her placementof justiceover love in the firstsceneis partof a process,fitted
is to his stateat thenextmeetto Lear's need at thetimeas herfreeforgiveness
ing of fatherand daughter.'2
Meanwhilethe play is much concernedwithjustice-trueand false,divine
is onlypartof the picture;he seeksjusand earthly.Lear's self-condemnation
justicealso provesinadeticeforothersas well,and in thislargerinvestigation
Human justiceis too oftenmocked
quate as a basis forhuman relationships.
by brutalpower,as in the "trial" of Gloucesterby Regan and Cornwall,or
as in thelove-test
and thedowryscene,both
defacedbyvanityand self-interest,
in a sense"trials"of Cordelia.
Lear in his madnessseeksjustice,firstas a victimcallingforvengeance("I
am a man / More sinn'dagainstthansinning",III. ii. 59-60),thenas a justicer
But the judges are
who joins with a fool and a bedlam to tryhis persecutor.
theguiltyone escapes,the causesof heriniquitycannotbe reasoned.
impotent,
11 The views of Coleridgeand othersare given in the New Variorumed.; see also A. C.
Harold S. Wilson, On
pp. 320-32I;
Tragedy,2nd ed. (London, I905),
Bradley,Shakespearean
the Design of ShakespearianTragedy(Toronto,I957), pp. i83-i84 and p. i9o; J.M. Nosworthy,
"King Lear-The Moral Aspect",EnglishStudies,XXI (I939), 26i; Heilman,Stage, pp. 35-36
and p. 300. J. F. Danby is almostalone in findingthe Cordelia of Scene i "simplythe truly
patientwoman and daughter"(Poets on Fortune'sHill (London, I952), p. II9).
in King Lear", SQ, X (0959), 390) pointsout that
12 DorothyC. Hockey ("The Trial Pattern
akin to
honesty-something
Cordelia in the firstscene "places a youthfulsense of self-righteous
"not guiltless".I agree with
a sense of justice-above love thatis freelygiven" and is therefore
the premisebut not withthe conclusion.
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KING LEAR AND THE PRODIGAL SON
367
he losesinterest
As Lear'sself-knowledge
grows,
andwithithisself-indictment,
in dealingoutjusticeto others:
thatman'slife.Whatwasthycause?
I pardon
Adultery?
No.
Thoushaltnotdie.Die foradultery?
Thewrengoesto't,andthesmallgildedfly
Doeslecher
in mysight.
Let copulation
thrive.(IV. vi. iii-ii6)
Evil is universal,
whenall areguilty.
Who
evennatural.
Judgment
is impossible
willjudge?"Seehowyondjusticerailsuponyondsimplethief.
Hark,in thine
whichis thethief?"
tar: changeplaces,and,handy-dandy,
whichis thejustice,
(11.I55-I58). The beadlewho beatsthewhorelustsafterher,themagistrate
but
thecozeneris himself
who condemns
a usurer.The weakare punished,
is guilty.Lear'sconclusion
"None doesofeveryone
is to abandonjudgment:
fend,none-I saynone!"(1.I72)
a newmoralvisionwhichendsin
As Lear'smadness
growshe acquires
therecognition
is nodivision
intothejustandtheunjust.
"None
thatthere
none".. . . Thisis morethanthemovement
fromvengeance
doesoffend,
to compassion,
. . . follows
a
whichit is often
takento be; thestatement
ofuniversal
allareequally
fierce
picture
lechery
anddeceit....It is because
runsthrough
these
guilty
thatnonedoesoffend.
The roadtotruehumility
bitter
insights.13
It is humility
thatcharacterizes
Lear in thereunionwithCordelia.Although
hehasrejected
hejudgeshimself:
judgment
ofothers,
Ifyouhavepoison
forme,I willdrink
it.
I knowyoudonotloveme. (IV. vii.72-73)
It is onlyjustthatsheshouldhatehim,forhe has givenhercause.But Cor"No cause,no cause."Withthesamecharged
deliareplies,
brevity
with
simply,
whichsheoncespokeforjustice,sheheretranscends
it,blotting
outthejudgmentbywhichLear is guiltyand replacing
theirrelationship
on a new basis
love.King Lear asksquestions
aboutmanand man,theBiblical
of redoubled
man,
parableaboutmanand God; bothgivethesameanswer.For imperfect
theonlypositive
and more
relationship
possibleis basedon love,forgiveness,
love."You mustbearwithme",saysLear to Cordelia.And shemust,if man
at all. "Prayyounow,forget
and forgive"
is to meananything
(IV. vii.83-84).
hisnewstateis further
WhenLear and Cordeliaarecaptured,
illuminated.
of Goneriland Reganis surelyunjust,buttheyhavebecomeso
The victory
thathe willnotevenseethem."No,no,no,no! Come,let'sawayto
irrelevant
oftherights
andwrongsofthatimprisonment.
prison"(V. iii.8). No mention
Prisonis simplya placeto be withCordelia.Fromit theywill observethe
to itsinjustice
or eventryto makeit conworldbutwillno longercontribute
Insteadheenvisages
constant
constant
"When
formtojustice.
humbling:
giving,
I'll kneeldown/ And ask oftheeforgiveness"
thoudostaskme blessing,
(V.
onearthcanpartthem;evenwhenthe"brandfromheaven"
iii. io-ii). Nothing
themin death,lovebridgesthegap fora moment
and Lear dies
doesseparate
joyful.
13
David Daiches,"Guiltand Justicein Shakespeare",LiteraryEssays (Edinburgh,I956), p.
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I4.
368
SHAKESPEARE QUARTERLY
Butifman'sjusticeis foundlacking,
whatofthegods'?EdgarandAlbany,
whosecomments
we trust,
severaltimesaffirm
divinejustice.But it is at best
one-sided:
thegodspunishthewickedbutdo notprevent
theinnocent
from
suffering.
On hearingofCornwall's
violentendAlbanysays,"Thisshowsyou
are above,/ You justicers,
thattheseour nethercrimes/ So speedilycan
venge!"(IV. ii.78-80);andhe seesin thedeathsofGonerilandRegana "judgmentof theheavens"(V. iii.231). Edgarfindshisfather's
blindness
a grimly
appropriate
punishment
forhisadulterous
nights:
Thegodsarejust,andofourpleasant
vices
Makeinstruments
toscourge
us;
Thedarkandvicious
theehegot
placewhere
Costhimhiseyes. (V. iii. I70-I73)
Butevenwhileperceiving
thejusticeofthegods,Edgarseesalso theneedfor
forgiveness
amongmen:thissamespeechto thedyingEdmundbegins"Let's
exchange
charity"
(1.i66). A firmfaiththatthewickedwilleventually
be destroyed
is toonegative
a principle
toinform
humanties.Furthermore,
thegood
die as wellas thebad.All areguilty,
all aretainted
withthesmellofmortality
thatLear discovered
on his own hand,all are undersentence
of death.
The sternjusticeof thegodsin King Lear offers
littlecomfort
to faulty
man.It is notin thedivinerealmthatwe findsavingloveand mercy,
butin
the human-especially
in Cordelia.S. L. Bethellhas collecteda long listof
allusionsto showthatCordeliais "fromfirstto last. . associated
withtheoare
and
Christian
These
allusions
logicalterminology
symbol".
particularly
noticeable
in thedeterminedly
non-Christian
ofLear. Cordeliais assosetting
ciatedwithmiracles,
faith,holywater,heaven,blessing;she echoesthevery
wordsof Christ("O dearfather,
thatI go about").Most
/ It is thybusiness
the
naturefromthegeneralcurse".14
she"redeems
significant,
By embodying
and
Christprinciple
in a mortalbeingand placingheramidstanimalcruelty
ethicwe should
showsthatiftherewereno Christian
divinerigor,
Shakespeare
in thisone
of thenextworld,man'ssalvation
haveto inventone.Regardless
his
In King Lear Shakespeare
dependsonlyon loveand forgiveness.
deprives
values
characters
of revealedChristianity
and forcesthemto createChristian
need-ortoperish.15
outoftheirownterrible
Even theallegorical
character
of theProdigalSon talethusbecomesrelea supernatural
in peculiarly
vant.It presents
humanterms.The
relationship
father
is God,we know,buthe is alsoa recognizable
and convincing
human
afterall, workstwoways.A humanmay"standfor"God;
being.Allegory,
orwemayfindinhumanactionthedivineprinciple.
ofhumanlove,theinadequacy
ofhumanjustice,
thevision
The importance
of Lear as a childhumbledand instructed
by a tragicworld-all these,like
withtheProdigalSonparable,
areShakespeare's
mostoftheincidental
parallels
Bethell,Shakespeareand the PopularDramaticTradition(Durham,N. C., I944), pp. 66-68.
Muir believesthatin Lear Shakespeare"shows us his characters
gropingtheirway towards
of the values traditionalin his society"(Introd.,New Arden ed., p. lvii)-that is,
a recognition
sacrifice.Wilson (Design, p. 2i2) concurs:"For all its carefulavoidanceof
charity,forgiveness,
of the value of human love in the play reflectsa
Christianallusions,the centrality
specifically
Christianmode of thoughtand feeling."
distinctively
14
15
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KING LEAR AND THE PRODIGAL SON
369
owncontributions
to theLear legend.His sources
forthatlegend16
suggest
no
connection
beyondthegeneralthemeof familyrelationships
and the initial
One canonlyguessat theextent
division
ofportions.
oftheparable'sinfluence
as a shapingforce;butitswiderimplications
bringus closeto theheartof the
playand illuminate
someof its deepestconcerns.
Swarthmore
College
16The True ChronicleHistoryof King Leir, the accountsin Geoffrey
of Monmouth,Holinshed,and Spenser,and Higgins' tragedyof Queene Cordila in the I574 MirrorforMagistrates.
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