KING LEAR - Nihilist Reading

[andrew.hidayat]

Language

[B-Mental]

Its quite simple. Read about nihilism, then apply everything you have learned about it to the reading.


ni·hil·ism/ˈnaɪəˌlɪzəm, =
–noun
1. total rejection of established laws and institutions.
2. anarchy, terrorism, or other revolutionary activity.
3. total and absolute destructiveness, esp. toward the world at large and including oneself: the power-mad nihilism that marked Hitler's last years.
4. Philosophy. a. an extreme form of skepticism: the denial of all real existence or the possibility of an objective basis for truth.
b. nothingness or nonexistence.

5. (sometimes initial capital letter) the principles of a Russian revolutionary group, active in the latter half of the 19th century, holding that existing social and political institutions must be destroyed in order to clear the way for a new state of society and employing extreme measures, including terrorism and assassination.
6. annihilation of the self, or the individual consciousness, esp. as an aspect of mystical experience.

Oh and look what just 30 seconds of research leads me to on wikipedia. Yes wikipedia!

King Lear

King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1603 and 1606, and is considered one of his greatest works. The play is based on the legend of King Leir of Britain. It has been widely adapted for stage and screen, with the part of Lear being played by many of the world's most accomplished actors.


There are two distinct versions of the play: The True Chronicle of the History of the Life and Death of King Lear and His Three Daughters, which appeared in quarto in 1608, and The Tragedy of King Lear, which appeared in the First Folio in 1623, a more theatrical version. The two texts are commonly printed in a conflated version, although many modern editors have argued that each version has its individual integrity.


After the Restoration the play was often modified by theatre practitioners who disliked its nihilistic flavour, but since World War II it has come to be regarded as one of Shakespeare's supreme achievements. The tragedy is particularly noted for its probing observations on the nature of human suffering and kinship.

I really wish people were smart enough to do their own research...or as I suspect....homework. Good luck in life. B

[Gladys]

Does anyone know how a nihilist reading is possible for King Lear?

Which of the following would be the focus for a nihilist reading of the play?


• the amoral destructiveness of Edmund, Cornwall, Goneril and Regan
• the rejection of established laws and institutions by the bastard Edmund
• the eventual denial of all real existence by Lear.

[B-Mental]

I do believe all three.