Is King Lear Based on Folklore? Exploring Historical and Literary Antecedents
Historical and Literary Antecedents
William Shakespeare’s King Lear is widely recognized as one of his most profound and complex works. However, its origins are not devoid of earlier narratives and folklore. The legendary King Leir of Britain serves as a significant prelude to Shakespeare’s rendition, with the historical and literary influences weaving through the plot and themes.
The Legend of King Leir
Leir’s story is considerably intertwined with that of King Lear. Like Lear, Leir intended to abdicate and planned to assess his daughters' love for him. This assessment involved each daughter’s willingness to flatter him in exchange for part of the kingdom. The youngest daughter, Cordelia, refused to flatter, leading to her banishment. Cordelia eventually married the King of the Franks, and after Leir’s kingdom was seized by her stepsons, she and Leir sought redemption. Cordelia helped Leir reconquer his kingdom, which he ruled for a few more years.
What makes the story of Leir distinct is that it was dramatized before Shakespeare's adaptation. In these earlier dramatizations, it was approached as a comedy, closely following the original legend. Shakespeare’s audience, familiar with the Leir legend, would have found the tragic ending of King Lear shocking, suggesting a significant departure from the expected narrative.
The Shakespearean Source
Shakespeare’s King Lear is largely derived from England’s historical chronicles. One of the primary sources is Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles, which contains a detailed account of Leir. Shakespeare also drew from an earlier chronicle play called King Leir. These sources provided the backbone for his narrative, but Shakespeare transformed these sources into a work of extraordinary depth and tragedy.
The Influence of Holinshed and Spenser
Shakespeare’s treatment of the King Lear story significantly differs from the sources. While Holinshed’s account is often criticized for its unreliability, Shakespeare’s version expands and intensifies the original narrative. For instance, comparing Spenser's The Faerie Queene with Holinshed reveals how Shakespeare both adhered to and deviated from the historical accounts. Spenser's description of the younger daughters' affection for their father aligns with Shakespeare’s portrayal but with more detail, offering a stark contrast to the tragic outcome.
Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, written in 1591, and his Mutabilitie Cantos in 1596, provide another layer to the narrative. Spenser’s account, while less detailed, offers valuable insights into the narrative structure that Shakespeare later adapted. The comparison with Spenser’s text highlights the extent to which Shakespeare’s King Lear transcends its historical sources, creating a work of epic magnitude and emotional depth.
The Sidney Influence
The plot of the Gloucester subplot in King Lear finds its roots in Sir Philip Sidney’s work. Sidney’s The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia includes the story of the Paphlagonian King, from which Shakespeare drew inspiration for the character of Gloucester and his sons, Edmund, Edgar, and Lear. This parallel showcases similar thematic and narrative structures between Sidney’s and Shakespeare’s works, indicating a lineage of storytelling that spans generations.
Shakespeare's Transmutation of History and Folklore
Shakespeare's genius lies in his ability to transmute and alter historical and folkloric material. Unlike Holinshed or early dramatizations, his King Lear is a work that delves into the human condition, exploring themes of family, power, and morality on a profound level. The characters of King Lear and his daughters become more nuanced and complex in Shakespeare’s version.
Conclusion
While King Lear draws from historical and folkloric sources, Shakespeare’s retelling elevates these sources to new heights. The story of Leir and the narrative structures found in Holinshed, Spenser, and Sidney provide the foundation, but it is Shakespeare’s creative nonfiction that constructs a timeless masterpiece. King Lear stands not only as a reflection of the historical and literary milieu from which it emerged but also as a work that transcends its sources, becoming a quintessential exploration of human nature.