Consider the view that Shakespeare's presentation of personal and political power in King Lear has universal interest and relevance

In ‘King Lear’, Shakespeare presents personal and political power from a number of different angles and thus, in a number of different ways. Much focus is inevitably given to Lear himself, and the dichotomy between his desire to divide power and lose responsibility, yet maintain status. However, Shakespeare also makes the theme of power relevant to other characters. Kent, for example, embodies a desire to conform to power; whereas Goneril, Regan and Edmund demonstrate how power can be obtained through manipulative measures and conversely, how power can lead to corruption and manipulation. At first glance, such a rich and varied presentation of personal and political power seems to suggest that Shakespeare’s exploration of this quality, which was of the utmost importance in Jacobean England, will indeed prove interesting and relevant to today.

The ease with which Lear divides his power provides an interesting interpretation of the transference of power, whether it be political or personal, which is relevant to any time-period. Almost immediately, in Act 1 Scene 1, the audience is introduced to Lear’s division of power through his words: ‘meantime we shall express our darker purpose. Give me the map there. Know that we have divided in three our kingdom’. Here, Lear’s reference to the ‘map’ reminds of the importance placed on material objects to mark or delegate power, whereas the affirmative phrase ‘know that we have’, implies that the decisions made are final and not open to discussion. Given the state of foreign affairs in the early 1600s, this ‘map’ imagery would have been significant to a contemporary audience, perhaps reminding of King James I’s attempt to unite England and Scotland under his rule. Nevertheless, such questions of political division seem to adopt a universal relevance, particularly today, in the light of the recent 2014 Scottish referendum and Britain’s vote to leave the EU.