‘King Lear is a play which brings us closer to the apocalypse than to resolution’ Discuss

(I think essay plans are the most effective)First consider if you agree with the statement.Apocalypse is shown through the collapse of justice. This is exemplified through King Lear's actions (love test etc), and also in society (beggars)Furthermore, the deaths of wholly just characters such as cordelia and kent seem to indicate a total lack of resolution. However there is indeed evidence of resolution in the Edgar/Gloucester subplot, as Shakespeare provides us with a glimmer of hope in Edgar's final lines as he assumes leadership, Edmund is avenged and the conflict between father and son is resolved. Therefore we can conclude that Shakespeare purposefully creates a conflicting sense of resolution and apocalypse to emphasise the dangers of a despotic monarch, and how it is pratically impossible to wholly mend a severed state.

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Answered by Zara M. English Literature tutor

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