Emily Dickinson, writing around 1862 in America (approximately 250 years after the death of Shakespeare), composed this poem that reflects some of her views about the relationship between insanity and wisdom:
Much Madness is divinest Sense-
To a discerning Eye-
'Tis the Majority
In this, as all, prevail-
Assent- and your are sane-
Demur- you're staightway dangerous-
And handled with a Chain-
What is Dickinson saying in this poem? How is it related to observations in King Lear, made by Lear or the Fool or others, about the connection between foolishness and wisdom, madness and insight? Would various characters share Dickinson's view -- or disagree -- or nuance these observations? Does the play as a whole endorse or reject the ideas in this poem?
Emily Dickinson’s poem takes a stance that William Shakespeare himself would seemingly support, the idea that madness is sort of "discerning Eye" allowing a person to see in a truer way then they could before. This theme bleeds into many of Shakespeare’s works, most especially into his late masterpiece, King Lear. There are three characters in the play that all portray some madness in some way, and in every case madness allows these characters to take a step away from the world and see it for what it truly is. I’ll specifically be looking at King Lear himself.
ReplyDeleteLike the other mad characters in King Lear, Lear gains insight in madness. At the beginning of the play, the audience/reader is introduced to Lear, the king who is dividing his kingdom between his three daughters. Lear splits his kingdom between his daughters according to their ability to flatter him. He foolishly considers this flattery genuine love, and banishes his daughter, Cordelia, who refuses to take part in these false compliments. He sees flattery as truth when it is a façade. Only when he is banished into the storm by his two daughters who did in fact flatter him does Lear succumb to madness and see the foolishness of dividing his kingdom. At this point, he sees the façade of his two daughters’ compliments. Their compliments held no weight, and now he is faced with this harsh truth. In the sixth scene of the third act, Lear along with the other mad characters, the Fool and Edgar, stage an imaginary trial where Lear forces his unappreciative daughters to take the stand in court. He at first address the court with regards to Goneril in saying, “I here take my oath before this honorable assembly, [that my daughter, Goneril] kicked the poor king her father” (3.6.50-2). Then when discussing his second daughter, Regan, he says, “And here’s another whose warped looks proclaim/ what store her heart is made on” (3.6.56-7).
Aside from seeing with his “discerning Eye” the evil in his own daughters, Lear’s madness also gives him insight into the world outside of his own. In other words, he now has wisdom regarding social issues that extend to many beyond him. He has a long conversation with Edgar and his recently blinded father, Gloucester, about lechery, abuses of power, and other human faults. During this conversation, Lear also reveals that he knows what event gave him this insight. While ranting and ranting at Gloucester and the disguised Edgar in a seemingly mad conversation, Lear says:
When the rain came to wet me
Once and the wind to make me chatter, when the
Thunder would bot peace at my bidding, there I
Found ‘em, there I smelt ‘em out. (4.6.119-122)
These lines specifically tie how Lear could smell out the truth in the world in the madness that ensued following his banishment into the storm.
(Continuation)
DeleteShakespeare flawlessly folds in two very telling symbols as Lear succumbs to madness that further support this “discerning Eye” interpretation of the play. First, there is the storm that Lear is banished into [that he in fact references in the above quote]. This storm symbolizes Lear’s clarity as it washes away his false way of seeing. Water throughout the centuries has come to represent rebirth and cleansing due mainly to the Christian idea of baptism. In many ways, this storm initiates Lear’s rebirth as a mad man. Second, there is the symbolic action when Lear rips off his clothes. This represents a similar idea of cleansing that is also seen in the storm. By ripping off his clothes, Lear is returning to an early state of his life, a childish one. Children, like mad men, often are seen as pure. There is something very genuine and pure in a naked body even innocent. These symbols on top of all the textual evidence all support this idea of the “discerning Eye” of madness. The storm and the action of ripping off his clothes both suggest a return to a purer state, a state of clarity. In other words, these symbols suggest that his madness is a “discerning Eye” of sorts.
In conclusion, only when Lear has succumbed to madness does he finally truly see the world around him. He returns to a purer state, one that allows him to take the world at face value. As a mad man, he is no longer invested in the world, but has become an outsider who can see it for what it is.
I agree with Sarah, a tough act to follow.... Emily Dickinson, in her poem discussing madness, makes the point that to be considered ‘sane’ is often to conform to the established norms of society. That is, to become less individual. Meanwhile, to “demur”, to be different, is to be considered dangerous by the rest of society and “handled with a chain.” Being different is frightening to others and therefore society feels a need to keep the difference controlled. Demur also literally means simply to hesitate; anyone who hesitates is also thus considered dangerous. This is a polarizing ‘with us or against us’ attitude. Dickinson argues against this, seeking to point out its flawed nature; she, and Shakespeare, hold the view that “Much Madness is divinest sense.” She also adds, “’tis the majority in this, as all, prevail,” meaning that whatever the mainstream of people think is generally what gets done, for better or worse. In King Lear, both Kent and Cordelia are not totally supportive of Lear’s scheme and both of them are immediately banished for it. While Cordelia’s sisters flatter their father and tell him how wonderful he is and how much they love him, Cordelia chooses to be more honest and not conform. It is also interesting to note that Emily Dickinson is writing in 1862 America, during the Civil War. During wartime, solidarity and unity is, with good reason, valued, and anyone who spoke out might be in a dangerous position. Abraham Lincoln suspended the writ of Habeas Corpus, so people were literally considered ‘straightaway dangerous and handled with a chain.’
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