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| William Hazlitt, Self-Portrait |
Lear should electrify.
. . . the gigantic outspread sorrows of King Lear. Lear is more like a sea, swelling, chaffing, raging, without bound, without hope, without beacon or anchor, torn from the hold of his affections and fixed purposes, he floats a mighty wreck in the wide world of sorrows.
Lear’s injuries are without provocation, and admit no alleviation of atonement. They are strange, bewildering, overwhelming. The action of the mind, however, under this load of disabling circumstances, is brought out in the play in the most masterly and triumphant manner; it staggers under them, but it does not yield.
It is not enough that Lear’s crosses and perplexities are expressed by single strokes. There should be an agglomeration of horrors, closing him in like a phalanx. His speech should be thick with the fullness of his agony. His face should, as it were encrust and stiffen into amazement at his multiplied afflictions . . . His wrongs should seem enlarged tenfold through the solid atmosphere of his despair – his thought should be vast and lurid, like the sun when he declines – he should be “a huge dumb heap of woe.”
I like how he uses a ragging sea to express King Lear, which is also related to the storm scene in the play. As King Lear's rage gets stronger so does the storm. I also agree with the fact that King Lear's injuries are "strange, bewildering and overwhelming" King Lear builds up all of this emotion inside of himself, and it becomes to overbearing to deal with, which leads to it being overwhelming. I like Hazlitt's point of view towards King Lear. I agree with him completely.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mr.Balgley with the fact that he Mr.Hazlitt didn't like the performance of Mr.Keans. especially with the next quote "His speech should be thick with the fullness of his agony. His face should, as it were encrust and stiffen into amazement at his multiplied afflictions . . . His wrongs should seem enlarged tenfold through the solid atmosphere of his despair – his thought should be vast and lurid, like the sun when he declines – he should be “a huge dumb heap of woe.” in my opinion he refer as this parts of the play especially because he didn't play it right.!!!1
ReplyDeleteIntersting! I wish I could have seen the scene where Gloucsters eyes get removed from his face! Random, yes!
ReplyDeleteAlso, this review of King Lears actions is a pretty good way to sum up all the Kings actions! I Love the nature metaphors; They are seriously something!
I think, from reading this review, King Lear was not done justice. I agree with Brittany's comment that the ragging sea is a great image to compare King Lear's countenance to. His character is larger than life, and I believe that it should be played as such.
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