1. Women and King Lear

2. Feminist criticism
- A general overview of
some of the feminist
perspectives on the play.
- Use to guide your
reading
- Be purposeful/ critical

3. Marilyn French/ Linda Bamber
• Early feminist criticism of play suggest
that Shakespeare is a feminist writer,
sympathetic to the difficulties of the
female he represents.
• Critics often compare women in the
play with Puritan goodwife/
companion/ stereotype of the time,
much debated in Renaissance
handbooks, to support their points.
• However, doesn’t take into account
historical circumstance, only the values
ascribed to men and women.
• This view presents feminism as a set of
social attitudes rather than a project
for fundamental social change.

4. Kathleen McLuskie ‘The Patriarchal
Bard: feminist criticism and
Shakespeare’
• McLuskie sees the play as
fundamentally misogynistic and also, a
paradigm for the sexual politics of its
genre (tragedy) and history
(Shakespeare’s time).
• Tragedy is misogynistic as although it
claims to talk about the existence of a
permanent, universal and unchanging
condition, the protagonist is always
male/ with male concerns and plots.
Adding to this, Shakespeare aligns
anarchy and sexual insubordination via
Goneril and Regan.
• In chronicle play ‘King Leir’, sisters’
villainy is a plot device; their mocking
pleasure at C’s downfall a comic act and
their evil is an exciting plot twist on
Lear’s life.

5. Kathleen McLuskie ‘The Patriarchal
Bard: feminist criticism and
Shakespeare’
• In ‘King Lear’, all female resistance is
defined by gender, sexuality and
position in the family; family relations
are fixed and any move against them is
portrayed as a destructive move against
the rightful order.
• For example:
– ‘into her womb convey sterility’ Lear, 1.4
– ‘whores do churches build’ Fool, 3.1
– ‘women will all turn monsters’ servant,
3.7
– ‘humanity must perforce prey on itself,/
like monsters of the deep’ Albany, 4.2

6. Coppélia Kahn, ‘The Absent Mother in
King Lear’
• Misogyny is instrumental and
instructive; charts Lear’s
progress from misogynist
rejection of womanly values to
a final acceptance of his more
womanly qualities.
• It’s an exploration of male
anxiety in a historical account
of the way feelings are
apparently feminine.
• Psychoanalytical reading of
play which suggests Lear’s
desire to be mothered by
Cordelia.

7. Coppélia Kahn, ‘The Absent Mother in
King Lear’
• ‘O! How this mother swells upward
toward my heart/ Hysterico
passion! Down, thou climbing
sorrow/ Thy element’s below!’
(2.4, 56-8) Hysteria characterized as
feminine – disease of the hyster,
the womb.
• In Shakespeare’s time, hysteria also
called ‘the mother’ – vivid
metaphor to describe the woman in
society; destined for childbirth, but
physically weaker than man.
• Womb is a sign of weakness;
remedy is regular sexual
intercourse/ husband. Signifies her
weakness for the flesh over mind/
spirit.

8. Coppélia Kahn, ‘The Absent Mother in
King Lear’
• First scene about male anxiety; real purpose is
about giving away his youngest daughter;
variation of wedding scene; bond between
father and daughter.
• Perhaps Lear is deliberately manipulating
giving away of Cordelia; incestuous purpose.
• The surrender of her also awakens a deeper
emotional need in Lear; need for the
daughter/ mother
• Lear as a child: wants absolute power over
those closest to him and to be absolutely
dependent on them. Pre-Oedipal experience/
desire.
• As man, father and ruler, habitual needs for
love have been repressed; he wants to ‘crawl’
like a baby towards death. He needs his
‘nursery’ – Goneril and Regan don’t provide
this; hence re-enactment of a childish rage
about the absence of a mother figure.

9. Introductory activity for Act 4, scene 2
“To thee a woman’s services are
due,/ A fool usurps my bed.”
(Goneril to Edmund)
• Some critics find the sudden
revelation that both Goneril
and Regan love Edmund a little
far-fetched. If you were
directing a play how would
you deal with this love
triangle? What advice would
you give the actors? (AO3)

10. Close reading of Act 4, scene 2
• Focusing on presentation of Goneril
• The role of Albany
• Edmund’s motivations
• Relationship between the sisters
• Critical links to feminist criticism

11. Activity – women in the play
‘Tigers, not daughters…’
• This is a play full of images
which present women as
monstrous or inhuman.
Collect examples from the
play – making a careful note
of who is speaking and the
context.
• Would you agree that this play
reflects a patriarchal world
view and seems terrified by
women and what they might
represent?

12. Essay Question:
By considering the dramatic effects of
the play evaluate the view that, ‘the
play reflects a patriarchal world view
and seems terrified by women and
what they represent’

13. Homework:
Gloucester preparation
• Revisit, research and annotate speeches in
Act 3, Scene 7
Act 4, Scene 1
Act 4, Scene 6
• Create a character profile for Gloucester
• Consider the other characters within the
subplot – Edgar& Edmund compile character
notes