King Lear

Lecture on Tuesday 24 April 2012.


We will focus on two scenes in Act IV: the first part of Scene 6, where Edgar guides his blind
father through despair by making him believe that he is jumping off a cliff, and Scene 7, where
Cordelia, a Doctor and Kent, attempt to make up for the wrongs the old King has suffered. Healing
is the mode and subject of this scene, and Cordelia’s forgiveness strikingly reverses the beginning
of Othello’s murdering speech by saying ‘No cause, no cause’.

     Please examine these two scenes for the imagery, language and theatrical effects. We will ask
particularly how the audience is made to share the experience of forgiveness and healing.


Oxford English Dictionary:

heal, v.1

Forms:  OE hǽlan, ME hælen, ME–15 hele(n, ME ( helien), healen, ME haile, ME heel(e, (Sc. heile,
heyle, hel), (ME ȝele),

15–16 heale, (Sc. heil(l), 16– heal.(Show Less)

Etymology:  A Common Germanic vb.: Old English hǽlan = Old Frisian hêla , Old Saxon hêlian (Middle
Dutch hêlen ,

heilen , Dutch heelen , Low German helen ), Old High German heilan (German heilen ),

Old Norse heil (Swedish hela , Danish hele ), Gothic hailjan , derivative of hail-s , Old Germanic
*hailo-z , Old Saxon hál ,

hale n.1, whole v.2



Parable of the Prodigal Son

And he said: A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father: Father, give
me the portion of substance that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his substance. And not
many days after, the younger son, gathering all together, went abroad into a far country: and there
wasted his substance, living riotously.  And after he had spent all, there came a mighty famine in
that country; and he began to be in want.   And he went and cleaved to one of the citizens of that
country. And he sent him into his farm to feed swine.

And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks the swine did eat; and no man gave unto him.
  And returning to himself, he said: How many hired servants in my father's house abound with
bread, and I here perish with hunger?   I will arise, and will go to my father, and say to him:
Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee:   I am not worthy to be called thy son: make
me as one of thy hired servants.   And rising up he came to his father. And when he was yet a great
way off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and running to him fell upon his neck,
and kissed him.

 And the son said to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, I am not now
worthy to be called thy son.   And the father said to his servants: Bring forth quickly the first
robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:  And bring hither the
fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat and make merry:   Because this my son was dead, and is
come to life again: was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. Now his elder son was in
the field, and when he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing:

  And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.   And he said to him: Thy
brother is come, and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe.
And he was angry, and would not go in. His father therefore coming out began to entreat him.   And
he answering, said to his father: Behold, for so many years do I serve thee, and I have never
transgressed thy commandment, and yet thou hast never given me a kid to make merry with my friends:
  But as soon as this thy son is come, who hath devoured his substance with harlots, thou hast
killed for him the fatted calf.

But he said to him: Son, thou art always with me, and all I have is thine.   But it was fit that we
should make merry and be glad, for this thy brother was dead and is come to life again; he was
lost, and is found.


Luke XVI, Rheims translation of 1582 by Gregory Martin.

Evangelium podle Lukáše, kpt. 15, 11-32 (podobenství o ztraceném synu)

Řekl také: „Jeden člověk měl dva syny. Ten mladší řekl otci: ‚Otče, dej mi díl majetku, který na
mne připadá.‘ On jim rozdělil své jmění. Po nemnoha dnech mladší syn všechno zpeněžil, odešel do
daleké země a tam rozmařilým životem svůj majetek rozházel. A když už všechno utratil, nastal v té
zemi veliký hlad a on začal mít nouzi. Šel a uchytil se u jednoho občana té země; ten ho poslal na
pole pást vepře. A byl by si chtěl naplnit žaludek slupkami, které žrali vepři, ale ani ty
nedostával.

Tu šel do sebe a řekl: ‚Jak mnoho nádeníků u mého otce má chleba nazbyt, a já tu hynu hladem!
Vstanu, půjdu k svému otci a řeknu mu: Otče, zhřešil jsem proti nebi i vůči tobě. Nejsem už hoden
nazývat se tvým synem; přijmi mne jako jednoho ze svých nádeníků.‘ I vstal a šel k svému otci. Když
ještě byl daleko, otec ho spatřil a hnut lítostí běžel k němu, objal ho a políbil. Syn mu řekl:
‚Otče, zhřešil jsem proti nebi i vůči tobě. Nejsem už hoden nazývat se tvým synem. ‘Ale otec
rozkázal svým služebníkům: ‚Přineste ihned nejlepší oděv a oblečte ho; dejte mu na ruku prsten a
obuv na nohy. Přiveďte vykrmené tele, zabijte je, hodujme a buďme veselí, protože tento můj syn byl
mrtev, a zase žije, ztratil se, a je nalezen.‘ A začali se veselit.

Starší syn byl právě na poli. Když se vracel a byl už blízko domu, uslyšel hudbu a tanec. Zavolal
si jednoho ze služebníků a ptal se ho, co to má znamenat. On mu odpověděl: ‚Vrátil se tvůj bratr, a
tvůj otec dal zabít vykrmené tele, že ho zase má doma živého a zdravého.‘ I rozhněval se a nechtěl
jít dovnitř. Otec vyšel a domlouval mu. Ale on mu odpověděl: ‚Tolik let už ti sloužím a nikdy jsem
neporušil žádný tvůj příkaz; a mně jsi nikdy nedal ani kůzle, abych se poveselil se svými přáteli.
Ale když přišel tenhle tvůj syn, který s děvkami prohýřil tvé jmění, dal jsi pro něho zabít
vykrmené tele.‘ On mu řekl: ‚Synu, ty jsi stále se mnou a všecko, co mám, je tvé. Ale máme proč se
veselit a radovat, poněvadž tento tvůj bratr byl mrtev, a zase žije, ztratil se, a je nalezen.‘
(Čs. ekum. překlad)