Many scholars consider ‘King Lear’ one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. This is because of its power; it tackles all issues and is still relevant today to the extent that it has been called “Shakespeare’s play for the 20th century”. ‘King Lear’ is cathartic and a discouragingly accurate portrayal of human nature. It shows us altruism, selfishness, love, hate, stupidity and understanding. It questions fate, the gods, our purpose and how, why and what human nature is. It is this, the sheer amount, and power of it’s themes which explains why ‘King Lear’ is held by so many scholars, past and present, in such high regard. However, whether the play the play has an optimistic or pessimistic outlook is a question that has been debated over the centuries.

Whether the play is optimistic or pessimistic is of great importance to the meaning of the play as a whole, as the message it conveys hinges on whether the play is hopeful or disparagingly tragic. Is Shakespeare trying to say that life is completely pointless? That we are simply “like flies to wanton boys, they kill us for their sport.” Alternatively, is he trying to show us that there is a point to life; that we must learn, love, and try to live honourably and decently?

There are two predominant schools of thought in the dispute over whether the play is optimistic or pessimistic. These are represented both in the play and in the opinions of critics. In general, critics of the late 20th century find the play profoundly pessimistic and earlier critics find the play optimistic.

The pessimistic opinion on the play argues that, in ‘King Lear’, human nature is portrayed as being essentially bad and that the play is attempting to say that there is no purpose to life. Gonerill, Regan and Edmund represent this immoral, evil, quality to human nature. Edmund refers to nature many times throughout the play:

“Thou, nature, art my goddess; to thy law
My services are bound. Wherefore should I
Stand in the way of custom, and permit
The curiosity of nations to deprive me…”

This shows how Edmund wants to disrupt the order - imposed by man - by which he is made to suffer because of his illegitimacy. This could be considered pessimistic, as regards our nature, in two...