Lear's Divided Kingdom as analogy for Shakespeare's World and Ours

KING LEAR begins like a folktale:
There was a king who had three daughters. He wished to retire and divide his kingdom among them, so he asked which loved him best. Two daughters, dishonest and greedy, flattered him, while the third refused, so he banished her. The divided kingdom descended into violence, while the king, expecting still to be treated as such, is shuffled back and forth, finally homeless.

The story’s themes resonate with any age. Audiences will see in the play reflections of their own time: reckless aging leaders in a bleak world brightened occasionally by the compassion of the oppressed.

What were some of the divisions in Shakespeare’s time that may have inspired the play, and resonated most with its first audiences?

FLATTERY OF FAVORITES:
Leaders are always tempted to surround themselves with those who say what they want, instead of need, to hear. England was no different. James was known to have charming, flattering favorites rewarded with wealth and status but who caused more scandal than they helped the common good [1].

A NATION DIVIDED:
James and others wished to unify the kingdoms of Scotland and England, but the respective parliaments resisted [2].

A CHURCH AND EUROPE DIVIDED:
Continental Europe and England under James were still divided between Protestants and Catholics, and Protestants further divided: Lutherans, Calvinists, Puritans, and other sects. The Catholic Church, long before the reformation, had resisted reform, which contributed to Christianity’s further splintering.

(Martin Luther complained that it seemed there was more unity in the Ottoman Empire than in a divided Christendom....)

All three Synoptic Gospels have Jesus quote an old saying, that “a house divided cannot stand” [3]. Every year of Shakespeare’s life, he heard this passage multiple times, a theme illustrated by the action of the play.

It would have been too dangerous for Shakespeare to directly address specific instances of false flatterers or political and religious divisions, but he could evoke them by analogy (in a play set in ancient, pagan times) and still catch the consciences of England.

NOTES: Shakespeare plays are to the Folger Shakespeare Library online versions: https://shakespeare.folger.edu/shakespeares-works/

[1] The Wikipedia article on the sexuality of James addresses the history of his male favorites, some of whom predated the writing of Shakespeare’s King Lear: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexuality_of_James_VI_and_I#Male_favourites

[2] Henry VIII had tried to arrange a marriage between his son Edward and Mary Queen of Scots (mother of James), but failed. As early as 1604 (before the writing of the play in 1605-6), James tried to unify the kingdoms, but their respective parliaments resisted.

[3] Matthew 12:25, Mark 3:25, and Luke 11:17.

IMAGE: Ford Madox Brown (1821–1893)
“Cordelia's Portion,” Date: 1866
Public domain via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cordelia%27s_Portion.jpg


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Disclaimer: If and when I quote or paraphrase bible passages or mention religion in many of my blog posts, I do not intend to promote any religion over another, nor am I attempting to promote religious belief in general; only to explore how the Bible and religion influenced Shakespeare, his plays, and his age.
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