Page "Shakespearean history" Paragraph 24

King Lear, in Danby's view, is Shakespeare ’ s finest historical allegory.

The older medieval society, with its doting king, falls into error, and is threatened by the new machiavellianism ; it is regenerated and saved by a vision of a new order, embodied in the king ’ s rejected daughter.

By the time he reaches Edmund, Shakespeare no longer pretends that the Hal-type machiavel is admirable ; and in Lear he condemns the society we think historically inevitable.

Against this he holds up the ideal of a transcendent community and reminds us of the “ true needs ” of a humanity to which the operations of a Commodity-driven society perpetually do violence.

This “ new ” thing that Shakespeare discovers is embodied in Cordelia.

The play thus offers an alternative to the feudal-machiavellian polarity, an alternative foreshadowed in France ’ s speech ( I. 1. 245 – 256 ), in Lear and Gloucester ’ s prayers ( III. 4.

28 – 36 ; IV. 1. 61 – 66 ), and in the figure of Cordelia.

Cordelia, in the allegorical scheme, is threefold: a person ; an ethical principle ( love ); and a community.

Until that decent society is achieved, we are meant to take as role-model Edgar, the machiavel of patience, of courage and of " ripeness ".

After King Lear Shakespeare ’ s view seems to be that private goodness can be permanent only in a decent society.