Truth and Insanity in King Lear : Fovusing on Oxymorons

Abstract

This paper posits a central theme of Shakespeare's King Lear as being the relationship between truth and insanity. This theme can be gleaned from the study of the rhetorical aspect of oxymorons, such as "unpriz'd precious maid" (I.I.25I) and "Proper deformity [shows] not in the fiend/So horrid as in woman." (4.2.60- 6I) This paper clarifies how oxymorons produce powerful meanings and how fruitful they are in assisting protagonists in finding the truth. The reason for Shakespeare's use of oxymorons, which 'are especially present in King Lear, is his desire not to display a one-sided definition, but to leave the defining interpretation an uncertainty, a mystery. Shakespeare makes it clear that truth and insanity, right and wrong, rapture and sorrow, are not antinomic just because they are placed back to back- they are left open for relative interpretation. Only those who suffer deeply throughout the play, such as Lear and Gloucester, can truly experience delight and truth. One-sided viewpoints are not accepted in the great tragedy of King Lear. It is apparent from Shakespeare's use of oxymorons that Lear's insane world transforms into one of truth, Gloucester's dark world changes into one of light. It is also apparent that Kent's, the King of France's, and the other characters' worlds change from despairing into hopeful ones. Shakespeare thought truth and insanity, misery and sublimity, are ultimately one.