When Lear and Cordelia are faced with the fate of being sent to prison, Cordelia breaks down into tears. Lear, however, assures her that prison will be wonderful in each other's company. He brushes away her tears as he describes the beautiful experience awaiting them. That piece of father-daughter sentiment makes for a really feel-good moment as the readers in a play that's soon to end quite the opposite. It almost makes us forget for a moment that we are reading a tragedy. I mean, Lear is talking about prison! That's no light topic. While reading, I couldn't help but think, "Is he maybe being a little naive here?"
Frankl's time in Auschwitz is a real-life tragedy (suspending the fact that he did not prompt his placement there through his own actions). While it's a very extreme example, Frankl's camp was a prison relatable to the prison Lear and Cordelia were bound to. Death was experienced in each. Lear had Cordelia physically, and Frankl had his wife spiritually. In both cases their female counterpart sustained them through hardship. Their individual reactions to the removal of that loved one, however, is key. Lear, after having regained a small bit of lucidness, completely loses it and actually can not continue to live. Frankl, however, was forced to deal with the physical absence of his wife from the very beginning of his imprisonment and furthermore had to deal with the pain of not knowing whether she was dead or alive. Nonetheless, he keeps her memory in his heart and even says that had he known she was dead it would not affect the connection he felt with her!
Lear may have started out with an idealistic viewpoint, but he fails to maintain it when the going actually gets rough. His positive anticipation left him vulnerable to the coming reality. Frankl, however, had no grand expectations and yet was able to achieve that ideal sense of companionship and love that transcended love. It seems that preparation is key - as they say, hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
No comments:
Post a Comment