Theological Consequences in King Lear

Theological Consequences in King Lear Shakespeare's King Lear is not primarily a theological text. It contains no direct references to Christ, and its characters are not overtly religious, except perhaps in a strictly pagan sense. King Lear is, however, a play that seeks out the "meaning" of life, a play that attempts to come to terms with life's pain; or, rather, plummets the reader into such a storm of chaos and meaninglessness that any preconceived …

…terpretation. This does not necessarily mean, though, that it moves beyond the realm of religion. Any religion with the elasticity to encompass the whole scope of human emotion and experience can be related to Lear. As Lynch says, "While Leir is a play about carrying crosses, Lear is a play about dying on them" (55). If we read Lear once, live and die with it completely, then never say anything else about it, so be it.