TY - BOOK AU - Elton,William R. TI - King Lear and the Gods SN - 9780813161303 AV - PR2819 .K564 1988 PY - 1988/// CY - Lexington PB - The University Press of Kentucky KW - Religion in literature KW - Lear, King of England (Legendary character) KW - In literature KW - King Lear KW - Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 KW - Electronic Books N1 - Wx; y; z; 2; Cover; Title; Copyright; Contents; Acknowledgments; Note on the Text; Part I; I. The Problem; II. Renaissance Concepts of Providence; III. Sidney's Arcadia: Four Attitudes to Providence; IV. From Leir to Lear; Part II; V. Prisca Theologia: Cordelia and Edgar; VI. Pagan Atheism: Goneril and Regan, Edmund; VII. Pagan Superstition: Gloucester; VIII. Deus Absconditus: Lear; Part III; IX. Double Plot; X. Minor Characters: Kent, Cornwall, Albany, the Fool; XI. Irony as Structure; XII. Conclusion; King Lear Studies: 1967-1987; Index; A; B; C; D; E; F; G; H; I; J; K; L; M; N; O; P; Q; R; S; T; U; V; 2; b N2 - Many critics hold that Shakespeare's King Lear is primarily a drama of meaningful suffering and redemption within a just universe ruled by providential higher powers. William Elton's King Lear and the Gods challenges the validity of this widespread optimistic view. Testing the prevailing view against the play's acknowledged sources, and analyzing the functions of the double plot, the characters, and the play's implicit ironies, Elton concludes that this standard interpretation constitutes a serious misreading of the tragedy UR - https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=938534&site=eds-live&custid=s3260518 ER -