Just as tall proof of incest is going to be understood inside the King Lear, very may also numerous traces of the Cinderella folktale. Actually, the fresh seem to talked about love-try at the beginning of this new enjoy might have been thought to be tale sort of 923, “Love Like Salt.” When you look at the 1886 E. S. Hartland branded the first out-of exactly what the guy consider was four distinguishable brand of “New Outcast Child” once the “Queen Lear variety of” (310), plus in 1893 Marian Cox described the first areas of Cover o’ Rushes (a variation of Cinderella facts) because the “Queen Lear View — Enjoying Such as Salt” (xxv, 80). New folktale always stops into wedding associated with the child so you’re able to a prince — just as Christabel sooner marries their own prince, according to Coleridge’s noticeable arrangements for finishing their incomplete ballad.(7)
This folktale include a basic plot involving an initial love-try where a master needs that his around three daughters say its fascination with your
Whereas Cox classified “Queen Lear Wisdom — Loving Such as for example Salt” on Cap o’ Rushes facts sort of, Anna Rooth classified the storyline into the Catskin tale type (14-15, 19-20) — plus in exact same area schema in the above list. Within the Rooth’s examination of the newest Cinderella legend this collection from Cover o’ Rushes and you can Catskin tales corresponds to the fresh Aarne-Thompson group “Clothes out-of Silver, out-of Gold, and of Celebrities” (Aarne and you can Thompson 82). Amongst the Catskin and you may Cover o’ Rushes reports the only recognize factors cover the appearance of the fresh “Queen Lear Wisdom” in addition to “Outcast Heroine” in the Limit o’ Rushes. ” Centered on Alan Dundes, “This might be of tremendous value inside the trying know King Lear” (234). Almodovar brides Into patch writeup on “The dress away from Silver, away from Silver, and of Stars,” that has one another Catskin and you may Cover o’ Rushes aspects, starts the following: “Establish of your dad who wants to wed his or her own child.” As well as the dominant themes about facts are these types of: (1) a beneficial deathbed pledge concerning the 2nd spouse; (2) an effective lecherous dad; (3) a dad which casts their daughter ahead whenever she won’t marry him; and you can (4) the new trip of your own maiden to leave relationship. “This new gist of all the which,” states Dundes, “is the fact that ‘love eg salt, spot appears to be a weaker type of the new folktale plot in which an excellent `mad’ dad tries to get married their own daughter” (234).
Due to the influences for the Queen Lear because of these some parts of brand new Cinderella story, Dundes claims that the play should always be understand in the daughter’s direction — maybe not the latest dad’s, suggesting hence so it works with “`daughter-father’ incest as opposed to ‘father-daughter’ incest!” (235). But since Shakespeare titled new have fun with the Problem out-of King Lear and since it concentrates generally to the Lear’s notice and you may points, quite the opposite is — and should — getting advised. And not only provides Freud, Bransom, and you will a host of other Shakespeare critics ideal therefore, however, therefore is served by that great progenitor out-of Shakespeare problem — Samuel Taylor Coleridge, just who highlighted in the cards to possess a beneficial lecture on the Lear (old January 28, 1819) your queen was “area of the subject-matter-of the newest enjoy.(8)
The third, their favourite, responses you to definitely her love feels as though salt to new beef and you can she’s forthwith rejected and you can banished of the aggravated queen
One Coleridge sensed into the King Lear elements of the cinderella legend as well as incest check quite clear out of their vital opinions towards this new play. Which he incorporated comparable issues when you look at the Christabel appears equally precious. Supplied, his really sustained statements toward Lear did not arise until their lecture in January 1819. But he previously stated the newest catastrophe about 2nd lecture out of his 1811-12 collection, and then he mentioned into play from the better size regarding fourteenth lecture. On top of that, due to the fact Roentgen. A beneficial. Foakes points out, Coleridge had analyzed Queen Lear and had composed a number of annotations in it in 2 editions out-of Shakespeare — you to prolonged annotation having been dated January 1, 1813 (5.2.323). Regardless if their opinions and you will annotations happened adopting the structure off Christabel (1797-1800), he had been understanding and contemplating Shakespeare seem to and also for for years and years — ” each and every day . since i have is actually a decade dated,” as he indicated in the notes for an effective lecture on 19, 1812(5.1.429).