The Intelligence of Negative Passion and the Collapse of Stoicism in King Lear

The portrayal of traditionally negative passions in King Lear anticipates modern cognitivist theories of emotion, which argue that emotions are intelligent and strategic. In depicting extreme displays of emotion, the play not only questions Stoic views about the passions but also shatters the divide between passion and reason that existed widely during the Renaissance. In two examples of strong emotion—the wrath of Lear and the despair of the Earl of Gloucester—Shakespeare explores two different strategies for responding to suffering. The play, finally, refutes Stoicism at its core, repudiating the assumption that to give way to passion means surrendering prudence, self-sovereignty, and identity.