Nicholas Anderson Lim Albert Chew Ramlah Mahmud Ahmad Tirmizi Bin Baharuddin

Marxism is inspired by the social and economic theories of Karl Marx. Marx claims that economics has the power to determine the course of history and influence social structure. The social structure, according to Marx, is sustained by a dominant ideology which serves the interest of the ruling class.


According to Marx, all HISTORY is characterised by unequal social arrangements and all history is the result of this social struggle between those who own and those who labour.

IDEOLOGY
Ideology- the ruling ideas of the ruling class-is a way of justifying social and economic arrangements that otherwise appear unjust because they are characteristically unequal.

Marxist literary criticism takes 2 forms:

1. The first seeks to locate literature within its social economic and historical context and to understand how the ideas advanced in the work of literature relate to ideas and values of society at the time. 2. The second form consists of a critique of ideology. It seeks to understand how ideology works in literature and to uncover the faultiness within the ideology.

How does it appear in King Lear?


According to Marx there is a fit between social relations and mode of production, but as the mode of production develops the old social relations come into contradiction with the new economic realities and break down. New social relations must evolve that match the needs of the new economic reality.

 King Lear is situated at the juncture between the old feudal form and the emerging capitalist form of society. In England 1606, the emerging class of urban merchants, traders and small industrialists were already wealthy than the nobility. The inflation of prices produced by trade and the influx of gold from the colonies in North America were bringing financial ruin to the aristocracy, whose income from tenant farmer rents remained constant while that of the merchant increased. Result: the nobility was obliged to sell land to nonaristocrats and new gentry of landowners started to develop.

LEAR
The play concerns itself with a large landholding aristocrat whose loss of power is directly linked to a loss of land. Lears character embodies the ideal of the feudal system: from his language, when he uses words such as vassal and recreant (disloyal), to his unproductive way of life based on leisure and consumption. He is situated within social relations that revolve around feudal notions of duty and obligation. He expects from his daughter, not love, but service and loyalty.

 Lears downfall can reflect the crisis of the aristocracy around 1600. He loses his land There is decrease in deference towards the nobility His claims for obedience make little sense on his daughters

The play, through depicting the relations between Lear and his daughters ( Goneril and Regan) depicts the threat posed to cultural aristocratic order based on notions of privilege and obligation by the newly emergent capitalist philosophy, which favoured individual ambition.

 Represents the new class--He sees the feudal system as the plague of custom and he questions the arbitrary distinction between legitimate and illegitimate. He disrespects tradition and questions aristocratic authority. This comes across mostly by his endeavours to acquire land and titles which do not rightfully belong to him. His sceptical rationalist way of thinking, his criticism of religious ideology marks his departure from the old social order (we make guilty of our disasters the sun, the moon the star).

Edmund

 Whereas his father represents traditional ideology through his adherence to stable hierarchies, respect and obligation, Edmund promotes a sceptical understanding which questions these hierarchies. His I grow, I Prosper links him to G and R- he also betrays his family for the sake of making his own way in the world His new philosophy of social mobility embraces the breakdown of the old feudal system: the younger rises when the old doth fall

Cordelia
By considering the way Lear argues for Cordelias position after her nothing, saying her price is fallen, shows that he indeed betrays the old traditional order. His statement Nothing will come of nothing implies that value is no longer inherent but is related to market exchange.

 OLD: According to France she is herself a dowry:

France reasserts the aristocratic concept of value as inherent worth. As a daughter of noble birth she is valuable in herself-by virtue of her birth. NEW: According to Burgundy Cordelia is no longer a good bargain her price indeed fallen As Cordelia leaves with France she departs with the words: well may you prosper- which alludes to the change taking place between Old and New.

Goneril and Regan

Both represent the emerging new order Break the feudal rules of reciprocal trust and personal obligation They lie to their father in the dowry scene They refuse him when he is in their house-ignoring the effects of courtesy, dues of gratitude that shapes the passing feudal system.