Poetry · Chapter
On Sitting Down to Read King Lear Once Again explained
The speaker bids farewell to the enchanting realm of Romance to engage with the profound and bitter truths of Shakespeare's King Lear, seeking transformation and renewal through the fiery experience of the tragedy.
What happens
The speaker bids farewell to the enchanting realm of Romance to engage with the profound and bitter truths of Shakespeare's King Lear, seeking transformation and renewal through the fiery experience of the tragedy.
Themes in this chapter
Art and Poetry
The poem contrasts the melodious art of Romance with the harsh, transformative power of Shakespearean tragedy.
Mortality and the Sublime
The speaker seeks to be consumed in the 'Fire' of the play and emerge with new wings, evoking the sublime cycle of death and rebirth.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The speaker who turns from Romance to confront the fierce drama of King Lear.
Key passages
“O golden-tongued Romance, with serene lute! Fair plumèd Syren, Queen of far away! Leave melodizing on this wintry day, Shut up thine olden pages, and be mute:”
O beautiful and enchanting Romance, with your peaceful music, stop your singing on this cold day, close your ancient books, and be silent.
The speaker addresses Romance as a seductive but now inappropriate presence for the wintery, serious mood.
“Adieu! for once again the fierce dispute, Betwixt damnation and impassion’d clay, Must I burn through; once more humbly assay The bitter sweet of this Shakespearean fruit:”
Farewell! I must once again endure the intense conflict between damnation and passionate humanity, and humbly taste the bittersweet essence of Shakespeare's work.
The speaker prepares to engage with the moral and emotional turmoil of King Lear.
“But when I am consumèd in the Fire, Give me new Phœnix-wings to fly at my desire.”
But when I am burned up in the fire, grant me new wings like the Phoenix so I can fly toward my wishes.
The speaker hopes for a transformative rebirth through the cathartic experience of the tragedy.