I am not your host, Pat Sajak, and I am not talking about the pop culture game show that you may be familiar with; however, the wheel of fortune plays a key role in King Lear. The wheel of fortune that I am alluding to refers to the concept of one’s own fate. The Goddess Fortuna is supposedly the deity that controls the wheel of fortune. In other words, she controls people lives to some extent, by either leading them to successes or having them fail. Most times, the wheel of fortune is seen as relating to those who hold political power and control. Often, one begins at the bottom of the wheel of fortune and gradually rises to the top while gaining more power. With that said, once the reach the top, they tumble back down the wheel and end up where they first began. Legend has it that the Goddess Fortuna is figure that oversees such a cycle. It is significant to note that it is a woman figure that controls this wheel. This hints that woman have much control over the lives of men, and gives a feminine take on something that mostly refers to masculinity or a more masculine role.
In King Lear, Edmund states, “The wheel has come full circle” (5.3.173). In this line, he is referring to himself, and his own rise and fall of power. During the beginning of the play, Edmund refers to himself as a “Bastard.” Here, he is illustrating himself as a character that is at the bottom of the wheel of fortune. Throughout the play, Edmund gains confidence and rises to the top of the wheel with his power gain. Towards the conclusion of King Lear, we see Edmund’s downward spiral back to the bottom of the wheel of fortune. If one believes in the legend that the Goddess Fortuna controls the wheel, then one might see Edmund’s circular journey of the wheel as being controlled by Fortuna herself. In a sense, he has lost all control in his life, and his life was in the hands of a greater being then himself.
This leads us to the question of fate. Does fate exist? Are we powerless to our own fate? Despite drive and the way we live our lives, will we inevitably succumb to fate itself? Then this leads us to further questions like: Even is possible, should we overcome fate? Or is fate what is meant to happen? All of these questions are essential to ask when considering King Lear, the wheel of fortune, and fate.
2 comments:
I like your mention of fate here. I think too often people chalk events in their life up to fate to avoid being held accountable. Partially, Edmund can thank fortune for the events in his life, but he also had a hand in his life coming "full circle."
I really like Madeline L'Engle's view of fate, that like a Sonnet it has a strict form and structure, but the freedom for creativity.
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