(Dedicated to Araleh)
Like all of Shakespeare’s best dramatic roles,
King Lear’s an awesome mix of dark and light;
So when his shadow tragically controls
His psyche, wrong eclipses good and right.
This is, indeed, the message of the “Fool”,
Whose job it is to tell the truth to Lear;
By means of caustic wit and ridicule –
Along with empathy – his point’s made clear.
Then, aided too by Kent in a dreadful storm,
And seemingly mad, Lear suddenly transcends
His shadow; meets “Poor Tom”, to whom he’s warm
And whose human rights he ardently defends.
For in the depths of a spiritual black hole
King Lear has glimpsed at last his God-like Soul.
Ramat Gan
19 May 2024