| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 外國語文學系研究所 === 88 === From Suffering to Liberation:
A Buddhist Reading of King Lear
The present thesis offers a reading of King Lear from a Buddhist perspective to shed new light on some aspects of the play, some of which are perceivable only from a Buddhist point of view. The premise here is that all literary interpretations are unavoidably personal, and are inevitably based on a certain theoretical basis or a combination of theoretical bases, be it Marxist, Psychoanalytic, New Critical, Feminist, New Historical, Christian-or Buddhist. However, the thesis resists the temptation to restrict the text to one particular, simplified reading, and is aimed to open up the text to new illuminations, a task which is especially suitable for a Buddhist reading of the play, as the Method of Non-duality in Buddhism deconstructs, rather than offers a conclusion to the ending of the play, a method which is also existent in various Shakespearean plays which perpetually deconstruct themselves instead of yielding a resolution.
Topics in the thesis include the nature of human existence, the gods, the parent-child relationship, sexuality, impermanence, nothingness, suffering, cause and effect, the ego, ignorance, folly, wisdom, compassion, enlightenment, and liberation. These themes are examined by comparing the views expressed in the play with relevant Buddhist views. Often, the concepts expressed in the play are identical to the Buddhist ones. At other times, they are similar, but not exactly the same. These comparisons are, nevertheless, all based on textual evidences found in King Lear. In a few cases where a Buddhist interpretation may not be substantiated by textual evidence from the play, the Buddhist perspective is anyhow offered solely for the reader's reference.
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