Open AccessGenesis in King Lear
Author(s) -
T. A. Lysaght
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
the journal of bahá’í studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2563-755X
pISSN - 0838-0430
DOI - 10.31581/jbs-29.3.5(2019
Subject(s) - assertion , character (mathematics) , sovereignty , brother , philosophy , art , literature , history , theology , art history , law , political science , geometry , mathematics , politics , computer science , programming language
“If we tire of the saints, Shakespeare is our city of refuge.” — Ralph Waldo EmersonA luminary of fi ve religions, Joseph of Egypt looms larger than life. Bahá’u’lláh even likens Himself to “the Divine Joseph” (Gleanings 103:4). However, Joseph’s gradual unveiling as a minor prophet also renders him humanly relatable in ways a Manifestation of God can never be. In the West, Shakespeare and the Bible have each served as paths to knowledge, and their union a way to wisdom. That assertion proves especially true upon comparing Joseph’s odyssey of becoming with Edgar’s in King Lear. Both the prophet and the fictional character, each brother-betrayed, transform unjust adversity into psychological and spiritual growth. They each attain an exemplary sovereignty of self over and above their separate temporal kingships. A comparison of the two aff ords a deeper appreciation of Joseph’s prominent place in scripture, particularly in the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh.