Peer Reviewed
- Edition: King Leir
King Leir
- Introduction
- Texts of this edition
- Contextual materials
- Facsimiles
Queen's Men Dramaturgy: Narrative Over-Determination (Sc. 14)
103Read about narrative over-determination in scene 13
Ragan says here that she already believes that Leir has abused her sister (TLN 1141-1143), effectively rendering the arrival of Gonorill's message redundant. Once again, the company seems less interested in creating a surprising turn of events than in stoking fearful anticipation of a predictable course of events. This dramaturgical strategy could possibly be a reflection of the protestant philosophy of divine providence. In the following scene, her reaction to Gonorill's letter (TLN 1172), while amusing, seems a little extreme given what she tells us here.