Audio recording of a lecture given by David Hayes and Jeremy Schwartz on April 18, 2025 as part of the Dean’s Lecture & Concert Series. The Dean’s Office has providedthis description of the event: “The ‘Love Test’ in King Lear is widely understood to be the central puzzle in one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. As part of a political succession plan, it seems unnecessary. As part of aloving relationship between parents and children, it seems grotesque. It doesn’t even seem to be a real test, sincethe result is supposed to be pre-ordained. While it is clear that the disastrous results of the test set the wholetragedy in motion, neither we nor the characters within the play seem to grasp the ‘why’ of the test itself. In thistalk, we will argue that the ‘Love Test’ is best understood by reflecting on the vexed question of the ends of the parent-child love relationship. Surprisingly, Shakespeare challenges the view that the filial pious child solves this vexed question, opening the possibility that parent-child love is tragic.”
