Literatura e envelhecimento: uma representação da velhice em king lear, de Shakespeare.

Abstract

This article shows the results of the research that aimed to analyze the representation of the old age in King Lear, considering the relations of power and the conflict of generation presented in the dramatic organization of the play. Written by the English playwright, William Shakespeare, the work inspires several possibilities of analysis, both in relation to the formal aspect and to the thematic one. The study of the old age category, emphasizing the relation age/generation, form a thematic that incites a reflection on the touchiness of the human being in the social relationships. It contributes to show the social function of the literature, which is a factor of humanization. The research began with the reading of the play. Afterwards, the speeches of the characters about the old age were selected. Then, with the support of critical and theoretical texts, the construction of the representation of that social category and its relevance in the dramatic organization of the work were discussed. It was verified that the representation of the old age, in this Shakespearian work, mainly shows a negative perspective, related to decay and to death. The relation of power and the conflict of generations constitute primarily factors in the organization of the play, creating the tension between the antagonist strengths that incites the dramatic conflict.