ABSTRACT
H. Guntrip examining the concept of guilt, pointed out the differences between moral, judicial, and emotional guilt. He termed the latter, emotional guilt, “shame”. He saw the problem facing the therapist as “inordinate shame”, that is either shame when there is obviously no guilt in reality, or a total lack of shame when the guilt was apparent. Depressive guilt is that which is inseparable from sad feeling and a reflective state. This depends upon internal good objects sufficiently accepting to be felt to be capable of forgiveness. The capacity to forgive one presumes an apparatus—internalized forgiving parents—wherewith normal sad feelings and guilt can be experienced. Sad feelings can find comfort, guilt can find forgiveness. The chapter examines how Shakespeare deals with King Lear’s struggle to revive the object, to have the object able to think of him, to forgive him, and accept him finally that he may die in peace.
