ABSTRACT
Karuṇa is the pradhāna rasa that emerges from the emotional interplay in King Lear. Lear is almost always overpowered by śoka and the sahṛdaya easily identifies with it. Yet Lear’s śoka is not of a crippling nature. Before he acquires a regenerative vision, he reacts in anger to the atrocities committed against him. It is this boundless raudra that ultimately leads to his tragic fall. After his redemption, Lear learns to be patient and to suffer with equanimity the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Utsāha ennobles him, giving him an exalted stature, raising him to the level of a tragic hero who demands respect. Vīra and raudra together add to the nobility of the hero. Bhayānaka and bībhatsa help to focus the aesthetic experience on karuṇa. Deviating from theoretical principles, hāsya seems to play its part in accentuating karuṇa. Śṛṅgāra and adbhuta are not developed much and this helps in keeping the tragic framework intact. The emotional experience of the play culminates in śānta because of the regeneration of the hero’s mind. Though several bhāvas like raudra, jugupsa and hāsa are presented repeatedly, their ālambana and uddīpana vibhāvas are not developed enough to generate rasa. Hence śoka remains the predominant bhāva of many of the leading characters like Lear, Kent, Gloucester and Edgar, and karuṇa dominates as the pradhāna rasa of the play.
