By the Numbers

Browsing through “The Shakespeare Book of Lists” (Michael LoMonico, New Page Books), I came across the Word Frequency List for Lear. This is a list of the most common words spoken in the text of King Lear (it doesn’t say which version of the text), excluding common pronouns, articles, prepositions, and other workaday words.

The first two words on the list are extremely telling. Number one is “father,” which appears 66 times. Number two, clocking in at 65, is “King.”

In a numerical nutshell, this is the crux of the play. Is Lear primarily a father, or a King? Which is more important? When he acts like a King, his family suffers; when he acts like a father, his country deteriorates. Their presence at the top of this list makes it seem as though the two words—the two identities—are in a neck-and-neck race throughout the play. If “father” wins over “King,” it’s only by a hair. And underneath those two words, but still in the top ten, are several other words which might describe the many incarnations of Lear (or Lear’s shadows): “man” (62 times), “fool,” “poor,” and “old” (47 times each).

Some other interesting repetitions include “love” (51), “see” and “speak” (50 and 48), “heart” (46), “eyes” (37), “nature” (36)...and, of course, “nothing” (34 times).