A Slipping Mask of Sanity

By Andrew Nguyen

As a lover of Shakespeare's work, I have to wonder what Shakespeare might have to say about the recent Supreme Court hearings on the new healthcare laws, if he were alive today. Arguably, quite a lot.

I am thinking of the scene in King Lear where Lear stands on the heath and recognizes the "poor naked wretches" that must "bide the pelting of this pitiless storm." As King, he is ostensibly obligated to provide justice to the people, to "show the heavens more just." Yet, Lear recognizes on the heath that he may "have ta'en / Too little care of this." Of course, Lear only comes to this recognition when he is completely stripped of his power as king, when he has no power of law and in fact stands outside the realm of law. This makes me think about the ability of law–and of those with the power to enact law–to provide any meaningful sense of justice. One of the interesting aspects about the healthcare hearings is that supporters and opponents alike are trying to use the law (the Constitution) to uphold or denounce the law (the healthcare bill). But does law actually provide justice? Or is it only in the absence of law, in the absence of power to exercise any true conception of justice, that justice can be realized?

I am not trying to say that we shouldn't have law, nor do I think Shakespeare advocates anarchy. I believe the fate of humanity is law. However, I also wonder if plays like King Lear reveal to us a madness that is as appealing and alluring as life itself.