Effective Leadership In King Lear

Effective leadership requires a foundation of strong relationships to construct a clear outline of the responsibilities they must uphold. This is manifested through Shakespeare’s tragedy; King Lear and, the 1971 biographical film Nicholas and Alexandra directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, which tells the story of a devoted Russian Tsar, yet his ruling and decisions led to the end of a 300-year Romanov regime. It is evident in both texts that in order to be effective, leaders must use their relationships for support to fulfil their duties and also focus on nurturing them as it influences their status of power.

Leaders who do not have a support system are unable to achieve their goals and therefore are ineffective. This is evident in King Lear,
through Edmund’s soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 2 where his plan to betray his brother for his desire of power is revealed to the audience. When Edgar is confused - “Some villain hath done me wrong”, Edmund responds “That’s my fear” and acts ignorant of the situation even though he was the instigator. The use of dramatic irony emphasises the neglect of his brotherly bond. Edmund loses the support of Edgar hence exposing his manipulative ways by declaring to the room “thou art a traitor!” Edmund therefore is deemed unworthy of a position of power by those superior to him, which is an obstacle towards his ambitions. Furthermore, Edmunds complex love affair with Regan and Goneril is shown through the repetition of questions portraying his confusion and uncertainty, “Which of them shall I take? Both? One? Or neither?” Edmund fails to address his relationships which results in the death of Regan and Goneril because they have such a strong love for him. This leaves him with no support system and he loses the key to accomplishing his motives. It is therefore evident that Edmund is an ineffective leader because he is unable to fulfil his goal of power due to an absence of strong relationships and furthermore an absence of support.

The notion that effective leaders are able to accomplish goals through the support of strong relationships is extended in Nicholas and Alexandra. At the start of his reign, Nicholas has pronounced connections with his family and subjects as conveyed through the use of a low angle shot from the perspectives of his son and also the workers. This draws parallels between his son and the workers portraying that they both see him as paternal and support him as a leader. Through Nicholas’s positioning on a pedestal, it illustrates his superiority. However, he breaks the norm by pulling a worker who is kissing his feet onto the platform and hugs him. This symbolises their mutual love and support thus conveying how he associates himself equally with his people. Furthermore, upon being asked, “Why care what people think?” the sharp reply of “I have to care!” and the close up of his face emphasises the dedication he has for his people. Through the foundation of a caring relationship he is informed of their collective wants and satisfies them by “introducing a Duma”. Nicholas proves he is an effective leader as he utilises his strong affiliations for support to give him an outline to his duties.

Effective leaders also must maintain their connections with people as it determines their status of power. Initially, Lear believes he is superior to his subjects asking, “Why came not the slave back to me when I called him?” This contrasts to when Lear sympathises with Poor Tom stripping naked to be like him and realising man is no more than “a poor bare, forked animal”. This shows the new attitude he now has and how he associates himself towards them which acts as a foundation in regaining his power. Furthermore, the relationship Lear has with Cordelia symbolises the relationship Lear has with his subjects. By realising his wrongs and beginning to mend his broken relationship with Cordelia, “I’ll kneel down and ask of thee forgiveness”, it then allows him to see the faults in his previous governing admitting, “O I have ta’en too little care of this”. As a result, The Duke of Albany hands Lear his kingdom back and gives him “ absolute power” since he realises the importance of nurturing his relationships. The renewal of his relationship with his daughter and the newfound care he has acts as a pathway to Lear earning his kingdom back which gives him the power to carry on with his job.

The concept of a nurturing relationship and its effect on one’s status of power is further explored in Nicholas and Alexandra.
Nicholas’ subsequent decline from power is first evident through the poor relationship he now has with his son depicted by a confrontation, “What are you doing for them? I'm so ashamed of you”. The irony that a child is criticising the Tsar highlights his poor leadership and inability to carry forth his responsibilities as a result of neglecting his relationships. Nicholas is too absorbed in his power declaring “God put meant me to rule, he put me here, he chose me!” His contextual allusion to the Great Chain of Being implies that he is as great as God himself and can do no wrong which causes him to focus on himself over his people and the result of this is catastrophic. This is shown through the long shot of wounded and dead bodies on the ground and the contrast of bright red blood on white snow emphasising the detrimental effects of his neglect, proving himself to be an unfit ruler. Nicholas loses his foundation of strong relationships through failure to nurture his relationships and therefore does not have a clear idea of his duties. The negligence towards his people causes them to have hatred towards Nicholas which causes him to lose his
powers.

A foundation of strong relationships is inherent to effective leadership as it gives leaders an outline their responsibilities. Shakespeare’s King Lear and Schaffner’s Nicholas and Alexandra illustrate the importance of nurturing relationships in order to develop a support system to one’s leadership. Both texts clearly show the pathway to a successful reign and to an unsuccessful reign.