The Endemic Ideological State Apparatuses in Edward Bond’s Lear: An Althusserian Reading

This article, a theory-based and library-researched attempt, is going to read Edward Bond’s Lear in the light ofAlthusserian notions of ideology, Repressive State Apparatus, and Ideological State Apparatuses. It begins with thediscussion of the Cultural ISA, exploring how Shakespeare and Bond are each concerned with the evils of society andpower and how they produce works as cultural ISAs. Then, the chapter discusses how repression and terrorization arefrequently applied by the characters through Repressive State Apparatus. The discussion is followed by the explorationof ideological discourse as a justification of the exertion of repression. Then, the role of family as a domestic institutionwhere the ruling ideology is present is investigated. Finally, the chapter is concerned with the way Bond fashions acounter-discourse in the course of the play in order to challenge and refute the ideological discourses that the rulingclasses produce.

Keywords:

Bond , Althusser , Lear , Repressive State Apparatus , Ideological State Apparatus