Why King Lear is the Ultimate Parallel of Brexit

As the crisis of Brexit continues week after week, commentators search for parallels in history. When else have we experienced comparable political paralysis? At what other time have we felt so uncertain about who governs Britain or where ultimate authority lies? When have the passions of hatred and violent division been expressed so vehemently? While historians have talked about the greatest crisis since the Second World War, or recalled the epic divisions over the 1846 repeal of the Corn Laws, the closest comparison may lie not in our factual past but in our literature. Shakespeare arguably captured such themes best in his greatest tragedy: King Lear.