William Shakespeare’s King Lear, is a story of power, tragedy, and mistrust. The play starts out in King Lear’s palace where the main characters of the play are introduced. A conversation between Kent, Gloucester, and Gloucester’s son Edmund introduce the primary plot of the play. King Lear enters to a fanfare of trumpets, followed by his two sons-in-law, Albany and Cornwall, and his three daughters Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia. Lear announces that he has divided his kingdom into three shares to be given to his daughters as determined by their declarations of love for him. Goneril, as the eldest, speaks first. She tells her father that her love for him is boundless. Regan, as the middle child, speaks next. Her love, she says, is even greater than Goneril’s. Finally, it is Cordelia’s turn to express the depth of her love for her royal father. But when queried by Lear, Cordelia replies that she loves him as a daughter should love a father, no more and no less. She reminds her father that she also will owe devotion to a husband when she marries, and therefore cannot honestly give all her love to her father. The king sees this as rejection and excommunicates his daughter from all of the King’s shares. Cordelia bids her sisters farewell, and leaves with the King of France. When Goneril and Regan are left alone, the two sisters reveal their plan to discredit the king.
But in the end it is Edmond that is the most deceitful.
In the next scene, which is set at Gloucester’s home, Edmond enters talking out loud to himself. He asks nature why society sees him as inferior to his brother Edgar simply because he is not his father’s legitimate firstborn. Edmond is an opportunist, he believes in survival of the fittest, and his ambitions lead him to form a union with Goneril and Regan. Edmund also succeeds in convincing his brother Edgar that he’s looking out for his safety when he suggests that Edgar should carry a weapon as protection from their father’s anger. Edmund shows concern for his brother as he coaxes Edgar to slip away under the cover of night. Edmund tells Edgar that Cornwall suspects Edgar of aiding his enemy, the Duke of Albany. Edgar, innocent and unaware of any of this plotting, agrees to flee to protect himself. In one last ploy to destroy Edgar’s reputation, Edmund engages his brother in a fake battle, intentionally wounding himself to draw Gloucester’s sympathy. Gloucester, in response to the attack on Edmond, promises to bring Edgar to justice, and also states that he is going to make Edmond his heir.
Later, when Gloucester asked Regan and Cornwall to leave, so that he might offer aid to Lear, they seized his house and made him a prisoner. He was conversing with Edmond, and disclosed that there was a letter stating that an Army has landed to help the King, and Gloucester is going to sneak away from his house to aid the King however he can. Edmond jumps at the chance to win Cornwall favor. “This courtesy, forbid thee, shall the Duke Instantly know, and of that letter too: This seems a fair deserving, and must draw me that which my father loses; no less then all: The younger rises when the old doth fall”. (III.3.22-26) Edmond quickly discloses to Cornwall what his father’s plans are, and sets the next course of even into motion, revenge on Gloucester. Cornwall says that he will take care of Gloucester and wants Edmond to arrest him if found. Edmond replies “If I find him comforting the King, it will stuff his suspicion more fully. I will persevere in my course of loyalty, though the conflict is sore between that and my blood”. (III.5.17-20) Edmond departs with Goneril for the Duke of Albany’s palace, so that he isn’t there to witness the punishment of his father. Edmond and Goneril depart back to the palace, and in return she gives him a kiss and a letter. Edmond plays both Regan, and Goneril, and in turn is engaged to both. Edmond attempts to kill his father but is confronted and beaten by his brother, who has been protecting his father all along, disguised as a poor beggar. After finding out that it was Edgar and not some poor beggar, Edmond says “Thou hast spoken right, ‘tis true. The wheel has come full circle; I am here”. (V.3.172-173)
I have found Edmond to be the most interesting villain in the play. Not only does he deceive his brother, and then his father, he continues to play multiple sides and roles along the way. Even up to the end where he had Regan, and Goneril fighting over him to the point that Goneril poisoned her own sister, and then take her own life. Fortunately in the end the good prevailed and Edgar was back on top but as the play went on you would wonder what Edmond could possibly pull off next.
King Lear, one of Shakespeare’s most tragic plays, shows how the tragic loss of honor, pride, and senility ultimately brings forth redemption to the characters. Redemption is one of the primary themes of the play. King Lear and the other characters that were at fault in the beginning of the play are redeemed in the end by the tragic death of the most innocent character. The play begins with a dark vision of a world that is superfluous and false, devoid of humility and love. It is only in Cordelia, Lear’s youngest daughter whom he banishes, do we find the light of truth. In a way, Cordelia becomes the symbol of good that must die in the end to redeem the souls of the others. Jessica Berg believes that Cordelia signifies a Christ-figure as her subsequent death reaffirms that the essential theme of the play is redemptive (4-6). On the other side of the thematic debate are those who believe that the play is primarily tragic in nature as Cordelia’s death signifies the consequence truth and goodness face, when confronted with iniquitous and gratuitous people. I believe King Lear is a tragic redemptive play that shows how human tragedy can ultimately make man realize his wrongdoings and transform him to become a new person. Redemption here implies freedom from one’s superfluous trite self to become a non-judgmental and truthful person. A tragic end redeems Lear. Thus, the theme of tragedy and redemption remain inseparable in the case of this play.
King Lear – a tragedy
King Lear is one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies. A tragic play is one where a tragic fate is the ruin or death of a hero. King Lear gives the impression that tragedy also occurs due to the direct misfortunes that fall on people, which fade the light of honorable characters, but in the end, it reemerges, more overpowering and absolute than the wrongs of the world. Shakespeare states in Troilus and Cressida, “In the reproof of chance/ Lies the true faith of men” (Troilus and Cressida 1.3.33-34). Thus, fate shows the true nature of man. Consequently, the poignancy of a tragic fate depends on the actions and reactions of men and women while facing adversity. The way men and women accept fate, good or bad, shows what their inner character is like. Similarly, in King Lear, Shakespeare presents the story of the physical and spiritual suffering of Lear. Suffering controls human existence and that demonstrates the tragedy in man’s life. This idea is summed up in the play as: “When we are born, we cry that we are come / To this great stage of fools.” (King Lear 4.6.187-88). The play is about life, love, and death – the love between father and daughter, faith between closest relations, and how death is the ultimate tragedy that affects all. Shakespeare uses the language of the play as a tool to scrutinize these aspects to present a tragedy that simply satisfies man’s love for beauty, life, and truth.
In King Lear, actions assume paramount importance as they are used as a means to illustrate characters. For instance, in act 1 scene 1 of the play, Lear divides his kingdom among his three daughters leaving no startling effect on the readers (or viewers). The presence of the prince of France in the scene almost prefigures the mood of the king in the later part of the drama (Brayton 401). Dividing the kingdom among his heirs by a king who presumably has no natural male heir is a simple setting that could have any outcome. It is the duty of a good king to ensure the line of succession to the thrown. This arrangement, on the sovereign’s death, averts chaos. Lear is completely aware of the consequences that may arise if he failed to divide the realm:
We have this hour a constant will to publish
Our daughters’ several dowers, that future strife
May be prevented now. (King Lear 1.1.44-46)
However, tragedy strikes when Lear’s love for sycophancy rules over his judgment and he, very unwisely, asks his daughters to profess their love for him. Thus, the prime merit of the future ruler rested on her ability to flatter, and not her intelligence or wisdom:
Which of you shall we doth love us most?
That we our largest bounty may extend
Where nature doth with merit challenge. (King Lear 1.1.52-54)
The true tragedy of the play begins as Lear speaks the word “say.” How can anyone say how much love she has in her heart? Can mere words express true love? This misjudgment of Lear teaches him the hard way that ascertaining truth and love is extremely difficult.
Such a beginning gives a powerful signal to the outcome of the play and horrifies its viewers. The reason being, this action of Lear contradicts that of a true king. Although Lear was correct in ensuring his line of succession after his death but his actions cease to be correct when he abandons the daughter who truthfully tells that her love cannot be expressed in words. Further, Lear abdicates his thrown to his successors soon after dividing his kingdom in the most precarious manner. This whole event shocks us. This is because we are used to the concept of a king who considers his role as a sovereign as one deigned by God (as was done by Queen Elizabeth) and in serving the kingdom, he was serving God. Fulfilling his duties as a ruler was a means to attain salvation. Yes, the right action would have been to make a will ensuring the line of succession. However, Lear ends up doing the less desirable thing by relinquishing his claim to the throne just to retire from his duty. What shocks us is Lear’s decision to retire, for a king never retires. He continues to do his duty until he dies.
The first scene illustrates the character of Lear and makes us realize that the follies of his character will be the bearer of tragedy in this play. First, his decision to abdicate his thrown shocks us. Then his manner of choosing the heir to the throne shows his frivolity. It shows that he was a man who never understood the importance of his duties. Further, it also indicates that he was a terrible reader of human character. Clearly, Lear is a vain old man who fails to do his duties as a king. Then what keeps the viewers (or readers) interested in the play? It is the promise of redemption that Shakespeare makes, of the wrong ways of this man that keeps us fixated to the play. We realize that Shakespeare will show how the errors of Lear’s character is transformed in the end and thus, give a glimpse of the tragedy that will ultimately give redemption to this lost soul.
Lear’s abdication becomes a bearer of chaos. Because of his ignorance and false pride, Lear chooses the wrong successors to the thrown and this brings destruction to his state (Brayton 402). The paly shows how the two new rulers – Albany and Cornwall – move towards a civil war. Lear’s mistakes were first observed by Kent who immediately voices his dissatisfaction by saying:
Reserve thy doom;
And, in thy best consideration, check
This hideous rashness; answer my life my judgment,
Thy youngest daughter does not love thee least. (King Lear 1.1.151-154)
Kent voices his opinion out of his duty towards the crown as well as his love for Lear. Due to Lear’s mistakes, his bad daughters take the helm of the kingdom and rule it with disastrous results while the good daughter is spurned. What ensues next is complete chaos – servants rising against their masters, impeding threat of a civil war, and the heavens reflect the chaos of the kingdom through a storm.
In the end of the play, Lear realizes his mistakes and understands what a bad ruler he has been. He realizes that he has judged others unwisely:
Go to, they are not men o’ their words; they told me I was everything;
‘tis a lie, I am not ague-proof. (King Lear 4.6.105-107)
The tragedy of Lear begins with his foolish question. Can anyone express love with words? Cordelia professes her inability to express her love towards her father even when she loves him dearly. Nevertheless, Lear misjudges her love for indifference and embraces mere words with no truth in it. This foolishness brings out the tragedy in King Lear.
The second and most poignant tragedy of King Lear is the death of Cordelia and not that of her malingering sisters. Here, the tragedy was initiated with a fault – the error of a father to recognize true love and that of a king to identify true fealty (Lawrence 37). On the other hand, it could be argued that it was the doing of fate that maliciously teaches man right and wrong. Consequently, in the first scene, Cordelia fails because she was honest and she meets death as an innocent victim of fate. In this great play, catastrophe arises from righteousness (Hadfield 571). Thus, one cannot simply assign the credit of the misfortunes on fate, for destiny has little role to play in it. The choices made by the characters finally bring the end. The cause of the tragedy, therefore, is the characters and not destiny. For instance, the character of Lear is a perfect example of all the follies of man that dooms his future.
The third aspect of Lear’s tragic end is his madness. His decision to renounce his throne makes him expendable to his two elder daughters. He looses his position as a king and the respect he commanded. He gave away his kingdom to unworthy heirs and tasted the outcome of his foolishness. His daughters shun him and he becomes mad. Lear was proud and arrogant. His arrogance made him take the wrong decision that cost him his sanctity. His errors seem more tragic than the outcome itself. In the end, when Lear realizes his mistakes and prepares to reconcile with his youngest daughter, fate interferes. Cordelia dies and her death becomes a painful reminder to Lear of his pride.
Redemption in King Lear
What is redemption? Redemption is the reconciliation with past follies and accepting the destiny that any past action may have caused. Therefore, a sin or a wrongdoing is a prerequisite for being redeemed.
In King Lear, Lear’s action towards his youngest daughter brings forth chaos and destruction. However, when Cordelia and Lear meet again in act 4, scene 7, Cordelia, unlike her sisters, address her father with the same respect and fealty that he commanded as a king. She says to Lear: “How does my royal lord? How fares your majesty?” (King Lear 4.7.44) This shows that Cordelia is a devoted daughter and her love and respect for him does not diminish even when he no longer is the sovereign. Such form of address makes Lear realize that Cordelia was the one who was always truthful in her love towards him. When Cordelia pleads to reconcile with him and begs his forgiveness, he kneels in front of her, contradicting the age-old tradition to show his respect for his wise daughter (Lawrence 41). Here, Shakespeare shows two kind of redemption – first is that of Lear, the father and the king, who understands the true worth of his youngest daughter and realizes his mistakes and second, is that of a madman who shows understanding of worldly affairs. Thus, Lear’s act of kneeling shows that he realizes that he does not deserve his daughter’s love and/or her forgiveness. Yet, he kneels to show that he is willing to let go of his pride if she forgives him. I believe the redemption of Lear is the main theme of the play. Lear meets a tragic end due to his arrogance and pride, which ultimately transforms him. He no longer remains entrapped in the servitude of his hubris and sees the true nature of his daughters. However, the point that Shakespeare makes in this play is that the wisest of kings have their little follies. They like flattery and this love for adulation makes them a victim of treachery. The beginning of the play reinforces Lear’s character as an arrogant, imprudent, and overbearing king. His wrong judgment brings disaster on his life, kingdom, as well as on his innocent daughter. Metaphorically, Lear was responsible for Cordelia’s death.
In a way, Cordelia is the symbol of Christian goodness while her other sisters symbolize pagan brutishness. The essential element of the play lies in its biblical allegory of human folly and how it results in failure. Though King Lear does not strictly follow the theme of allegory, yet, undoubtedly, it was one of the main considerations of Shakespeare when he was writing this play. Though Shakespeare attempted to create a Christian Allegory like the Faerie Queen, yet he stopped in the end and resurrected Cordelia (Berg 6). The reason for this digression eludes the readers. Here is the element of sanctification that assumes ground. Cordelia, who was the good, wise, and the only worthy one to live, died. It almost appears as if she was the one paying the price for her father’s sins: “For thee oppressed king, I am cast down” (King Lear 5.3.3-5). It is believed that there is a definite parallel between Cordelia’s death and that of Christ’s crucifixion (Berg 5). Her death was intended, and almost necessary as it was the only way to make Lear see his follies and repent. This was the only road to redemption that could have saved the mad king.
Is Cordelia’s death enough to bring forth the tragedy of the play? No, it is not. However, the death of an innocent and guileless person makes it all the more tragic (Berg 6). The Christian belief is that all those who have sinned would die. However, in the play, it is the most innocent person who embraces death. Like Christ, it is Cordelia who had come to save Lear and had to die (Berg 7). This idea of selfless death brings in us an immense sorrow that we are unable to handle. Lear is redeemed from his madness, arrogance, and pride but at what cost? The cost was the life of his innocent daughter. Redemption is gained, but at a price that was too high to pay. That is the tragedy of the play. Unlike other Christian allegories, Shakespeare does not employ a complete Christian ending, which would have meant the death of a sinner. Shakespeare uses the concept of grace to bring greater dramatic and tragic effect by killing Cordelia instead of the ones who should have been punished. This aspect of the play moved the readers (or viewers).
Conclusion
Lear is redeemed when he accepts his sins: “I am a man / More sinn’d against than sinning” (King Lear 3.2.58-59). Yet, is he repentant? Obviously, he repents for all his sins when he holds Cordelia’s dead body in his arms. However, there seems to be a lack of conciliation when he shouts at the storm accusing nature to have conspired against him along with his daughters. Lear is a man of many faults. However, when his dignity and pride are stripped off, even then his hubris does not leave him. Shakespeare wants to show that man does not observe his faults even when he faces adversity. However, the death of Cordelia brings him back to his right senses. He realizes the mistakes he had done and prepares to repent. However, this redemption comes at a cost. The death of Cordelia, Lear’s youngest daughter makes him recognize the mistakes he had committed. Cordelia pays the price for Lear’s redemption. In a way, she saves the king from his own hubris and self-destructive pride. Lear is a tragic hero for he gloats in human follies like all sinners, is punished by those he considered his closest and is saved by the one whom he had banished. Lear realizes his terrible mistake in misjudging Cordelia, but only after her death. This tragic irony strikes the deepest core of the reader’s (audience’s) heart. Even after Cordelia’s death, Lear is reluctant to accept it and uses a mirror to check if she has really died. When the mirror clouds up, he sees hope, for he thinks that she might still be alive. Nevertheless, life’s tragic end knows no bound and Cordelia dies, leaving Lear a broken man.
I believe King Lear is a redemptive tragedy. Lear finds redemption at the end of the play through the sacrifice Cordelia makes for him. However, the means through which Lear is redeemed is tragic for it shows the suffering of a man to make life worthwhile. The play preaches nothing about love, life, or truth. Instead just holds a few truths about the characters whose actions brings forth the tragic end to the story. Finally, all the good people die and Lear realizes his follies before he too embraces his final destiny.
Works Cited
Berg, Jessica Vanden. “Grace, Consequences, and Christianity in King Lear.” Italics, 2000, pp. 4-9.
Brayton, Dan. “Angling in the lake of darkness: Possession, dispossession, and the politics of discovery in King Lear.” ELH, vol. 70, no. 2, 2003, pp. 399-426.
Hadfield, Andrew. “The Power and Rights of the Crown in Hamlet and King Lear:‘The King—The King’s to Blame’.” The Review of English Studies, vol. 54, no. 217, 2003, pp. 566-586.
Lawrence, Sean. “The Dif culty of Dying in King Lear.” ESC, vol. 31, no. 4, 2005, pp. 35-52.
Shakespeare, William. King Lear. Penguine, 1999.
Shakespeare, William. Troilus and Cressida. Penguine, 2015.
Similar to Regan and Goneril, political leaders of nowadays are trying all means possible to gain more power at any cost and do not care about people, not even the closest people like the father in Regan’s and Goneril’s case. The outcomes for Shakespeare’s personages are tragic. In his tragedy, the great man of literary art shares the simple truth with the world amounting to the well-known idiom “whatever a man sows, he will reap it.” Regan and Goneril have sown enmity and cruelty. They have also reaped them by losing their very lives under tragic circumstances (Shakespeare 103). It seems that if men possessing power today would pay attention to the wisdom of centuries containing in Shakespeare’s “King Lear”, the world could become a better place.
Shakespeare’s “King Lear” is a classic example of literary work demonstrating that things are often not as they appear to the onlooker. Although Shakespeare teaches his audience this lesson in kind of over-color manner, this peculiarity of his tragedy only adds to its value because, in this way, the author manages to touch more hearts. King Lear appears in front of readers as a man who seems to be blind. Pondering into the inner world of this character, the audience may notice why he is so sightless. The king is blinded by his egoism and thirst for being praised. At the end of the day, the character learns the price of such a fatal mistake which is betrayal and loss of everything he loved in his life. The example of King Lear is an excellent teaching model for all people who do not have a balanced view of their personality.
The theme of the transformational power of suffering is one of the central themes in Shakespeare’s “King Lear”. Through suffering, even a contemptible person can progress into a good man. Shakespeare’s tragedy contains many illustrations of this simple truth. The example of Edmund, the cunning villain, who, upon the death of women he cared about, decides to revert and cancel his death sentence to those he considered his enemies, shows that even the individuals, who demonstrate extreme hostility to the surrounding people, may transform into better personalities under the influence of hardships. However, suffering does not have the same impact on various individuals. Using other characters’ example, Shakespeare demonstrates that very often suffering may harden someone’s heart, and make one indulge in violence. Cordelia is the example of a character that has undergone such changes. Upon suffering from her father’s disapproval and sisters’ betrayal, Cordelia decided to resort to violence against her offenders.
“Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe
The novel “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe has addressed the theme of replacing traditional Umuofia cultural values by the moral order prevailing in western culture. This literary work describes how the colonial rule impacts traditional social institutions and values in Nigerian communities.
Analysis of the experiences narrated in the novel shows that Okonkwo, the main character, is facing the crisis of traditional values, authority, power, and culture as a result. The example of this interesting character is a good illustration showing how things may fall apart when one is not capable of going hand in hand with time and stick to the rules and practices common in one’s community. When Okonkwo’s community adopts the new religion and begins to live according to the new moral and ethical regulations, the man feels that his entire world has fallen apart. Okonkwo’s tragedy raises important questions on what was wrong in his situation and led to the developments described in the novel.
Constant changes are a normal part of life. This lesson Chinua Achebe is teaching his readers in “Things Falls Apart”. Achebe explains that changes may be caused by different developments, both positive and negative. He also demonstrates that various people handle changes in various ways. Every reader will find a valuable piece of advice on living with the change from this wise author in “Things Fall Apart”. One will also learn about the negative consequences for those who are not capable of handling change. Overall, reading the novel “Things Fall Apart”, an individual will, by all means, derive important lessons on dealing with change for him- or herself.
“Things Fall Apart” shows the consequences of imposing other religious and cultural values on nations in other parts of the globe. It also raises the issue of whether it is morally and ethically justified to intervene in the life of communities living according to their own beliefs. The novel encourages thinking why certain groups dare to interfere in the daily practices of nations they are not even familiar with, and how they can be sure about the positive outcomes of such changes.
In the introduction to this novel, Achebe narrates William Butler Yeats’s poem as his epigraph:
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world (Achebe 7).
Although only the author is aware of the overtones he sees in these words in connection with his novel, it seems that he aims to encourage his readers to think about the consequences of interfering with other people’s affairs thoughtlessly. It looks like he is establishing a parallel between “turning and turning in the widening gyre” and subsequent “things fall[ing] apart” and “mere anarchy” enthroning in the world.
“Cities of Salt” by Abdelrahman Munif
“Cities of Salt” is a unique work of literature art tracing the events that took place in the Arabian Peninsula after the discovery of oil when an unexampled financial breakthrough has dramatically changed the human landscape in the area. Analysis of details provided by the author suggests that the setting of this novel is Saudi Arabia. Today, this country is an unconditional financial leader in its region and the entire planet. Such dramatic change from the extreme poverty of the shepherd’s life to the life-long guarantee of luxury and high-quality life is a miracle without any doubt, and of course, being religious people, the Saudi refer this blessing to their God. “Cities of Salt” is unarguably a curious piece of literature art thus because it helps to understand how the miracle mentioned above could become the reality.
“You will be among the richest and happiest of all mankind as if God saw none but you”, states “Cities of Salt” prophetically (Munif 24). Upon discovering oil, the local people are not able to grasp the scope of the happiness that came into their life out of nowhere, the area they have been familiar with for hundreds of years, the desert they thought to be so unchanging and boring all these centuries that come and go. This very plain desert, that the Saudi have known since the days of old, appeared to become the source of incredible power changing their lives because “there are oceans of oil, oceans of gold … oceans of blessings beneath this soil” (Munif 26). The situation that is described in the book is unique to all humanity because there is no other example in the human history of changing from extreme poverty to marvelous riches. Therefore, it seems that there can be no reader indifferent to this invaluable piece of literature documenting how the only miracle in human history happened.
A curious angle in “Cities of Salt” is the nostalgia that the Saudi have in regards to those days of peace and calmness when there was no oil discovered and no presence of global oil extracting corporations ruining the normal tenor of the nomad communities’ life. The narrator telling the readers about all the economic and social changes that have occurred seems to be full of nostalgia for the days of the past when everything used to be so quiet and leisurely. The narrator’s feelings induce thinking that human nature is so complex since being poor and disadvantaged, people suffer, but upon undergoing miraculous changes and becoming extremely rich and fully financially-secure for their entire lifetime, they still miss the olden days.
“Chosen Place, Timeless People” by Paule Marshall
The novel “Chosen Place, Timeless People” is Paule Marshall’s evaluation of the sad consequences of colonialism for the Bourne Islanders. The author explains how exploitation ruins the achievements of numerous cultures and societies in the world in this literary work. Although her focus is the Bourne residents, Marshall pays her attention to other nations in the world suffering from the sad endpoints of colonization and exploitation. Narrating numerous life tragedies of common people living in the economically disadvantaged area, the author seems to appeal to the human rights activists and global policy-makers regarding the wide range of injustices faced by the residents of former or contemporary colonies.
In “Chosen Place, Timeless People”, Marshall is not shy to address the difficult themes that arise in human life from time to time. One such theme is the theme of death. The following quotation from the novel shows how deep the author ponders into the essence of mortality and its inevitable power in human life is:
And in a way, this was how he had come to see his death, as a series of small ones taking place throughout his life and leading finally to the main event, which would be so anti-climatic, so undramatic (a sudden violent seizure in his long-abused heart, quick massive flooding of the brain) it would go unnoticed. It was the small deaths occurring over an entire lifetime that took the greater toll (Marshall 46).
The author makes an emphasis on the fatality of every individual’s life since at the end of the day, everyone dies, and life is a mere series of events leading to it. This thought-provoking comment by the author encourages the readers to reflect upon their own lives and the reality of death. It seems that the author is telling her reader, “death is chasing you, what else is so unique that you can do to leave your small trace in life, and stay in other’s minds?”
The novel “Chosen Place, Timeless People” provides important insights as to feminist issues. Its main protagonist, Merle Kimbona, is an image of a woman defending the feminist values in the form of interracial sexuality. Her life and her strive are the patterns Paule Marshall is using to inspire women to continue their struggle for equal rights.
Running in the Family” by Michael Ondaatje
“Running in the Family” by Michael Ondaatje is a remarkable piece of writing from such exotic land in the world of literature as Sri Lanka. The piece touches upon such an important social theme as the theme of a family. Narrating numerous issues emerging in the contemporary family in Ceylon, he encourages his public to think about the current status of a family and its future. It is highly probable that reading such accounts, an individual may think whether the family is worth efforts at all if it becomes the harbor of such struggling as Ondaatje has described.
The character of Mervyn Ondaatje is a vivid description of how powerful the destructive force of alcoholism is. It ruins the man’s entire world, all his dreams, and endeavors; it corrupts his family and poisons the lives of people surrounding him. Mervyn Ondaatje is an eloquent illustration proving that abuse of alcohol is unconditional evil.
The theme of real friendship is powerfully observed in “Running in the Family”. The opus contains numerous curious lines describing what real friendship is, the one that may conquer empires like that of Alexander the Great and Hephaistion. The following quotation is one of such lines:
You know it is the most relaxed thing when you sit with a best friend and you know there is nothing you have to tell him to empty your mind. We just stayed there together, silent in the dusk like this, and we were quite happy (Ondaatje 180).
The eloquent description of real friendship by Michael Ondaatje encourages readers to keep on seeking strong friendships without ceasing in today’s world of fuss and egoism.
“As I Lay Dying” by William Faulkner
The novel “As I Lay Dying” by William Faulkner is an opus on the themes of the impermanence of existence and identity. As the readers follow the account of Addie Bundren’s dying, death, and subsequent efforts by her family members to fulfill her last will to bury her in her hometown, Jefferson, Mississippi, they are challenged by the eternal questions on what causes people’s living and dying, and how is it possible that at one moment, a person has an identity, and the next moment, one turns into nothing more but a burden for others. This novel by Faulkner is thus an allusion to the works of prominent philosophers speculating on the topics of existence and death such as Plato, Kafka, Hume, Hegel, and Locke.
“As I Lay Dying” has discussed the theme of alienation and loneliness from an unusual perspective. As the audience proceeds through reading, the loneliness of all members in Addie’s family becomes strikingly vivid. This type of loneliness is more aggressive than the mere loneliness of having no people around. It is the loneliness that comes from alienation. Everyone in Addie’s family lives according to one’s values and word vision. The family is separated due to the absence of common interests and shared beliefs. Addie’s family along with its conflicts and troubles is a good teaching example for all individuals who dream about creating a strong and united family on how to avoid the common pitfalls of egoism, treachery, and disloyalty.
Faulkner’s “As I Lay Dying” is full of intriguing inferences regarding the very essence of human life, and the overall results of an individual’s very existence on this planet. It contains multiple comments with philosophic implications expressed by different characters both the main and secondary ones. Peabody, a seasoned doctor, comments on Addie’s love to her son Jewel with the following words: “that’s what they mean by the love that passeth understanding: that pride, that furious desire to hide that abject nakedness which we bring here with us,… carry stubbornly and furiously with us into the earth again (Faulkner 46). These lines raise a row of questions on whether egoistic people deserve being loved so self-sacrificially by others, and whether it is morally justified to have such deep affection to someone who does not deserve it. However, understanding that Addie’s motivation could be different judging from the fact that Jewel is her son from a man she loved more than anyone, turns the situation completely by suggesting that her love for the undeserving egoist has far deeper implications.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
“Pride and Prejudice” provides a thorough witness on misery and defectiveness of women’s rights in the days of the novel setting. Even the ladies from the wealthiest families are restricted from basic human rights such as private property ownership, engaging in respected occupations, and having business interests. Reading accounts such as this one, a contemporary lady may only rejoice about the possibility of vindication of females’ rights today.
Austen’s novel addressed the theme of marriage from a perspective being unshakable for hundreds and even thousands of years. From the following quotation, this perspective can be seen, “it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” (Austen 3). In Austin’ times and even a few decades ago as well as it still can be present in numerous societies nowadays, Mr. Darcy had no other choices by to inevitably draw closer to his fate of marrying a decent woman corresponding to his exalted status in society, and live happily ever after. Interestingly, that today Austen’s concept of the fate of a wealthy and reputable can be already incomprehensible by the representatives of progressive western-mannered societies. Thus, Austen’s work is an illustration of how transient human values are; everything comes to its end and even some concepts that could seem unshakable forever.
Finding a husband was the only solution for a woman to realize her inner potential in the days of the “Pride and Prejudice” setting. Reading about this sad fact being the only alternative in the highly-developed British society of the nineteenth century seems outrageous. How consoling it is that the modern-day situation demonstrates considerable progress. It is not without the efforts of such outstanding feminist writers as Jane Austin.
Works Cited
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart, Bloomington, M.I.: Anchor, 1994. Print.
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice, Charleston, S.C.: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014. Print.
Faulkner, William. As I Lay Dying, New York, N.I.: Vintage, 1991. Print.
Marshall, Paule. Chosen Place, Timeless People, New York, N.I.: Vintage, 1984. Print.
Munif, Abderlrahman. Cities of Salt, New York, N.I.: Vintage, 1989. Print.
Ondaatje, Michael. Running in the Family, London: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 1993. Print.
Shakespeare, William. King Lear, London: Dover Publications, 1994. Print.
Want to know what the King Lear themes are? This essay focuses on King Lear analysis: themes, characters, and main ideas. Justice, madness, suffering, and other major themes of King Lear are described here. A 100-word summary of the play is also provided.
The struggle for power constitutes a root reason for conflict in Shakespeare’s King Lear, wherein a royal family betrays their ties for the sake of authority and order. Chaotic events of the post-Medieval rule are perceived through the prism of jealousy, betrayal, and dishonesty. A brief overview of the plot, characters, and central themes of the play provides sufficient evidence to argue that Shakespeare aims at encouraging the readers to disregard the quest for power in favor of family ties.
King Lear Summary in 100 Words
The story began when the aging King Lear decided to transfer power to his grown-up daughters, diving the kingdom in three equal proportions. Cordelia, the youngest daughter, chooses to remain without power than be dishonest with Lear. When the king makes a decision to renounce Cordelia, concentrating the right to rule between Goneril and Regan, the new authority figures expel the man, forcing him to leave as an outcast. At the same time, Cordelia marries a French king and falls for an obligation to invade Britain with an intent to save her neglected parent. Despite Lear’s prior unfair treatment, the woman remains loyal to him, continuing to take care of the former ruler.
Another plotline concerns Edgar, an illegitimate son of the Earl of Gloucester. In exile, Edgar thrives on gaining power even in an illegal way, deciding to ally with Goneril and Regan to defeat Cordelia (Al Zoubi and Al Khamaiseh, 2018). Yet, the plan falls apart when Goneril becomes jealous of Edgard’s brother’s romantic feelings for her sister. Jealousy motivates her to poison the sibling and commit suicide afterward. Observing the chaos inside his former kingdom, Lear loses sanity, dying in Cordelia’s arms.
King Lear Character Analysis
King Lear
A protagonist of the play, King Lear, is an elderly king of Britain. As stated by Hamilton (2017), over the course of his rule, everyone was faithful and obedient to his orders. However, the situation changes when the man passes power to his two daughters, Goneril and Regan (Hamilton, 2017). The wise king makes a fatal mistake, choosing flatter of the older children over the truthfulness of Cordelia, the youngest. In the end, Lear realizes his flaws, declaring “when we are born, we cry that we have come to this great stage of fools” (Shakespeare, 1999, p. 190). His realization, however, does not save him from insanity and death.
Cordelia
Shakespeare portrays Cordelia as an example of virtue and tenderness. The youngest daughter of Lear, she refuses to flatter his father during the ceremony of transferring power (Hamilton, 2017). Though the king renounces her royal status, Cordelia remains loyal to her father regardless of the unfair treatment. Through the words of his character, Shakespeare (1999, p.11) derives a golden rule for all children: “Obey you, love you, and most honor you. Half my love with him, half my care and duty.” In other words, kids should maintain respect for their parents while adhering to reasonable sense.
Goneril and Regan
Unlike Cordelia, Goneril and Regan do not share qualities of integrity and mildness. Lear’s older daughter, Goneril, uses flattery to trick her father into handing power to her during the ceremony (Hamilton, 2017). Hypocritically, she says, “Sir, I love you more than words can wield the matter; Dearer than eyesight, space, and liberty” (Shakespeare, 1999, p. 9). His generous gesture does not stop her, however, from insulting the king and expelling him afterward (Hamilton, 2017). Regan, the middle daughter, utilizes the same approach as Goneril to gain authority in the kingdom.
King Lear Themes
Jealousy, Greed, Infidelity
Betrayal has a central position in the story, happening inside the government and the family. As stated by Mahbub-ul-Alam (2016), Goneril and Regan’s infidelity and Edmund’s dishonesty with the officials allow the trio to gain control over the country. The group’s betrayal is fueled with jealousy and greed, which can be observed on different levels in the play. The greed for property and power, jealousy of Cordelia’s tender relationships with her father – all together contribute to the collective decision to seize the authority. Yet, in Shakespearean interpretation, the negative force, impregnated by evil, egocentric motifs, will be, sooner or later, combatted by the kindness, love, and respect.
Authority and Order
In Shakespeare’s play, the theme of authority is closely embedded both on the political and personal levels. On the one hand, King Lear represents the national ruler who commands obedience and respect from the citizens. On the other hand, the man is the head of the family who has unconditional love for his daughters. While the struggle for power is a common issue in the literature of the time, Shakespeare describes authority based on natural and divine order, wherein protagonists are morally weaker than villains (Mahbub-ul-Alam, 2016). With this example, the playwright tries to convey the idea that power is not always held in the hands of those who deserve it for their virtue and integrity.
Sanity and Madness
Another reoccurring theme in King Lear is the distinction between sanity and madness. At the beginning of the play, Lear maintains a reasonable sense despite being fooled by his daughters. Ironically, as the plot progresses, and the man discovers the truth, he loses sanity, stricken by grief and disappointment in his family. With this character’s transformation, Shakespeare underlines the imperfection of human nature, suggesting that sometimes the hardships of reality are unbearable to handle.
Personal Opinion
From my perspective, literary experts give little attention to Lear’s extreme expressions of vanity. A self-satisfied monarch is so obsessed with praise and flatter that he fails to recognize the hypocrisy in his daughters’ actions. Shakespeare’s King Lear should serve as a reminder for all government officials to disregard personal sentiment in favor of professionalism and work ethics. The author also depicts a harsh reality, wherein the strongest tie of all, family, falls apart in a quest for power. It is critical to realize that authority and greed are superficial, thus, able to bring only short-term happiness. On the contrary, qualities of compassion, honesty, and loyalty are everlasting.
Conclusion
In King Lear, Shakespeare narrates the story of a family whose members considered power to be more important than love, respect, and kindness. Themes of jealousy, greed, infidelity, and madness accompany the play, showing the wicked nature of humankind. With his work, the author attempts to encourage the readers to value virtue, honesty, and integrity instead of falling for superficial qualities of lust and authority.
Reference List
Al Zoubi, S. M. and Al Khamaiseh, A. Z. (2018) ‘A critical study of William Shakespeare’s King Lear: plot and structure’, International Journal of English Language and Literary Studies, 8(1), pp. 14-18. Web.
Hamilton, J. M. (2017) This contentious storm: an ecocritical and performance history of King Lear. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.
It is imperative to mention that the role of society in literary works is a fascinating topic that is actively discussed by many scholars. Moreover, one of the most important aspects that must be discussed is the way authors use societal changes and conditions to express their ideas and emotions. A play titled “King Lear” by William Shakespeare and a well-known novel “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe can be viewed as one of the best examples of these techniques. Both works are regarded masterpieces and had an enormous influence on modern literature and have inspired numerous authors. An analysis and comparison of these pieces would help to get a better understanding of the connection between societies and plot.
Discussion
It is necessary to mention that there is a significant dissimilarity between the play and novel because of the focus on societal changes. Some parts of these works are used to distract the reader from societal problems that the characters had to deal with in the stories. For instance, Achebe has frequently focused on positive aspects such as traditions and values. On the other hand, Shakespeare utilized personal situations and dialogues. Another aspect that is worth mentioning is that there is a particular similarity between King Lear and Okonkwo, central characters. Both of them are influential, but they are affected by their surroundings and situations and they have made several questionable decisions over the course of these two pieces. The difference is that the leader of the plan is much tougher physically and emotionally, and it is evident that he would not give up his values and morals.
One of the most significant aspects that should be discussed is that the changes to the society have been quite significant over the seven years that he was absent, and the author has utilized this situation as a plot device. On the other hand, the society in Shakespeare’s novel did not change at all. The reasoning behind this approach is that the author wanted to highlight situations that the characters had to go through, and how they have impacted the lives of those individuals. King Lear has weakened significantly, and numerous problems have affected his mind and the process of decision-making. One of the biggest dissimilarities is that King Lear had to go through several challenges, and it has had an enormous impact on his perception of surroundings. For instance, he was able to identify the difference between what is important and what is not in the final scenes, and it is evident that his character is no longer the same as he used to be.
Other societal aspects in King Lear also should not be overlooked. The author has viewed it as an outstanding opportunity to criticize some of the issues that were present at that time. Differences between generations are regarded especially problematic by Shakespeare, and he wanted to ensure that the audience understands that it could lead to severe consequences. Some of those disagreements are not significant, and problems could have been easily avoided. “When we are born, we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools” is a critical line (Shakespeare, 2007, p. 168). Moreover, it indicates that the author recognizes that the society that he lives in has numerous problems, and it is not likely that the situation is going to change anytime soon. Furthermore, it can be seen that it is one of the core themes in this work, and this factor should be taken into account.
Also, another factor that is worth mentioning is that conditions in the society have an enormous impact on the level of comfort of both characters. The situation was especially problematic for Okonkwo because he was used to being a leader, and was not ready to deal with such enormous changes. However, he was tough emotionally and did not change as an individual. He was determined to live according to his principles, and nothing could alter his perception. It is paramount to mention that he had to go through several internal struggles, but he did not want to show his emotions because he thought that it was not a right thing to do. He understood that he has a lot of responsibilities and his people trust in him and his decisions. Moreover, indecisiveness was not acceptable, and he has become a victim of circumstances. The problem is that he was not capable of dealing with such dramatic changes, and he was not that kind of person to accept this situation.
Achebe (2010) draws the attention of readers with the line stating “then they came to the tree from which Okonkwo’s body was dangling” (p. 189). It is necessary to mention that it was a crucial point in the story because a central character has demonstrated behavior that is not acceptable in his tribe. However, this decision was justified in his mind because he could not live in this society any longer. He understood that he may not do anything against intruders without support from his people, and believed that he was betrayed. The problem is that this approach may seem especially cowardly and selfish. He made the decision to take his life to protect his values and to show that he will not be forced to obey. On the other hand, Lear could not handle betrayal, and he did not expect that his daughters would act like this. The situation has a lasting impact on the character, and it can be seen that he starts to behave irrationally in some cases. King Lear was not the same at the end of the story because of all the pressure and tension and dies as a result. Also, it is necessary to mention that Shakespeare thought that bureaucracy would hurt the society, and he wanted to draw attention to this problem.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is evident that the difference between these two pieces is quite significant. Moreover, one of the vital aspects that should be taken into consideration is that the dissimilarity between the roles of society is also tremendous. It is necessary to understand that Okonkwo was disappointed in his people and did not want to accept this situation. King Lear also had to deal with numerous changes, but they were mostly personal and were influenced by many internal and external factors. Shakespeare has focused on the critique of issues that were the most problematic at that time, and Achebe has used it as a plot device to move the story forward. Overall, it is necessary to understand that the analysis of these aspects can be vital, and would help to get a better understanding of these works and ideas suggested by the authors.
References
Achebe, C. (2010). Things Fall Apart: A Novel. New York, NY: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
Shakespeare, W. (2007). King Lear. Minneapolis, MN: Filiquarian Publishing LLC.
William Shakespeare’s plays often provided a great deal of insight into the psychology of his characters and King Lear is no exception. As King Lear prepares for his retirement, he thinks to set things up for a comfortable and easy journey through time to the end of his life. He does this by allocating his land and property to his three daughters to the degree to which they are able to convince him that they love him.
While his two older daughters easily play the game, vowing their undying devotion to his every comfort, his youngest daughter refuses to play the game, insisting that he should know by now the depth of her affections. Because of the choices he makes at this point in his life, Lear is forced to endure a much longer spiritual and physical journey through to the door of death. As he travels from being ruler of his land to destitute madman to retired and dying king, Lear experiences a much longer spiritual and mental journey than he anticipated while still managing to maintain his nobility in the end. As he undergoes this process, he proves himself to be a tragic hero.
Basically, there are six major elements required to make up a tragic hero. To begin with, heroes must have a noble stature, although they don’t necessarily have to be royalty. They are also seen to have excessive pride or what some might politely call a lot of self-confidence. Finally, they all have to have a tragic flaw, usually something related to their source of pride. These three character traits combined lead the character to his or her downfall through a three-step process.
The process begins with the first event, the mistake in judgment or action that will eventually cause his ruin. The second event is when the hero realizes finally where he made his mistake. The final event is the reversal of fortunes the hero experiences as a result of his mistake, experiencing the consequences of his mistake, which was usually a surprise to the audience but a perfectly logical set of consequences as they occurred.
As the play opens, King Lear is depicted as a strong king gone weak with age. He is tired of the burdens of ruling a country and makes plans to divide his kingdom among his three daughters and then to live out his last years in peace and comfort, being provided for by those daughters he so lovingly set up to be rulers in their own right: “’tis our fast intent / To shake all cares and business from our age, / Conferring them on younger strengths while we / Unburdened crawl toward death” (I, i, 38-41).
His royal nobility is evidenced in his societal position as well as in the great respect his subjects show him. The fact that his kingdom is large enough to divide with honor between three daughters also suggests he holds a very powerful position in the world and his ability to produce a succeeding generation is also demonstrated through his three daughters. There is nobility as well in his plan to divide his kingdom among his three daughters rather than giving it to one only or handing it off to the nearest male relative as was the custom throughout much of England at the time Shakespeare wrote his play. However, even in this element of the play, Lear shows a slight weakness in his nobility as he has been unable to produce a succeeding male generation.
Lear takes justifiable pride in the love he commands from his daughters and his subjects, but this becomes his fatal flaw. Rather than simply divide his kingdom up equally among his daughters, Lear decides to make a game out of their love for him, “Which of you shall we say doth love us most, that we our largest bounty may extend where nature doth with merit challenge” (I, i, 51-53). Regan and Goneril are both eager to convince the king of their love, vying with each other regarding which one can praise him the most.
However, Cordelia argues that she is sincere in her affections to the point that she cannot lie about her affections now, whether it is to convince him of her love for him or for any other reason. More than that, she insists he should be aware of her feelings for him based upon her unwillingness to lie in order to gain his favor. The first event of tragedy occurs here as Lear makes his choice. After being disappointed with Cordelia’s response to him regarding her love for him, he proclaims: “Here, I disclaim all my paternal care, propinquity and property of blood, and as a stranger to my heart and me hold thee from this for ever” (I, i, 113-116). By disowning Cordelia, Lear separates himself from his most loyal supporter and the one daughter who would have cared for him in the way he’d envisioned.
It can also be argued that Cordelia, his youngest daughter, is a tragic hero. She, too, possesses nobility in that she is a princess and remains true to her heart throughout the play. She is proud of this trait, particularly as compared to her sisters, and she is unwilling to trivialize it in any way. When she’s pressed to ‘mend her speech’ in order to gain her father’s favor, all she can say is “Haply, when I shall wed, that lord whose hand must take my plight shall carry half my love with him, half my care and duty” (I, i, 100-102).
In making this statement, Cordelia indicates that whoever she might eventually marry will only be able to claim half of her affection because the other half will still be devoted to her father. This, then, becomes her own fatal flaw as she is neither able to leave her father to his chosen fate nor keep her from attempting to help him, which nearly gets her killed.
Lear realizes his mistake shortly after this when Goneril confronts him with his powerlessness. “O most small fault, how ugly didst thou in Cordelia show! Which, like an engine, wrenched my frame of nature from the fixed place; drew from my heart all love and added to the gall. O Lear, Lear, Lear! Beat at this gate that let this folly in” (I, iv, 257-262). As he travels from Goneril’s household to Regan’s, he is quickly stripped of all his own retainers and reduced to physical powerlessness which is quickly echoed in his increasingly scattered thoughts. This forces him to realize his mistake in trusting to his deceitful daughters instead of seeking the sincerity such as what was delivered by his youngest.
Without a place to turn or a coherent thought pattern, Lear is then forced to suffer a much longer spiritual and physical journey through madness and a harrowing night on the moors. Cordelia also goes through the three events of tragedy as she first finds she is unable to make up pretty words to please her father and then is made to suffer the consequences of these actions. However, because this ‘mistake’ was of a noble nature, she refused to tell a lie just to please him, she is eventually reinstated as sole heiress of her father’s kingdom as she should have been from the first.
Lear is finally reunited with Cordelia again just as he’s dying. With this reunion, Lear is again provided with the physical comforts he expected in his old age and begins to recover his intellect. This recovery occurs just in time for Lear to rescue Cordelia from certain death which, in turn, provides him with his one chance at salvation. In recovering himself enough to rescue his youngest and only surviving daughter by the end of the play, Lear is in actuality saving himself.
Unfortunately, after his physical battle with the storm, his body is beyond saving and he slips off into eternal sleep knowing himself for a fool because of the unnecessary hardships he’d endured. His saving grace is in his ability to save his one good daughter before she is also killed and thus manages to preserve his kingdom as well as his family through this one child.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. “King Lear.” The Complete Pelican Shakespeare. Ed. Alfred Harbage. New York: Penguin, 1969.
The drama of King Lear is apparent for all times. The family bounds can simply crash when there is a place for the property. This is idea is the same in Jocelyn Moorhouse’s movie “A Thousand Acres” based on Jane Smiley’s novel with the same title. The ideas and characters in both works reflect the same actions and effects. Mirroring the features of Shakespeare’s play Moorhouse tried to implement such an age-old idea toward the current evaluation of it. In other words, both works need comparison in the background, themes, ideas, and performance. One of the observers admits that “there is always the possibility that assigning King Lear along with A Thousand Acres could gradually evolve into replacing King Lear with A Thousand Acres” (Rozett 178). The paper seeks for detailed comparative analysis of related works to find out points on sameness. In King Lear and A Thousand of Acres, the destinies of both King Lear and Larry Cook encounter unfair attitudes toward daughters and death, as a result.
First of all, it is necessary to point out that both heroes, King Lear and Larry Cook are represented as proprietors of huge territorial domains. Landowners are proud of their nobility and respect from the side of the publicity. Lear has the whole kingdom, and Larry owns huge farmland in Iowa. Their dominance in the region where they live is huge and incontestable. Moreover, the lands which they possess are not bold. They include also everything which is related to them. For instance, in Lear’s case, one of the pieces of his land includes the vineyards with great deposits of Burgundy vines (Shakespeare 1:1). In Larry’s case, the lands are farmyards with cattle and other animals and things that are valued to be profitable. One peculiarity as of both fathers is that their names sound almost similar: Lear and Larry. The main effort which both characters are going to do is to divide their property amongst three daughters. King Lear provides the whole deliberation with the earl of Gloucester according to the point of the kingdom division:
Meantime we shall express our darker purpose. Give me the map there. Know that we have divided In three our kingdom: and ’tis our fast intent (Shakespeare 1:1).
Each of the characters has three daughters who reflect their roles and actions in both works respectively. The thing is that the youngest daughters, being with nothing, rebel for their parts of the father’s property. This makes the eldest ones lie to their father because in both cases the loveliest daughters achieve the major parts of the land. The eldest daughters are trying to do everything for the wealth promised my father. This point makes both works similar as well. However, the personal requests of a daughter on fathers’ goodness make the second go insane. Lear and Larry are in despair because of the consequences of the suchlike division of the land. When Lear has no feedback from the eldest daughter, Goneril, he in the conversation with Regan says the fatal phrase: “My curses on her!” (Shakespeare 2:4). This makes daughters fall in rage. In the case with Cook’s family in the scene when Ginny and Rose talk in the toilette about father’s madness, Rose notes: “It outrages me!” Thus the daughters are not fair in their feedbacks toward fathers’ goodness. In this feature, both works provide the dramatic evaluation of actions. As a result, the greed and constant squabble of the eldest daughters, Ginny (General) and Rose (Regan) lead to the loss of the land. In the movie, they even lose their husbands and fall in despair because of such events.
The fate of both King Lear and Larry Cook is very sad. Larry due to the alcoholic abuse goes insane because of the family quarrels. He seeks any restoration of previous relationships, but it is in vain. The youngest daughter refused to impart the piece of land. She is the one who comes to father in trying hours. He dies from a heart attack. In Lear’s case, he finds no consolation and understands his helplessness. He also dies because of heart disease. The fates of both characters are paralleled but with relation to different times. Notwithstanding, the main idea of how greed and false love to a father can do harm to the whole family. It also shows the rationality in the choice of the youngest daughters. When Lear and Larry suddenly decided to share the land among the daughters, they did not even think of the negative evaluation of their fates.
Thus, in King Lear and A Thousand of Acres, the destinies of both King Lear and Larry Cook encounter unfair attitudes of daughters and death, as a result. The main points of Shakespeare’s play are reflected by the writer Jane Smiley, whose novel was screened by Jocelyn Moorhouse. The betrayal of daughters and the naïve decisions of fathers provide the viable problem between family bonds and possession of the property.
References
A Thousand Acres. Dir. Jocelyn Moorhouse. Screenplay. Michelle Pfeiffer, Jessica Lange, Jason Robards, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Colin Firth, Keith Carradine, Kevin Anderson, Pat Hingle. Walt Disney, 1998.
Rozett, Martha Tuck. Talking back to Shakespeare. Newark, Delaware: University of Delaware Press, 1994.
Regan and Goneril are portrayed with various defiant actions against the inequalities occurring in the contemporary society of the male-dominated world. It is an aspect that makes them be argued as relentless and formidable unfaltering women. These women are known to have great contempt for establishing the epitome of femininity and fertility embodied by Cordelia, who is killed. Indeed, it can be stated that the systematic oppressions produce these elements in the patriarchal society.
Some aspects confront the contextual and traditional ideas of the Jacobean, ideal and quintessential female. However, their actions are known to respond directly to exploitation, limitless and ingratitude incompetence of male counterparts and figures, both spousal and paternal. This article describes (with support) how Goneril and Regan show an inexhaustible will to commit atrocities and manipulation.
The sisters (Regan and Goneril) apply different strategies to pursue power and ensure that they live significantly in the patriarchal society. The strategies that these women employ play a vital role in concreting their positions as both relentless and strong women. Unlike them, the other women in the society are not only submissive but also silent. Indeed, Regan and Goneril are displayed as women who are defiant to the traditional submissiveness expected from them.
The female archetype is described as an element of the oppression (systematic) in the patriarchal community that supports oppression and neglect. The archetypal confrontation in this society is not only vital but also a necessity for survival. Indeed, Regan and Goneril show and pose active defiance from the paradigm of the culture, which should reflect an ideal woman. Indeed, this element is early established within the self-indulgence character of King Lear of “love test (Serpieri 13).” In this case, each of the daughters shows their manipulative capacity and boasts about their love (disingenuous) while trying to pursue power.
Goneril and Regan are cunning and wit, enhanced and demonstrated with astronomical imagery of space and eyesight. Quoting, “Sir, I love you more than word can wield the matter, Dearer than eyesight, space, and liberty; Beyond what can be valued rich or rare, No less than life, with grace, health, beauty, honor (Harkins 9).” More importantly, this quote also illustrates the apparent love (boundless) for the father. It is an element emphasized further with the alliterative expressions utilized repetitively in the text. Quoting, “word can wield,” “less than life,” “rich or rare.” This aspect draws the wealthy, affluent, and natural connotative visual imagery.
It is an aspect that contrasts with the fulfilled archetype of Cordelia, who is represented as a sublimated woman who is gauche and ineloquent in speech. Notably, her blind honest submission to King Lear and the norms of the society force her not only to death but also through imprisonment and exile.
Goneril is a woman who goes against the contextual Jacobean ideas and expectations of fidelity, faithfulness, and purity. This aspect is shown through her assertion to the sexually provocatively suggestive advances of manipulation towards Edmond. Quoting, “Wear this; spare speech. Decline your head. Then kiss, if it durst speaks, Would stretch thy spirits up into the air (Serpieri 32).” Indeed, this quote implicates that there is the repeated use of long, drawn-out and soft sibilant “s” sounds in the phrases “stretch they spirits,” “durst speak,” “kiss,” and “spare speech.” These phrases play a vital role in evoking sexually and femininely charged behavior that the Jacobean society demonizes. In this society, such display of lust and affection is taboo, and that is why it should be shunned with immediate effect. Goneril’s will to defy the social expectations demanded from her community exemplifies her strength as a woman who is manipulative and resilient when it comes to survival.
Regan’s and Goneril’s behaviors and actions stem from the incompetence and neglect of the male figures (masculinity) within their family. It is shown that their lives do not indicate their spousal or paternal support or fostering. For instance, Goneril goes on and implicates that her father is absent of any parental or divine wisdom when she states that his father is “old and reverend.” Quoting, Goneril states, “I do beseech you To understand my purposes aright: As you are old and reverend, should be wise (Harkins 23).”
These words implicate possessiveness in the language used with the terms within “my” and “you,” along with the imagery (visual) of reverend and old. The words play an essential role in exemplifying Regan’s and Goneril’s contempt of their dad. More importantly, the words “I would you would make use of your good wisdom, Whereof I know you are fraught,” also implicate her humor and sarcasm of being wisdom furnished (Harkins, 11). It is an element that indicates how her father is incompetent and also negligent to her duties both as a caring paternal father and as a king.
Regan’s and Goneril’s pursuit to ensure that they advance to the high rungs which the males dominate is an aspect that makes them go against the social order hierarchy. However, this aspect is problematic for them to achieve because it is more expensive in terms of the repercussions, rejections, and opposition they face. As a result, their capacity of mutilation, murder, and manipulation is exercised to a further extend, which is atrocious, quoting, “Pluck out his poor old eyes, nor thy fierce sister In his anointed flesh stick boarish fangs (Wahidah 17).” These words indicate the alarming scene where Gloucester’s eyes are being mutilated.
It is a situation displayed with contrast in old and poor, with boarish and fierce fangs. The situation escalates the scene of malicious and brutal punishment. In this case, the will of Goneril is to propel and excel into the upper echelons of the ruling. It is something that she intents and does with excess force and brutality and the extend of murder. Goneril’s actions ends up transforming herself into a monster.
In general, both Regan and Goneril present themselves as figures of pure defiance of female aspects into the social order of their patriarchal Jacobean society. As a result, they end up being and doing things that ensure that they go against the moral compass which should define women. More importantly, they sacrifice their morals as a way of finding their survival means. It is an aspect that makes them sometimes murder their servants with a sword.
These actions, amongst others, play a vital role in indicating their complete departure from gentle feminine qualities. They all use the possible means to ensure that they become an icon of masculinity with all means, even if it means using brutal ways of grasping power and being heard, such as mutilation and murder. Although the two sisters fight patriarchy relentlessly, they end up dying at the end unjustly, just like Cordelia. Due to Regan and Goneril, male chauvinism should be fought with all means because society is supposed to perceive both men and women with equal measures.
Works Cited
Serpieri, Alessandro. The Breakdown of Medieval Hierarchy in King Lear. De Gruyter Mouton, 2019.
A sense of entitlement can arise from the way a person is treated or from their temperament and as such, it is a dangerous attitude to acquire or encourage because it may lead to disparaging outcomes. Feelings entitled to something without having an associated sense of responsibility can lead to destructive behavior and choices. In King Lear, there are a number of characters who reveal a clear sense of entitlement. This behavior leads them to do horrible and ultimately self-destruction. The two faithless sisters Goneril and Regan have grown up expecting a life of royal privilege and as such feel entitled to their inheritance. This is without an accompanying sense of responsibility for their father’s care. Edmund, on the other hand, feels that even though he is known as a bastard, he has no legal right of inheritance. King Lear also feels that he is entitled to an easy and smooth-running early retirement from the bothers of kingship. A sense of entitlement leads each of the characters to devastating actions. Thus the play becomes an expression of the fact that to avoid the severe consequences that result from the feeling of entitlement, good fortune should be welcomed as a delightful surprise rather than the inevitable.
Feeling entitled, even to something that is to be expected or which has been promised such as an inheritance from a loving parent, can potentially distort behavior in many negative ways. Even in the most reasonable of people, feeling entitled to something can lead to such negative behaviors as greed. Greed further leads to others for rude, hurtful, and destructive deeds. At worst it may lead to violence. This assertion is reflected in daily occurrences especially news items on the media. Most of the stories that make headline news involve such negative accomplishments as politicians accepting bribes or even family feuds such as inheritance squabbles in wealthy families. The perpetrators of these woeful exploits behave and sometimes even assert explicitly that they are warranted special treatment. In King Lear, the princesses feel that they are entitled to not only the property that he has allocated to them but the chance to enjoy it without any respect due to him. The sisters also want to be free from his care. This is evidenced by the resentment Goneril expresses when she wants her father to feel unwelcome and ignored by the serving staff of her castle. She expresses a most un-loving attitude in the following quotation:
“Put on what weary negligence you please, You and your fellows; I’ll have it come to question: If he dislike it, let him to our sister, Whose mind and mine, I know, in that are one, Not to be over-ruled. Idle old man, That still would manage those authorities That he hath given away! Now, by my life, Old fools are babes again; and must be used With cheques as flatteries,–when they are seen abused. Remember what I tell you” (Act I. Scene III.)
Goneril asserts that if her father was stupid enough to give up his property, he should not expect to retain his kingly authority as well. They lock King Lear, their father out in the cold when they were supposed to give him shelter. As an additional evidence of her inhuman ambition and greed, Regan kills the servant who objects to the cruel damage of Gloucester’s eye. She also encourages the blinding of the other eye and adds horror by letting Gloucester know that Edmund has betrayed her thereby betraying Edmund in the process. This demonstrates that there is no loyalty among the entitled. Finally, Regan is perfectly willing to discuss adultery with Edmund, in spite of her husband’s blameless behavior. Thus, these daughters from hell are willing to kill, injure and commit adultery with Edmund, who seems aligned with their ambitions. The two sisters feel entitled to the lands and power associated with their father’s kingdom, and thus no obstacles should thus come in their way. In addition, the fun of a new sex partner, adds to the excitement. There seems to be no limit to the selfish behavior they will engage in to get what they feel entitled to enjoy: power, privilege, sex, property and freedom from responsibility.
Feeling entitled to something for which one has no reasonable expectation can motivate awful behavior as well. Edmund is clearly one of those people who feel entitled to things that he has no reasonable expectation of getting. This happens sometimes in estate cases when a distant relative feels left out after nothing is left to them. They had no reason to get anything, but they feel a considerable level of resentment. Stories about the kids from wealthy families are heard demanding forgiveness for such misdemeanors as sexual misconduct or unsafe driving. Tabloids news shows pictures of movie stars punching photographers. The media also report the wealthy and influential people carrying guns into nightclubs. The current economic depression even seems to have been caused by people who think that they deserve to be millionaires no matter the cost to others. Edmund is someone who feels entitled to something. As a bastard, and “whoreson”, he has been raised outside his biological father’s social circle and has not been legally recognized. He has no legal expectation of an inheritance. As a bastard, he has no expectation of being included in the family or in his father’s life and plans in the same way as Edgar does. In fact, his father is very clear that he is going away again almost immediately rather than staying and becoming a part of the family. However, as he makes it absolutely clear, he feels that he deserves to have it all. He wants money, favor, power and connections, whether he gets them through dishonesty and betrayal. He expresses his ambition in a sort of prayer to Nature in the very first act of the play. Rather than the standard Greek gods that the other characters call on and refer to, Edmund calls on Nature, a sort of faceless deity that is not really part of the household of the gods. He makes his intentions clear in the following quotation:
“Thou, nature, art my goddess; to thy law My services are bound. Wherefore should I Stand in the plague of custom, and permit The curiosity of nations to deprive me, For that I am some twelve or fourteen moon-shines Lag of a brother? Why bastard? wherefore base? When my dimensions are as well compact, My mind as generous, and my shape as true, As honest madam’s issue? Why brand they us With base? with baseness? bastardy? base, base? Who, in the lusty stealth of nature, take More composition and fierce quality Than doth, within a dull, stale, tired bed, Go to the creating a whole tribe of fops, Got ‘tween asleep and wake? Well, then, Legitimate Edgar, I must have your land: Our father’s love is to the bastard Edmund As to the legitimate: fine word,–legitimate! Well, my legitimate, if this letter speed, And my invention thrive, Edmund the base Shall top the legitimate. I grow; I prosper: Now, gods, stand up for bastards!” (Act I. Scene II.) Later in the same scene he explains how he will manage this: “I see the business. Let me, if not by birth, have lands by wit: All with me’s meet that I can fashion fit.” (Act I. Scene II.)
Edmund feels entitled to everything that his brother Edgar has, just because he is as “compact…generous…and true”. This leads him to commit awful deeds. He tries to turn Gloucester against his legitimate son through deception and lies. He uses dialogue and byplay to mislead his father about Edgar’s intentions and actions. In a stunning demonstration of his complete lack of morals, he betrays his own father to Cornwall, thus precipitating Gloucester’s blinding. All this while, he is flirting with each of the sisters and planning to enjoy their property. He could, instead, have behaved in an honest and loving way with both the father and brother, and counted on Gloucester’s basic goodwill with Edgar. There was a strong probability that Edmund could have honestly and authentically integrated himself into their good graces. He and Edgar could have been allies. His father could have been the mentor he wanted to be. Both Edgar and Gloucester seem to be relatively decent. He might well have been able to earn their goodwill and potentially share in the good fortune of the family (e.g. introduction to a share of their wealth, and a position in the household, for example) legitimately, despite his legal illegitimacy. However, his sense of being entitled to all this without any sense of earning it prevents him from even thinking about such a course of action. He launches into vicious plotting as soon as he is introduced in the play. Additionally, Edmund could have pursued an advantageous match for marriage amongst the ladies in and around the court by simply presenting himself as the attractive young man his father describes. If Cordelia was able to secure a husband through her personal charms alone, with absolutely no prospects for an inheritance, then there would definitely be a chance for him to marry respectably as well. However, this is not Edmund’s way because he feels entitled to what others have or are expecting. If he cannot get what he feels entitled to by simply ‘being’, as he feels that the legitimately conceived Edgar has gotten, then he plans to get what he wants any possible way. The results of his sense of entitlement are disastrous for his father, his half-brother, and the two sisters.
King Lear feels entitled to a comfortable life, without regard to how it affects others. There are suggestions throughout the play that he may always felt entitled throughout his life as king. He acknowledges that he did not pay enough attention to the needs of his most vulnerable subjects. As we see him in the first act, he feels he is entitled to a retirement with all the honors of his position. He wants to be able to enjoy a royal life. He wants to be free of maintaining a household. He would, no doubt, like to be shut of governing the kingdom with all those tiresome audiences, law-making sessions and boring wars. However, this is a complete failure in the most literal sense of the word. The king should have considered very carefully before handing over his property to his two horrible daughters. It was irresponsible not to prepare for possible outcomes. Even if he had trustworthy daughters, he was unknowingly including their husbands in his legacy. As the King, he had an obligation to his people not to leave their leadership in such an irresponsible way. He could have prepared for the worst but he didn’t. It is not that hard to believe that individuals, including people he loves, are willing to turn their backs on him when money and other materialistic desires take over. Furthermore, he was irresponsible in feeling that he was entitled to a simplistic hand-over of the kingdom. This is unrealistic in the extreme. This was not a minor matter of dividing the family furniture. Moreover, he should have considered all the inputs that were available. He could have reasoned with Cordelia and listened to her comments about her two evil sisters. If he had done so, none of this would have happened. If he had not felt so inconvenienced by the complexity of having to puzzle out what his youngest daughter felt, he would have listened to her. If he had not felt so inconvenienced by the complexity of having to puzzle out what his youngest daughter felt, he would have listened to her. King Lear’s Fool also pegs his problem accurately. The Fool tells Lear that he has made himself into a child to be spanked by his two daughters and made them into mothers, when he should have continued to be the father of his family and of his country:
“I have used it, nuncle, ever since thou madest thy daughters thy mothers: for when thou gavest them the rod, and put’st down thine own breeches,” (Act I. Scene IV.)
It is wise to contain the feeling of entitlement as well as not giving others the impression that they are entitled to anything. A sense of entitlement leads so readily to warped and anti-social behavior. Thus it should probably be avoided. In King Lear, this is certainly visible in many of the main characters.The sisters, feeling entitled to property and power without responsibility destroy lives to get what they feel entitled to. Edmund, feeling entitled to what Edgar has, destroys his own family and is responsible for Cordelia’s death. The king, feeling entitled to lay down his scepter and kick up his heels, behaves unwisely and brings down his whole house. The devastating events of King Lear offer a warning to us all: Better to welcome good fortune as a surprise than to assume that one deserves it.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of King Lear. Washington, DC: Folger Shakespeare Library, 2005. Print.
King Lear, act 1 lines 310-320 (Shakespeare, 1605). Cordelia falls out of favor with her father after the sisters show their false loyalty to him. The passage is psychologically extremely interesting because it emphasizes the combination of honesty of heart and intense mental suffering intertwined in Cordelia’s character. She says she sees right through her sisters, but despises them so much that she refuses to name their hypocritical sins out loud. In this martyrdom, the special nobility and sincerity of the character of Cordelia is manifested.
A separate noteworthy passage in the second act of King Lear is the third scene, which presents the monologue of the minor character. Edgar is a prince slandered by his brother, forced to flee the castle, pretending to be a vagabond. His monologue is extremely dynamic and tells another story of betrayal, which is one of the central themes of the tragedy. The theme of the fall of the human spirit and the forced abandonment of normal life seems to be a fascinating and even romantic motive that can be noticed in the monologue.
“O Aeolus! For to thee the King of Heav’n” is the appeal of the goddess Juno to the god-lord of the wind with a plea to take revenge on her sworn enemies and sink their ships (Virgil, 29). This fragment seems quite emotional due to the amount of anger that is felt in the inexhaustible desire to take revenge on the Trojans who destroyed Carthage, the city that worships her. The majestic and grandiose spontaneous images sounding in the monologue enhance the feeling of cosmic proportions inherent in this epic poem.
Chapter three in the book of Genesis tells about the temptation of a woman by the serpent and the violation of the prohibition on eating fruits from the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 3). This passage seems not only extremely poetic, but also mysterious and majestic. The chapter not only gives an idea of the ideal world order before the fall of man to Earth, but also makes one think about whether this order was not a test for man. The motive for the expulsion of Adam from Eden and the punishment of the human race is one of the most magnificent stories of sin. Particularly beautiful and symbolic in this chapter seems to be the last sentence, which gives the image of an armed angel-cherub, put on guard of the tree of eternal life. It symbolizes the prohibition imposed by God on immortality, which explains both human depravity and the finiteness of human life, together with God’s harsh justice.
An extremely inspiring and gripping passage in Genesis is chapter 8, which deals with the flood. One of the most remarkable features of the Bible is its unique ability to enclose in a short, succinct amount of text such plots that could serve as the basis for an entire novel. The story of the righteous Noah, who created an ark for all animals so that God could cleanse the Earth of bad people, is a magnificent story about the higher powers in human life (Genesis 8). At the end of the chapter, the Lord himself says that he will no longer cast curses on people, which gives a philosophical dimension to this chapter, forcing one to think about God’s mercy and its nature.
Reflection
In the process of accumulating a collection of quotes from the course on close reading, I had to rethink many questions about why I like certain literary texts. The reader should be vigilant about the question of their own taste and interest. It is in order not only to be able to navigate in what he read, but also not to lose the critically important feeling of reading for his own pleasure. Despite the fact that the texts presented in the list for the close reading course are very old and for the most part belong to the category of the ancients, this is what determines their specificity. The authority of each of these works is extremely high – in fact, we are considering a list of the main works ever created by man, monuments of world literature. But precisely because of the high status of these texts, it was interesting for me to find something of my own in each of them.
Initially, my task was to find the most classic, historically important fragments, but in the end I began to orient myself in the search for quotes to my own intuition and taste. For the most part, the passages I have chosen are monologues, each of which is filled with emotional experience and passion. Pronounced on stage by characters, or by heroes in a poetic text, they contain a deep emotional charge, emphasized by the conflict of the plot layer. Even taken out of context, the quotes are able to speak for themselves and express a full-fledged message – e.g. Edgar’s monologue from King Lear, which is a compelling and independent story.
The Bible passages selected for inclusion in the Book also have a special meaning for me. The Old Testament is a diverse universe of amazing and bizarre stories about the relationship between man and God. It seems to me that in this text human ideas about morality and spirituality are being formed. While Virgil in The Aeneid gives the Roman gods an emotional and human psychological dimension, God in the Bible represents a single supreme being. Perhaps that is why biblical stories find in modern man a greater resonance than Greek myths – a person in them is dependent on higher powers and trusts in their mercy. These stories are more about a person and his faith than about God himself or the gods.
I can confidently say that in the process of compiling my collection of quotations, I reconsidered my views on the history of literature itself. The texts are presented to me as a way of knowing the history of the development of the human mind. The history of an entirely different civilization is captured in Virgil’s grandiose poem The Aeneid, while the book of Genesis describes whole generations of peoples replacing each other. Shakespeare’s King Lear also does not seem like a superfluous work among these great texts – the drama of the plot and the power of the poetic syllable deservedly make tragedy a key work of world literature. Collecting outstanding quotes, I realized that humanity develops along with its ability to deep feeling and the ability to reflect on it. Each of the texts and each of the selected quotations represent a stage in the development of human culture, a rich worldview and artistic vocabulary for its expression.