King Lear and Illegitimacy
Shakespeare's treatment of illegitimacy in the play King Lear can be interpreted in many ways depending on the audience. The situation of illegitimacy is portrayed through the relationships of the characters the Earl Of Gloucester and his two sons Edgar and Edmund. Edmund is the illegitimate son while Edgar was born within the law. We learn of Edmund's illegitimacy in the opening scene in the first act where The Earl of Gloucester is holding a conversation with Kent while Edmund is nearby. Gloucester speaks flippantly and lightly of the way his illegitimate son came into the world while introducing him to Kent saying, " Though this knave came something saucily into the world before he was sent for, yet his mother was fair, there was good sport at his making, and the whoreson must be acknowledged" (Act I, Scene I, Lines 19-24). There are several peculiar things about this dialogue. One of the interesting aspects of Gloucester and Kent's discussion is the readiness of Glou!cester to admit he has fathered a child out of wedlock. This may be influenced by the fact that Edmund had obviously grown into a son that a father would be proud to have. At first meeting he seems polite, courteous, and loyal. Perhaps these admirable cha
------------------------------------------------------------------------ By raising the issue of illegitimacy in King Lear, Shakespeare poses some interesting questions about fatherhood. Questions such as: should a son be treated differently by his father if he born out of wedlock? And what are the consequences of that treatment? In the play Gloucester statements seem to imply that he loves both sons equally and is proud of Edmund though he does admit that there was a time when he was ashamed. It seems both a strange and noble thing that Gloucester tells Kent that he loves his sons equally and is no longer ashamed to recognize Edmund. However, Edmund was most likely deeply affected by the time that his father was ashamed of him. He may have also felt that while acceptance and love were unconditional and came easily to his half-brother, Edgar, he had to earn his father's acknowledgement and pride. The Earl seems to mention his other son, Edmund to Kent by way of being an apology for having an illegitimate son saying, " But I have a son, sir, by o! ow I am brazed to 't." (Act I, Scene I, Line 9). Again, depending on the audience the attitudes displayed in the play by the characters and Shakespeare himself by his writing can be interpreted in a variety of ways depending on the observer. racter traits are cause for
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 896
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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