King Lear 4
In King Lear, Shakespeare constructs the play so that originally, as Harbage argues, "We weigh circumstances and view Lear's reverses at least partly in terms of his faults," yet eventually find that disaster is created by "the immeasurable evil," of his two daughters. This technique results in complex character development, which stimulates the reader to evaluate each player repeatedly, as they each experience many "reverses". Lear's initial behavior sets in motion a chain of events, which uncover his primary vulnerabilities, as a king, a father, and man. Although the reader recognizes this, as Lear becomes increasingly aware of his faults, his daughters' evil natures unfold, and the blame shifts to them for the misfortunes that occur through the rest of the play. As the first act commences, Lear conducts himself in a manner that is true to a king, yet causes the reader to blame him for the onslaught of turmoil that follows. King Lear's first entrance is replete with ritual and ceremony. He decides to apportion his kingdom as a gift, rather than an inheritance to his three heirs. He chooses, however, to have his daughters declare their love to him as a condition for their share of the kingdom. "Which of you shall we sa
As the act draws to a close the audience is left witnessing Lear as he pleads with the gods for a chance to regain control of his life. By now his daughters have overpowered him completely, and he imploringly cries, "You see me here, you gods, a poor old man...If it be you that stirs these daughters' hearts against their father...touch me with noble anger." After this, he makes a comment to his two evil daughter that the audience would not have formerly supported, "I will have such revenges on you both" (II iv 306-13) now has complete legitimacy in the readers mind. This new inferior tone in Lear's voice and actions make him appear to cower at his daughters' degrading behavior. Because of Lear's excessive confidence in the love of his daughters, he know find himself in a most horrible situation. His response to his children, proving him to feel reduced to no more than a servant or child, along with a lack of respect they show for their father's condition, allows the audience to place full blame on the inherent evil of Goneril and Regan for the tragedies that ensue. As Lear quickly understands the grave mistakes he has made, the audience begins to forgive him; concurrently, the daughters begin to lose favor, as the audience becomes more acquainted with them. This change in character perception causes shifts in opinion. Initially, the audience blames Lear's ignorance for his daughters behavior, they now realize they a deep seeded evil within the daughters is the foundation upon which the looming tragedies are based. The first character to freely comment on the situation is the fool. His speech is normally passed as nonsense, so the honesty within it is overlooked by most of the characters. When he states, "I am better than art though: I am a fool, thou art nothing" he heightens Lear's realization of the precarious situation he has created in his Kingdom. The fool continues to comment and deems the daughters culpable, because of their greed. The fool presents a very persuasive argument, and as a result the reader begins to
Some common words found in the essay are:
Goneril Regan, Beloved Regan, Lear Shakespeare, Regan Goneril, King Lear's, Oppositely Cordelia's, Lear Lear's, ii iv, goneril regan, result reader, complex character, blame lear, daughters' evil, relinquished power, goneril behavior, evil daughters,
Approximate Word count = 1380
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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