King lear realizes his flaws
Of all Shakespeare's great tragic heroes, Lear is perhaps the least typical. In the beginning of the play Lear is already an old man; his best days have passed, though doubtless there is still about his person a certain regal carriage. Lear's petulant behavior betrays him, and soon, when he engages his three daughters in the dreadful game of flattery, wherein Goneril and Regan swear the whole allegiance of their hearts to a father, leaving nothing for a husband, it becomes clear that Lear is something less than natural. In the first act, Lear assumes one of the least attractive roles in Shakespearean literature, that of a bad father. Lear at first does not realize that his temper and deep seeded need of blandishment leads to the usurpation of his divinity. Only through rejection and madness is Lear able to understand and change his destructive attitudes and behavior.As a tragedy, King Lear portrays a protagonist whose fortunes are conditioned by his hamartia, or tragic flaw. As defined by Aristotle, "the protagonist of a tragedy should be a person 'who is not eminently good or just, yet whose fortune is brought about by some error or
Martin, Reed., Long, Adam,. and Tichenor, Austin. As a footnote, it is interesting that "the Bard's patron, King James of England was seeking to unite England and Scotland at the same time that Shakespeare was writing King Lear. That Shakespeare chose to show a divided kingdom in King Lear leading to tragedy confirm that Shakespeare was either a significant social and political commentator or simply a royal ass kisser (Martin, Long, and Tichenor, Side 3)." third edition. Boston: Bedford Books, 1997. Through his madness Lear breaks down the false illusions of his courtly world. Where the earlier speech is concerned with power and title (Blow winds and crack your cheeks! Rage blow!...), the later speech is concerned with humanity and friendship (Poor naked wretches, whereso'er you are...). Lear's madness can be seen both as a result of his arrogance and as a remedy for it: The Fool's statement that "truth's a dog must to kennel; he must be whipped out." foreshadows the pain that Lear will have to pass through before attaining enlightenment. [audio recording] 2 cassettes. Laughing Stock Productions, Ltd. 1994. Lear's madness is
Some common words found in the essay are:
Regan Fool, King Lear, Goneril Regan, IIV Lear's, , Fool Cordelia, Jacobus IIV, Company Radio, Lee Bedford, Lear Shakespeare, king lear, lear's madness, destructive attitudes behavior, destructive attitudes, goneril regan, substance spoken, able understand, lear able, attitudes behavior, speech concerned, substance spoken words, lear able understand, madness lear,
Approximate Word count = 772
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
