...Mr. K. McGuire ENG 4U1 30 May 2012 King Lear vs. Holden Caulfield Shakespeare's tragedy King Lear revolves around his decision to give away the kingdom to his three daughters which marked the beginning of chaotic and uncontrollable consequences. In the middle of the play, Lear went mad and lost everything. On the other hand, the novel, The Catcher in the Rye is about a boy named Holden Caufield. He does not care about school at all and got kicked out. He ended up running away from school early because of a quarrel between him and his roommate name Stradlater about a girl that he had feelings for. He then lived on the streets and met new and old friends until the day that he is supposed to return home. But there were problems and he went to sneak home early to visit his little sister Phoebe. Throughout the story, he tries to fit in but instead feels alienated and alone. Despite the differences in settings and story lines, both of these characters are similar to each other in many ways. Despite the differences in the time periods, King Lear and The Catcher of the Rye both display similar qualities which include their poor decisions, experienced major downfalls and lost of their psychological sanity. Both King Lear and The Catcher of the Rye illustrate their own terms of insanity which compliments the two as the major theme. In chapter 25 of The Catcher of the Rye, each time Holden crosses a street, he felt like he would disappear, therefore every time he reached...
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...Burns ENG 4U1-08 19 February 2015 How have the plots been advanced in Act 2? There are two plots in the play, a main plot and a subplot. King Lear and his three daughters carry out the main plot. On the other hand, Earl of Gloucester and his two sons are the focus of the subplot. Since the first act concludes with the main plot, the second act starts off with Edmund at Gloucester’s castle. Edmund advances the plot by tricking Gloucester into believing that Edgar is after him. Edmund creates a dramatic scene by convincing Edgar to flee away, and then later cuts himself to pretend that Edgar attempted to murder him because Edmund refused to kill Gloucester. Gloucester arrives quickly and sends servants to pursuit Edgar. Gloucester’s anger is evident as he claims that Edgar will be captured and punished as he also promises that Edmund will become the heir of his land; “May have due note of him, and of my land / Loyal and natural boy, I’ll work the means / To make thee capable.” (2.1.83-85). Later on, Edgar seems to recognize that an only way to survive shall be “To take the basest and most poorest shape” (2.3.7). Since the two plots are parallel to each other, King Lear’s family goes through a major demolition as now both of his daughters are against him. Lear enters the act in scene four when he finds out that his nobleman, Kent, remains put in stocks for misbehavior towards Oswald, Goneril’s steward. King Lear suffers through mixed emotions in this scene. He seems very humble towards...
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...KING LEAR Act One The play opens at Lear’s court, where we meet the main characters. The opening scene is in itself shocking, as Lear forces his daughters to declare their love for him. The one who loves him the most will receive the largest part of his kingdom, which he intends to divide between the three. Lear himself wishes to hand over the ruling of the kingdom to his daughters, while retaining the ‘Pre-eminence, and all the large effects / That troop with majesty’ (Scene 1, Lines 131-2). Goneril and Regan acquit themselves well at this love test. Cordelia, however, dismayed by her sisters’ ponderous words, refuses to take part in the ‘contest’ and tells Lear that she loves him as her duty instructs her. When Cordelia refuses to speak again, Lear casts her off without a moment’s hesitation. Ken attempts to argue with the King, accusing him of ‘hideous rashness’ (Scene 1, Line 151). When Kent further warns Lear that his elder daughters are false flatterers, Kent too is banished. Lear invests Albany and Cornwall with power, and, after Burgundy refuses to take Cordelia as his wife, now that she is without dowry, France takes her for her virtues alone. Goneril and Regan complain, in private, about Lear’s harsh judgement and unpredictable behaviour and worry that they too may be treated unfairly. Edmund, Gloucester’s bastard son, soliloquises about his own situation, revealing his devious intentions towards his brother. When his father enters, Edmund’s...
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...Quotation One As Lear argues with Regan he says, “ Thou better know’st the offices of nature, bond of childhood, effects of courtesy, dues of gratitude. Thy half o’ th’ kingdom hast thou not forgot, wherein I thee endowed” (II.iv 201-205) As scene four commences, Lear argues with Regan over Goneril. This quote is significant because it connects to the motif family. This is because you would expect the generosity given to your children to be returned through respect. Lear reminds Regan of everything that he had bestowed to her, that she should express and act on gratitude. King Lear uses a metaphor, comparing his expectations and actions to nature. The more you...
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...The story opens in ancient Britain, where the elderly King Lear is deciding to give up his power and divide his realm amongst his three daughters, Cordelia, Regan, and Goneril. Lear's plan is to give the largest piece of his kingdom to the child who professes to love him the most, certain that his favorite daughter, Cordelia, will win the challenge. Goneril and Regan, corrupt and deceitful, lie to their father with sappy and excessive declarations of affection. Cordelia, however, refuses to engage in Lear's game, and replies simply that she loves him as a daughter should. Her lackluster retort, despite its sincerity, enrages Lear, and he disowns Cordelia completely. When Lear's dear friend, the Earl of Kent, tries to speak on Cordelia's behalf, Lear banishes him from the kingdom. Meanwhile, the King of France, present at court and overwhelmed by Cordelia's honesty and virtue, asks for her hand in marriage, despite her loss of a sizable dowry. Cordelia accepts the King of France's proposal, and reluctantly leaves Lear with her two cunning sisters. Kent, although banished by Lear, remains to try to protect the unwitting King from the evils of his two remaining children. He disguises himself and takes a job as Lear's servant. Now that Lear has turned over all his wealth and land to Regan and Goneril, their true natures surface at once. Lear and his few companions, including some knights, a fool, and the disguised Kent, go to live with Goneril, but she reveals that she plans...
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...fatal flaw in his own character. In these types of tragedies the characters’ misfortune is brought upon by himself, not by vice. This was a concept portrayed 500 years ago yet rings true today. People are not flawless and most misfortunes are brought on by some error in judgment. Examples of characters with this tragic flaw include Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus and Shakespeare’s King Lear. Shakespeare’s ‘The Tragedy Of King Lear’ must be taken in context. Before the renaissance period the only form of drama was the occasional religious mystery play. The plays of the renaissance period drew away from the religious theme. As a result there was a huge expansion in the range of subjects that the authors wrote about. Thus the tragedy of the character coming undone by flaw not by evil, was seen in the plays. King Lear’s basic flaw is his test of his daughters superficial love over real love. He values appearances over reality. In the play, King Lear does not ask “which of you doth love us most” but rather, “which of you shall we say doth love us most”? Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus can be compared to Shakespeare’s King Lear. Faustus represents the spirit of the renaissance, with its rejection of medieval, god-centered universe, and its embrace of human possibility. Faustus is the...
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...English 3 Group AA Due: 04 October 2013 Monday 09:35 Dr. D. Seddon Early Modern Literature Discuss in detail two different performances of King Lear on stage, film or TV. Your discussion should include an assessment of the relative merits of the directorial decisions as regards characterization, setting, costume, and dialogue. The only way of expressing emotion in the form of art is by finding an 'objective correlative'; in other words, a set of objects, a situation, a chain of events which shall be the formula of that particular emotion; such that when the external facts, which must terminate in sensory experience, are given, the emotion is immediately evoked. (Eliot, 1919) William Shakespeare’s King Lear is considered by many to be one of his most powerful pieces. Its universal themes and messages that seep through have inspired many other works and allowed room for several adaptations. In his influential critical essay on Hamlet, T.S. Eliot suggests that one could “examine any of Shakespeare’s more successful tragedies…” and always “… find this exact equivalence” (1919). His term ‘objective correlative’ encompasses the phenomena of emotional reaction being created in the audience by the writer or poet or playwrights combination of images, objects or description which evoke the...
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...King Lear and 1984 Power King Lear offers a reflection on power or, more accurately, the loss of power. After retiring and divvying up his kingdom among his ungrateful daughters, Lear discovers what it's like to lose the power and authority that come with the responsibilities of active rule. In addition to being a monarch, King Lear is also a family patriarch and Shakespeare asks us to consider the similarities between a father's relationship with his children and a king's relationship with his subjects. Sir, I love you more than words can wield the matter; Dearer than eyesight, space, and liberty;... 1984 is not just about totalitarianism; it makes us live through totalitarianism. The Party wants power for its own sake. The Party carefully monitors the behavior of all of its constituents. Morning group exercises are mandatory. The Party demands that all loyalty created in private be severed, and that the only acceptable loyalty is loyalty to the Party. The Party condemns sex, and brainwashes its constituents. The Party recognizes no concept of a "family" other than the collective family under rule by the Party. The Party controls everything – the past, the present, and the future – by controlling historical records, language, and even thought. The Party tortures and "vaporizes" those who harbor rebellious thoughts. The state suffers through constant warfare. The conditions are dilapidated, but the citizens do not know better. Classism exists everywhere, and different classes...
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...KING LEAR KING LEAR William Shakespeare 1606 KING LEAR Dramatis Personae Lear, King of Britain. King of France. Duke of Burgundy. Duke of Cornwall. Duke of Albany. Earl of Kent. Earl of Gloucester. Edgar, son of Gloucester. Edmund, bastard son to Gloucester. Curan, a courtier. Old Man, tenant to Gloucester. Doctor. Lear's Fool. Oswald, steward to Goneril. A Captain under Edmund's command. Gentlemen. A Herald. Servants to Cornwall. Goneril, daughter to Lear. Regan, daughter to Lear. Cordelia, daughter to Lear. Knights attending on Lear, Officers, Messengers, Soldiers, Attendants. Scene: - Britain. KING LEAR ACT I. KING LEAR SCENE I. [King Lear's Palace.] Enter Kent, Gloucester, and Edmund. [Kent and Glouceste converse. Edmund stands back.] Kent. I thought the King had more affected the Duke of Albany than Cornwall. Glou. It did always seem so to us; but now, in the division of the kingdom, it appears not which of the Dukes he values most, for equalities are so weigh'd that curiosity in neither can make choice of either's moiety. Kent. Is not this your son, my lord? Glou. His breeding, sir, hath been at my charge. I have so often blush'd to acknowledge him that now I am braz'd to't. Kent. I cannot conceive you. Glou. Sir, this young fellow's mother could; whereupon she grew round-womb'd, and had indeed, sir, a son for her cradle ere she had a husband for her bed. Do you smell a fault? Kent. I cannot wish the fault undone, the issue of it being so proper...
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...Chapter II: literature of the renaissance (End of the 15th - beginning of the 17th century) In the 15th - 16th centuries capitalist relation began to develop in Europe. The former townspeople became the bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie fought against feudalism because it held back the development of capitalism. The decay of feudalism and the development of capitalist relation were followed by a great rise in the cultural life of Europe. There was an attempt at creating a new culture which would be free from the limitation of the feudal ideology of the Middle Ages. The epoch was characterized by a thirst for knowledge and discoveries, by a powerful development of individuality. It was then that great geographical discoveries of Columbus, Magellan and other travelers as well as astronomical discoveries of Copernicus, Bruno, Galilei were made. The invention of the printing press (Fyodorov in Russia, Guttenberg in Germany, Caxton in England) contributed to the development of culture in all European countries. Universities stopped being citadels of religious learning and turned into centers of humanist study. There was a revival of interest in the ancient culture of Greece and Rome ("Renaissance" is French for "rebirth"). The study of the works of ancient philosophers, writers, and artists helped the people to widen their outlook, to know the world and man's nature. On the basis of both the ancient culture and the most progressive elements of the culture of the...
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...wrote tragedies from the beginning of his career. One of his earliest plays was the Roman tragedy Titus Andronicus, which he followed a few years later with Romeo and Juliet. However, his most admired tragedies were written in a seven-year period between 1601 and 1608. These include his four major tragedies Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth, along withAntony & Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Cymbeline, Julius Caesar and the lesser-known Timon of Athens and Troilus and Cressida. ------------------------------------------------- Tragedies[edit] Many have linked these plays to Aristotle's precept about tragedy: that the protagonist must be an admirable but flawed character, with the audience able to understand and sympathize with the character. Certainly, all of Shakespeare's tragic protagonists are capable of both good and evil. As one of the most influential Shakespearean critics of the 19th century, A. C. Bradley argues, "the playwright always insists on the operation of the doctrine of free will; the (anti) hero is always able to back out, to redeem himself. But, the author dictates, they must move unheedingly to their doom." Some, including drama historian Brian Arkins in his "Heavy Seneca: his Influence on Shakespeare's Tragedies," have also pointed out their Senecan nature, as differentiated from Aristotle's principles and Greek tragedy. In one of a few exceptions to the rule that Black Roman literature was essentially superficial imitation of Greek works, the Roman Stoic philosopher...
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...The Tragedy of King Lear by William Shakespeare An Electronic Classics Series Publication 2 The Tragedy of King Lear is a publication of The Electronic Classics Series. This Portable Document file is furnished free and without any charge of any kind. Any person using this document file, for any purpose, and in any way does so at his or her own risk. Neither the Pennsylvania State University nor Jim Manis, Editor, nor anyone associated with the Pennsylvania State University assumes any responsibility for the material contained within the document or for the file as an electronic transmission, in any way. The Tragedy of King Lear by William Shakespeare, The Electronic Classics Series, Jim Manis, Editor, PSUHazleton, Hazleton, PA 18202 is a Portable Document File produced as part of an ongoing publication project to bring classical works of literature, in English, to free and easy access of those wishing to make use of them. Jim Manis is a faculty member of the English Department of The Pennsylvania State University. This page and any preceding page(s) are restricted by copyright. The text of the following pages are not copyrighted within the United States; however, the fonts used may be. Copyright © 1997 - 2013 The Pennsylvania State University is an equal opportunity University. 3 The Tragedy of KING LEAR by William Shakespeare: His true Chronicle Historie of the life and death of King Lear and his three daughters. With the unfortunate life of Edgar, sonne and heire to...
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...Early European Theater • The writings of this period were primarily hymns, sermons and similar theologically oriented works. • Latin became a literary medium. • Major preserves of learning are the monasteries. • 8th century Europe returned to greater stability under the Carolingian kings. ➢ Charles Martel – defeated the Moslems at Tours in 732 AD, through his innovative use of armored horsemen as the principal military force, initiating the development of knighthood. ➢ Charlemagne – extended his realm into the Slavic territories and converting non- Christians on the way. Charlemagne was crowned by the Pope and pronounced him as the successor to Constantine. The scenario was the first attempt to establish the Holy Roman Empire. • Charlemagne’s death caused Europe to break into small units isolated from each other and from the world. • Moslem controlled the Mediterranean and the Vikings, still pagans, conquered the northern seas. Early Middle Ages • Life was relatively simple. • Feudalistic patterns were fully established. ➢ Manor (large estate)- headed by a noble man, assumed absolute authority over the peasants who worked his land collectively. ➢ Vassals – supplies the lords a specified number of knights upon demand and the lords in return were bound to protect their vassals. The Theater (500- 900 AD) • The theater revived during the early Middle Ages. • After the Western Roman...
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...Name Course code Tutor’s name Date Othello Othello is one of the great works of Shakespeare that has intriguing experiences. Othello explores different aspects of life but the most interesting one is the aspect of jealous entangled with love. The characters act in very interesting ways that leave anyone reading the book to be always curious of what happens next. The way women have been presented in the play is a clear indication of how patriarchy had taken root in the society at that time. Women have been oppressed and have little to do in any love relationship for men control everything. One character that seems most interesting is Lago. He is the wicked character especially with his funny actions against Roderigo and Othello. Lago is such an interesting character because of the way he is able to manipulate the thinking ways of both Othello and Roderigo to believe what he wants. Lago manages to convince Roderigo to accompany him to see Brabantio and inform him how Othello had eloped with his daughter Desdemona. This prompted the two lovers to be summoned by the Duke of Venice for the matter to be resolved (Shakespeare). Lago seems to have a general hatred for women by ensuring that their relationships are not smooth. Through his actions in the book, Lago manages to convince Othello that Desdemona was unfaithful with his suspicious evidence. Lago is a very smart character that has a lot of determination to achieve what he intends. He manages to vent his anger to Cassio...
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...RUSANGU UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE ENGL 210 Shakespeare Notes LECTURER SAMBOKO, B. M. There are many outstanding people in history: - our heroes… our role models…. Politicians: Napoleon, Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, John F Kennedy, Margaret Thatcher, Mahatma Gandhi, Kenneth Kaunda Community Service: Mother Teresa, George Muller, David Livingstone Religious: Apostle Paul, the other apostles, Ellen G White, Anderson, The pope, Martin Luther, Sports: Neymar, Messi, Ronaldo, Benzema - Michael Jordan, Pele, Maradona Music: Lady Gaga, jZ, Tupak, Michael Jackson, Jim Reeves, Jimmy Hendricks, Literary Circles: Before Shakespeare the great names in literature were: o Homer – Ancient times - well known for his great epics o Dante – Middle Ages – wrote brilliantly on circumstances of human existence o Aristotle – the great philosopher ENTER SHAKESPEARE – THE LITERARY GIANT Spelling of Shakespeare: Spelling not yet standardized, thus name spelled in different ways • Shakespeare, Shakspere, Shackspere, Shaxper, Shagspere, Shaxberd, etc. Shakespeare: The most well known playwright of Elizabethan times is Shakespeare. But there were also other writers who in their time were just as, or even more famous than him. WHAT MAKES SHAKESPEARE STAND OUT? – The volume of his works Plays firmly attributed to Shakespeare ■ 14 COMEDIES – funny play...
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