...Tiffany Monroe Critical Analysis IV Ms. Gill 12/14/12 Madness and Blindness in King Lear King Lear by Shakespeare is a play that has many motifs and ideals that are supported by its characters. One motif that is introduced in the very beginning is the relationship between blindness and madness. Although the development of this relationship can be seen within characters such as Glouchester the Earl, and Goneril and Regan, the king’s daughters, it is best illustrated by the king himself. The relationship between blindness and madness illustrated in King Lear teaches that blindness will lead to madness, and madness will lead to enlightenment. No character in King Lear experiences the effects of this relationship like the main character himself, King Lear. In the very beginning he proposes a question to his daughters that he has no way of knowing the true answer of; in essence he asks his three daughters how much they love him to see who loves him the most. Two of his daughters, Goneril and Regan feed him lies, and basically tell him that they love him more than life itself. King Lear’s third daughter, Cordelia answers truthfully; she tells him that she loves him for giving her life, and as much as a daughter should love her father. Because of the King’s blindness, he is outraged by this response. He fails to see that Goneril and Regan were lying to get ahead while poor Cordelia, who he then banishes, is the one who truly loves him. The king...
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...William Shakespeare’s King Lear and Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex are two classic pieces of literature that are worth studying. This essay will discuss how free will and destiny function in the two plays. First, the plays will be introduced and analyzed separately to provide a basis for contrast and comparison. Once the foundation is established, more advanced ideas will be discussed, such as the concept of evil and literal and figurative sight. Oedipus Rex will be discussed first. The role of destiny is very obvious is this play. The plot is built around destiny; when Oedipus hears that his destiny is to murder his father and marry his mother, he sets out to confirm this prediction and then prevent it. In his attempt to avoid his fate, he unwittingly commits the very acts that were predicted. The actual logistics of the offense are quite impressive. Both Oedipus and his parents work independently of each other to avoid the outcome, and their actions tragically work together to make it possible. The reader is slapped in the face with the core of the theme, which is that the fate of man is inevitable. Since Oedipus was fated to commit these crimes, he cannot do otherwise. The role of fate and free will is much more complex in Shakespeare’s King Lear. A quick perusal of the plot gives a story of good and evil characters exercising their own free wills. King Lear foolishly divides up his kingdom to his two deceitful, older daughters and ignores Cordelia, his honest, dutiful...
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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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...The Deception in King Lear William Shakespeare's play King Lear is a play full of deceit and betrayal. This becomes evident in the first few lines. We first learn of the empty words of Goneril and Regan as well as their hatred for their father, King Lear. This becomes the center of the play and also leads to the madness that the king suffers from. The first words that Goneril speaks are totally empty and are the complete opposite of what she really feels. She says, "Sir, I love you more than word can wield the matter; Dearer than eye-sight, space and liberty;" (I.i.54-55) The reason why there are no words to express her love for her father is that she has no love for him and it does not exist. The same goes for her sister, Regan, who is plotting against her father as well. She says that she feels the same way as her sister and expresses how Goneril has named her very deed of love. Regan adds a little twist to this and professes that she loves Lear more than her sisters and that Goneril's affection for her father "comes too short." (I.i.71) By uttering these words, Regan shows that her love is even less true than that of her sister's. She goes even farther to say: "...that I profess Myself an enemy to all other joys Which the most precious square of sense possesses, And find I am alone felicitate In your dear highness' love." I.i.71-75 This goes to show that she is more greedy than her sister and her words are also falser. She wants more than her sister and will do anything...
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...Jasmine Pagan Dr. Amy C. Reeves Survey of World Literature February 7, 2013 Paper #1 I am writing a paper on King Lear, focusing on the main reason for his “fall” in the play. King Lear falls for power, so what is the reason for it? Does Lear end up deserving his fate? Or is he just blind to what is going on around him? Lear was a high respected aging king of British. He had three daughters, Goneril, Regan and Codelia, who he is dividing the kingdom into before he passes. Before he does so, he wanted to put in daughters through a test. He wants to know how much his daughters love him the most and which one would be great to take his place when the time comes. So he asks all his daughters how much they love him. Both Goneril and Regan, (which are his older daughters) lie to him. They tell King Lear that they love him more than anything and that they would be great to take over the kingdom in due time. He waits to hear from his youngest daughter, Cordelia (which is his favorite daughter), she is quiet at first then tells him she loves him like a regular daughter should love her father. “Nothing more; nothing less” she says. At that point King Lear becomes very angry, disappointed and immediately disowns Cordelia at sight because she did not say what Lear expected to hear from her. Deep down, King Lear was crushed and upset. He loved Cordelia very much, that was his favorite daughter out of them all. So when she told him that she loved him regular, at that moment...
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...King Lear Themes Table Themes Act 1 Act 2 Act 3 Act 4 Act 5 Critics Overview Shakespeare's dark tragedy, King Lear begins with the fictional King of England, King Lear, handing over his kingdom to daughters Regan and Goneril whom he believes truly love him. King Lear intends to stay with each daughter consecutively, accompanied by one hundred loyal knights.! Angry that Cordelia his youngest daughter does not appear to love him as do Goneril and Regan, Lear banishes his youngest daughter Cordelia, and Kent, the servant who attempts to defend her. Cordelia leaves and is taken by the King of France as his Queen...! Edmund, the loved but illegitimate son of the Earl of Gloucester plots to have his elder brother Edgar's reputation ruined. Edmund tricks his father Gloucester into believing that Edgar wanted to kill him...! The disrespectful Goneril conspires to have her guest and father, King Lear, driven out of her house.! Kent, who has now disguised his identity to serve King Lear, earns King Lear's respect by defending his name. Goneril offends King Lear and dismisses fifty of his knights. Lear starts to realize Cordelia was not so disrespecting. Lear decides to leave for Regan where he is sure to be treated properly...! Lear instructs Kent to deliver several letters to Gloucester. The Fool teaches Lear several riddles. We learn of possible conflict between evil sisters Regan and Goneril. Edmund further manipulates...
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...KING LEAR Act 1-3 Review Act 1, Scene 1 Analysis The first scene sets up the action and the main theme of the play. King Lear has three daughters, and he requires from each a profession of love in exchange for a reward of inheritance. The two daughters who love him least and who are most dishonest easily fulfill his requirements, speaking elegantly but emptily of their great love for him. Lear is pleased with this superficial and deceitful proclamation of love. His honest daughter, Cordelia, will not give Lear a false declaration. She loves him, she says, simply as a father, no more and no less. Her love, unlike her sisters', is a true love, but she is unwilling to exaggerate it in false language. Lear cannot understand this, and he immediately turns on Cordelia, his most beloved daughter, and disowns her. Lear is a flawed character, valuing the external declaration of love over true and proven love. His actions are so unreasonable that the reader may wonder why Cordelia loves him, aside from her duty as his daughter and subject. Act 1, Scene 2 Analysis The second scene reveals the subplot of Edmund's machinations to wheedle his father's lands away from him. As in the story of King Lear and his daughters, Gloucester must decide which of his children is truly loyal to him. The son that seems loyal only appears loyal through his deceit. He lies and manipulates in order to appear loving and loyal. Edgar, the truly loyal son, will appear disloyal through his brother's...
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...Madness Out of all of Shakespeare’s works, King Lear is by far his greatest tragedy. Tragedy, not in the sorts of horrific blood shed, but in terms of the hostile nature of humankind, that was thoroughly explored within the play. The brilliance of the play does not only lie in its brilliant storyline, it ultimately lies in the numerous universal, yet controversial themes. Themes of familial obligation, metaphorical blindness, political disarray, cruelty, betrayal, insanity and madness, these are only a few of the many conveyed. The critical summation of King Lear is as such: King Lear, ruler of Britain, decides to abdicate his throne and leave Britain in the charge of his three daughters. However, due to his weakness to flattery he bestows the entire kingdom to his daughters, Goneril and Regan. Unlike her malevolent sisters, Cordelia is banished by Lear. Ultimately, as a result of the committed acts, Lear sets not only himself, but also his entire country into civil strife. The natural order originally established by Lear falls apart and disorder engulfs the realm. Lear’s, ‘fall from grace’ in addition to the abuse he attains from his offspring causes him to go temporarily insane. However, insanity leads Lear to self-realization, completely stripped from his royal pretensions. Such a realization causes Lear to overlook his values and finally learn of humility. One is able to state that before the climax took place Lear, in fact was ‘mad’, this is characterized by his foolish...
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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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...King Lear (Free Essay No Copyright) In King Lear, the unnatural elements seem to always dominate the natural elements throughout the play. There exists a reversal of order in the play where the evil prosper in the downfall of the good, and where man's life is meaningless and arbitrary. King Lear, the tragic hero, dies in the end despite the torment and agony he had to endure to regenerate and repent. But it is the worthless destruction of countless other lives because of Lear's own personal tragedy that supports the view of the brutality and the meaningless of man's life in the play. Life in Lear's universe is brutal, and at times, merciless. All this has been brought about by the reign of evil in the play. The natural order of things has been reversed to such an extent that many of society's cherished values have been neglected and confused. Evil characters such as Edmund is praised by Gloucester for exposing the "treachery" of Edgar, while Edgar is denounced for his "villany". Love, based on selflessness and truth, is weighted in materialistic terms. A man's life, then, can only be considered arbitrary and meaningless in the chaotic universe of King Lear. The character of Lear and Gloucester die in a state of joy, but they nevertheless die in the end resulf. Both had immeasurable sufferings for their follies, and yet both had gained wisdom - patience, insight, love - from their experiences. Both were shown to have the capacity for comparison during their ordeals...
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...normal rational manner, and to exhibit rational behaviour. In Shakespeare’s play “King Lear” however, it is shown that “sanity” is a relative concept that can vary in meaning. Relating to the outside world, utilizing present issues of many countries, sanity being based on relativity, can be greatly exemplified. By performing an in depth analysis of different perspectives on sanity, it can be revealed who is sane and who is not. In the dramatic play, “King Lear”, King Lear assumes that his own character completely mirrors the quality of sanity. Displaying sane characteristics requires one to be completely assertive of the decisions that one makes personally, Lear’s actions are consciously made by him, and he knows exactly what he wants to say. He decides to divide his own kingdom and properties, and he wishes all three of his daughters to express their love for him. While Goneril and Regan claim their (faux) admiration of their father Lear is tremendous, Cordelia expressed nothing but her own genuine feelings. Unable to either express or translate her feelings into words, Cordelia explains to Lear that she is unable to verbally profess her love. In reply, Lear bursts with cursing prayers, “Let it be so. Thy truth then be thy dower. For by the sacred radiance of the sun, The mysteries of Hecate and the night... Here I disclaim all my paternal care... As thou my sometime daughter”. (I, i, 110-120) Lear shows complete disregard for Cordelia’s feelings, and continues expressing his vitriol...
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...The Madness of King Lear Madness is a key theme throughout King Lear and has, therefore, been the subject of much debate by scholars and critics throughout the centuries. Samantha MarkhamSamantha Markham Samantha Markham is a professional freelance writer with a particular passion for literary and theatrical subjects. Ludwig Devrient as King Lear (1769)Written between 1603 and 1606, King Learis one of Shakespeare’s most celebrated tragedies. The story is based on the legend of King Leir of Britain in which a king divides his kingdom. However, Shakespeare’s interpretation of the legend is much darker than the original and is filled with deceit, death and madness. Much debate surrounding King Lear’s madness concentrates on possible early manifestations of it and its causes. While some assert that King Lear displays early signs of insanity from the commencement of the play, others believe that it is his anger and lust for revenge that drive him to madness. King Lear’s Madness in the First Scene The opening scene of King Lear is a fascinating exploration of flattery, self-love and the relationship between father and daughters. It seems absurd that a king would divide his kingdom according to professions of love, but it is worth considering that a long reigning king is accustomed to exercising irresponsible power. However, the problem with chalking the opening scene up to an old king’s desire to be flattered is that the kingdom has already been divided. Gloucester tells...
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...As Dwight D. Eisenhower once stated, “A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.” Principles are moral rules or beliefs that help you know what is right and wrong and that influence your actions; therefore, once we begin to prioritize our monetary wants and power desires we begin to lose our true selves in the process. King Lear, Act 1 Scene 1, begins with King Lear dividing his kingdom into three portions and only when his daughters proclaim their eternal and grandeur love for him will he gift the kingdom. We are then introduced to his three daughters: Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia. Goneril claims to love her father boundlessly, Regan’s love however is more than even Goneril’s love, and then there is Cordelia...
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...madness lies. Let me shun that. No more of that. (III,iv,6-22) An Agonizing Awakening Shakespeare’s stylistic devices convey not only a feeling of dejected despondency and suffocating anguish, but also tempestuous petulance and melancholic despair to illustrate the consequences of a lack of self-awareness and the painful process of enlightenment which follows. In addition, the breaking of the filial bond provides this necessary hardship for Lear which elicits both a feeling of pity for his state of affairs and retribution for the vanity which previously consumed him. However, these feelings eventually morph into a sense of resolution as Lear gains understanding of his past mistakes and displays an unwavering resolve as a result. Consequently, the stylistic devices in this climax serve to demonstrate both the hopelessness of Lear and the comfort which comes through a conformed conscious as the reader witnesses Lear’s complete metamorphosis. The use of diction conveys a feeling of agony delineated through intense imagery as Lear sustains severe torment, demonstrating a resolute resolve in response. Furthering the spiritual battle of the “tempest,” the...
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...Character Analysis Lear, the King of Britain, is a powerful and important man. But he's getting near retirement age. Lear thinks he can hand over the hard work of ruling the kingdom to his children and relax. He wants to enjoy the power of still being king without any of the responsibility. That's Lear's first mistake, separating power and responsibility. His two eldest daughters are ready to run their own lives – and their own kingdoms. They resent Lear acting as if he is still in charge. Yet the King is shocked when his daughters assert their independence from him. After all, he gave them everything they have. Lear's second mistake is to exile the people who love him the most. He chooses to stage a "love test" among his three daughters so he can give the biggest slice of the kingdom to the one who loves him most of all. When Cordelia refuses to participate, Lear is so angry that he orders her out of the kingdom. And when his advisor, Kent, warns him that this is a terrible idea, Lear throws him out, too. So Lear has to deal with the power struggle his retirement sparked without two of the people who could have smoothed the transition. (Kent does come back disguised as Caius, a peasant, but this means he only has a peasant's power – enough to take care of Lear, but not enough to soothe his political worries.) Lear realizes his stupidity soon enough. His retirement starts a series of conflicts that lead the whole country to civil war. Two of Lear's own children turn...
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