My chosen monologue is located at the beginning of Act 1, Scene 2 (lines 1-22) of Shakespeare’s King Lear in the Earl of Gloucester’s Castle just after King Lear banishes his daughter Cordelia and nobleman Kent. It involves Edmond speaking about his internal thoughts and life as the illegitimate son of Gloucester as he is clearly frustrated by the fact that that he cannot inherit his father’s wealth just because he was born outside the bounds of marriage unlike his legitimate brother Edgar. In this monologue we learn of a great conspiracy as Edmond reveals his plan to trick Gloucester into believing that his legitimate son Edgar is seeking his death in order to inherit his wealth and kingdom. Edmond does this by forging a fake letter under …show more content…
As discussed earlier ‘bastards’ were look down upon in society and seen as a mistake to the point where they were used as insults to their parents. Edmond uses the persuasive technique of inclusive language in the lines "Well then, Legitimate Edgar, I must have your land. Our father’s love is to the bastard Edmund". In this quote Edmond uses the term ‘our’ to emphasise the fact that him and Edgar have the same father. Additionally, Edmond also implies that he thinks "bastards" are as good as "legitimate" sons through this textual …show more content…
Due to the fact that during the medieval times Gods and Goddesses were 'above' humans Edmund uses to technique of personification when he says "Thou, Nature , art my goddess; to thy law My service are bound. In this textual reference Edmond is contrasting the customs of man with laws of nature, referring to it as a Goddess and pledging allegiance with her. This support Edmond's ideology that humans see him less worthy due to the circumstances of birth, but this is a just human belief and not a law of nature. By personifying nature as a goddess, Edmund is make a strong argument for people to recognise the laws of nature as more powerful than the customs of humans and uses this to attempt to persuade his
Persuasive Techniques Used by Henry in Act Four Scene Three in Shakespeare's Henry V Henry's speech is well prepared; he uses various key features in a persuasive leader. Before Henry starts of he is able to turn weakness into strengths. He immediately identifies what is wrong with his soldiers, the larger French army. King Henry commences by giving his soldiers confident advice, he says 'if we are marked to die, we are enough to do our country's loss.' Essentially this means that the fewer who die the better for our country, because the less loss of lives.
Whether their intentions be to establish or affirm natural order, or the natural world, many of the characters in the play use Nature as a “transcendent sanction” (Lawrence 154); as Lawrence states earlier, “Projections of a natural order render the elemental controllable, less frightening and arbitrary” (153). Some of Lear’s own prayers and curses are linked directly to Nature: he labels Cordelia “a wretch whom nature is ashamed / Almost to acknowledge hers” (1.1.213-14); and later on, he cries to Nature (“Hear, Nature, hear! Dear goddess, hear!”) and demands that the goddess make Goneril either sterile or her offspring a “disnatured torment” (1.4.271,279). Even Edmund partakes in the invocation of Nature: “Thou, Nature, art my goddess; to thy law / My services are bound” (1.2.1-2). By forcing Nature’s hand and obligating the goddess to him, rather than letting the gods choose him, Edmund feels as though he, like Lear, can make demands: “I grow; I prosper. / Now, gods, stand up for bastards!” (1.2.21-22). Instances like these, the personification of Nature, will not “produce a divinity notably more stable than the pagan gods themselves” (Lawrence
“’ [W]here would Edmund be nowadays? Sitting in a pneumatic chair, with his arm around a girl’s waist, sucking away at his sex-hormone chewing-gum and looking at the feelies. The gods are just. No doubt. But their code of law is dictated, in the last resort, by the people who organize society; Providence takes its cue from me.’
Madness in King Lear: Act 4 In Shakespeare's play King Lear, Shakespeare introduces many themes. The most important theme shown in King Lear is the theme of madness. During the course of this play madness is shown in the tragic hero, King Lear. King Lear develops madness right in the beginning of the play but he actually shows it in Act 4. In this act, King Lear is not only at the peak of madness but it is also shown him coming out of his madness as well.
As Edgar takes the role of a "spirit" (3.4.39), he reveals: (1) Edmund's moral condition, by prescribing moral laws that he will break (3.4.80-83); and (2) that Gloucester will be blinded by Edmund (3.4.117). This essay will begin by examining how Edgar's role, as an outcast feigning madness, resembles the life and fate of King Lear, and then will show how his role as a spirit, reveals future events that will come to pass. Edgar's role, as an outcast and madman, corresponds to King Lear in four ways: (1) they both are deceived by family. Edgar is deceived by his half brother, and King Lear is deceived by two of his daughters. Edgar babbles about how Edmund deceived him: "Who gives anything to Poor Tom?"
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 Gloucester 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 character traits are cause for Gloucester’s willingness to publicly claim Edmund as his own. Another unusual occurrence in the opening dialogue is that Gloucester calls Edmund a whoreson and a knave while he is close by and probably in hearing distance. This seems odd because Gloucester professes to feel only love for his son and no shame but he seems to almost mock him in this situation. One explanation for this behavior may be that deep down Gloucester still harbors some discomfort about the relationship between himself and his son despite his verbal proclamations of shamelessness. This could be inferred from Gloucester’s statement, “ His breeding, sir, hath been at my charge. I have so often blushed to acknowledge him that now 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.
Edmund, the bastard son of Gloucester is not pleased with his status as a bastard. Edgar the legitimate son of Gloucester stands to obtain the lands, wealth and power of his father. Edmund thinks this is unfair and begins a plot to banish his brother and obtain the lands of his father. He begins by writing a fake letter from Edgar saying that he wants to murder his father and wishes to take power by force. Edmund uses his deceiving abilities to make the letter seem genuine. He lies to his father about how he came into possession of the letter: “It was not brought me, my Lord; t...
1-William Shakespeare. King Lear edited by Russle Fraser.(New York: Penguin Putnam Inc., 1982). All future references will come from this text.
He confirms his reasons for disrupting the established order when he claims… This implies that he is complying with the rules of nature rather than the rules that most of the society chooses to follow. Edmund believes that an illegitimate being cannot survive under the man-made laws of society, therefore he must infringe them for all bastards to achieve justice. Edmund decides to ascend the chain by means of deception and betrayal in response to the lack of recognition he receives from society and his father. Considering Edmund was conceived outside of what would be “human society’s harmonious order”, he is not required to uphold the social order within the country, since he was never apart of it. Edmund is aggravated that although his “mind [is] as generous” as everyone else’s, he does not have any connection with society, which initiates his continuous plan to disrupt any stable relationships; in response to being an outsider. When Edmund achieves power, he becomes consumed by the benefits that come with being recognized. After Goneril and Regan threaten their relationship with jealousy over Edmund, he responds with, “To both these sisters have I sworn my love…Which of them shall I take? Both? One? Neither?” This shows that Edmund is inconsiderate of the various relationships he is disrupting due to being newly recognized by society. Even after Edmund is acknowledged by his father through his words, “I'll work the means to make thee capable” he is still unsatisfied. Although recognition from his father was partly what Edmund was striving for, the new influence he has over society has made him protective of his title within society. He must eliminate his father from the social order and repel his brother away from receiving Gloucester’s throne in order for him to be ensured the position on the wheel of fortune, permanently. Edmund’s pinnacle of power causes him to utter, This
It is important to distinguish the concept of nature present in King Lear from the imagery it invokes in modern culture of picturesque forests teeming with every sort of adorable squirrel and chipmunk imaginable. As Sarah Doncaster puts it in her essay “Representations of Nature in Shakespeare’s King Lear,” nature in Shakespeare’s hands, “is a social construct, which is utilized in order to legitimise the existing social order.” The notion that a...
Philosophy is defined as the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. In Shakespeare’s King Lear one is able to relate and understand a lot of the problems the main characters in the play are facing. The characters face issues relating trust, family, greed, depression, and insanity. The issues and plot in the play are contemporary issues that any human can relate to because it is the way of life.
Edgar, however, is the more beloved son, and is the next in line to receive the father’s land and power. This battle between legitimacy and illegitimacy is difficult, because other than the fact that Gloucester is married to Edgar’s mother, the two boys are considered moderately equal. Edmund argues this in his soliloquy in Act 1 Scene II, “Why bastard?... ... middle of paper ...
King Lear, the protagonist of the play, is a truly tragic figure. He is driven by greed and arrogance and is known for his stubbornness and imperious temper, he often acts upon emotions and whims. He values appearances above reality. He wants to be treated as a king and to enjoy the title, but he doesn’t want to fulfill a king’s obligations of governing for the good of his subjects.
Literature is an art form, it is entertainment, history, and a medium of self-expression. There is something magical about the creative power that is within literature. With words alone, literature illustrates the rise of nations, the fall of tyranny, the power of true love, and the tragedy of unescapable fate. When discussing timeless literature, it is almost impossible to not bring up the works of William Shakespeare. However, while some are enthusiastic about discussing Shakespeare, many can’t help but sigh. Some find his work outdated, his language cumbersome, and question: for what purpose is society so fixated on his work? Despite complaints from a few contemporary readers, Shakespeare’s work exhibits quality and thoughtfulness that is
Lear’s most trusted counselor Earl of Kent is also banished for defending Cordelia. Kent seeing danger in the Kings oldest daughters leads him to put himself in disguise as a servant. He remains close to King Lear to protect him from Goneril and Regan who decides to usurp their father’s kingdom. Meanwhile the Earl of Gloucester is also dismayed by the events happening in his household. Edmund his illegitimate son told Gloucester that Edgar his legitimate son is trying to kill him. This being a lie by Edmund to obtain his brothers birthright. (Mabillard)