In the play King Lear by William Shakespeare, the servants are easily overlooked and are easily dismissed as unimportant. In Act III Scene VII, the servants play a vital role in understanding the distaste towards the rule of Regan and Goneril. Gloucester is put on an unfair trial by Cornwall and Regan, where they question him about his aid to the fleeing of King Lear and the ‘treasonous’ letter from France. When they are unhappy with Gloucester’s response and loyalty to Lear, they gouge out both of his eyes and leave him to find his own way to Dover, where Lear is. The First Servant’s actions represent the side that was taken when Regan and Goneril were given Lear’s kingdom. In this scene, the Servant’s loyalty to Lear and Gloucester …show more content…
He does not take into account consequences for his actions, rather he acts out of loyalty to Lear and Gloucester. This shows the side he has taken after the falling out between Lear and his daughters, Regan and Goneril, by being disobedient to the new young leaders. The First Servant reacts to the gouging out of Gloucester’s eye, as ordered by Cornwall and Regan. This scene shows the class divide between the peasants and royalty as he mentions his service throughout his whole life to Cornwall, and the free will the servants …show more content…
At first, the First Servant was persuading Cornwall and Regan to stop their mutilation of Gloucester. The First Servant boldly says, “Hold your hand, my lord:” (3.7.79). He is trying to persuade them to stop disrespecting King Lear’s man, however it is in vain as Cornwall and Regan think Gloucester is a traitor and the First Servant is the lower class, so he doesn’t listen. His loyalty to the King and to Gloucester is seen when his tone becomes angry at Regan and Cornwall. Through his anger, he says, “If you did wear a beard upon your chin, I’d shake it on this quarrel.” (3.7.84-85). His decision to challenge Cornwall to a fight shows how deep his loyalty is, that he is willing to die for his former King. His tone returns to a persuasive, almost taunting tone as he says, “...come on, and take the chance of anger.” (3.7.87-88). Here, he is Cornwall on to fight him. The use of the word ‘chance’ could imply that if Cornwall refused to fight his servant, than he would be seen as weak as he may not believe that he could win a fight against a servant. This would be a blow to his masculinity and power, if word got around that he wasn’t even able to fight a
However, as their dreadful actions increased, they failed to realize the struggle to restore honor and certainty did as well. Shakespeare demonstrated how the only situation in which individuals struggle to restore honor is when that honor is gained through dominating and destroying the lives of others; when it is gained through wrongdoing. When the honor is gained through righteous actions, the challenges are easier to handle resulting in internal peace. Both of King Lear’s daughters were trapped in an illusion where they felt they must continue their mischief in order to gain honor. They both drew attention towards their status and power while neglecting their character. They failed to realize this thirst was only destroying the happiness they once owned. Their destruction occurred at the point where they both received what they had given their father: betrayal. Shakespeare presented the idea that restoring honor through harming others results in nothing but one’s self-destruction of their happiness and
... Lears blessing, and declared his daughter. Lear also realized that Kents speaking out was for Lear’s best and that he too was abused and banished. What stings Lear even more is that he is now completely dependent upon his two shameless daughters, Goneril and Regan. Plus that he must now beg them when he took care of them like a father when they were once children, to drive Lears further into madness he realizes that as king he was so ignorant and blind with power that he never took care of the homeless and let them suffer. All these realization and the fact that Lear is in his second childhood a tender stage drive him into the peak of madness.
Following this Lear begins to banish those around him that genuinely care for him as at this stage he cannot see beyond the mask that the evil wear. He banishes Kent, a loyal servant to Lear, and his youngest and previously most loved daughter Cordelia. This results in Lear surrounding himself with people who only wish to use him which leaves him very vulnerable attack.
In King Lear, the subplot of Gloucester corresponds to the major plot of King Lear. Both fathers have their own loyal legitimate child and their evil and disloyal child. They are both honourable men, who have children that return to them in their time of need. Gloucester and Lear are both tormented, and their favoured child recovers their life. In the early beginning of the play, Cordelia says that her love for her father is the love between father and daughter, no more, no less. Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave My heart into my mouth. I love your Majesty According to my bond, no more nor less. (Act 1 Scene 1 Pg. 13 lines 93-95) In response, King Lear goes into rage, and divides Cordelia’s share of the kingdom between her two unworthy sisters. Such injustice is encountered by Gloucester in the subplot. O villain, villain! His very opinion in the letter! Abhorred villain! Unnatural, detested, brutish villain! Worse than brutish! Go, sirrah, seek him. I’ll apprehend him. Abominable villain! Where is he? (Act 1 Scene 2 Pg. 37 lines 75-78) Gloucester fool...
The first flaw in King Lear is his arrogance, which results in the loss of Cordelia and Kent. It is his arrogance in the first scene of the play that causes him to make bad decisions. He expects his favorite, youngest daughter to be the most worthy of his love. His pride makes him expect that Cordelia’s speech to be the one filled with the most love. Unfortunately for King Lear’s pride, Cordelia replies to his inquisition by saying, “I love your majesty/According to my bond and nothing less';(1.1.100-101). Out of pride and anger, Lear banishes Cordelia and splits the kingdom in half to the two evil sisters, Goneril and Regan. This tragic flaw prevents King Lear from seeing the truth because his arrogance overrides his judgement. Lear’s arrogance also causes him to lose his most faithful servan...
Lear, like any king, Pagan or otherwise, would have been seen as the godhead on earth and therefore a man of exceptional power who implemented the gods' will on earth. Such a figurehead should surely command absolute respect and obedience. Yet Cordelia displeases her father, and Goneril's and Regan's actions following Lear's abdication can only be described as shocking, even to a contemporary and more liberal-minded audience. Act one, scene one represents the first emergence of filial disobedience, starting with Lear's vanity demanding that his daughters say how much they love him in a meaningless ceremony. Cordelia, his youngest and favourite daughter, will not be drawn into this.
It tainted his familial bonds and gave him a sense of determination to escape society’s value of him. The notion of bastardy drives this aspect of the plot and is the single most important idea when looking into the phenomenon of cruelty between Edmund and Gloucester in King Lear. Edmund’s story is tragic because there is no resolution for his biggest grievance apart from a larger paradigm shift, marking a change in society’s value of the bastard. It is safe to say that Edmund and Gloucester’s relationship was plagued by powers greater than themselves. Shakespeare elevates their relationship to start a dialogue about family and societal values—creating a deeply layered and tragic
Shakespeare's King Lear is a play which shows the consequences of one man's decisions. The audience follows the main character, Lear, as he makes decisions that disrupt order in his Kingdom. When Lear surrenders all his power and land to his daughters as a reward for their demonstration of love towards him, the breakdown on order in evident. Lear's first mistake is to divide his Kingdom into three parts. A Kingdom is run best under one ruler as only one decision is made without contradiction. Another indication that order is disrupted is the separation of Lear's family. Lear's inability to control his anger causes him to banish his youngest daughter, Cordelia, and loyal servant, Kent. This foolish act causes Lear to become vulnerable to his other two daughters as they conspire against him. Lastly, the transfer of power from Lear to his eldest and middle daughter, Goneril and Regan, reveals disorder as a result of the division of the Kingdom. A Kingdom without order is a Kingdom in chaos. When order is disrupted in King Lear, the audience witnesses chaotic events that Lear endures, eventually learning who truly loves him.
King Lear is a play about loyalty. "Goodness" is portrayed by the characters as selflessness. Each "good" character displays loyalty through selfless actions. Cordelia selflessly does not attempt to rob Lear of his wealth by flattering him. Even though she risks banishment, she selflessly refuses to indulge her father's foolish wishes. Edgar, too, is selfless in his actions by leading his father to safety even when he knows Gloucester does not recognize him and will not appreciate that he was, in fact, the truly loyal son. Finally, Kent, Lear's Selfless servant, risks his life to protect his king even after he has been mistreated.
Goneril and Regan won over the kingdom by lying and exaggerating their love for their father because of greed. Lear travels to spend his first part of his retirement with his daughter Goneril. With him travels his fool and Kent disguised as Caius to follow Lear because he knows he is making the wrong decision. Because Gonerils love for her father is fake and insincere, she does not want him there and makes it so that he is treated terrible by her servants. Lear begins to see the greed, dishonesty, and evil in his daughter, Goneril, and leaves, outraged, to visit his other daughter Regan believing...
Shakespeare expresses two major themes in King Lear: love and wisdom. King Lear’s struggle to recognize authentic love, love himself, and acknowledge the wisdom imparted on him, due to his weak emotional state, results in needless conflicts and the deaths of many. In the first scene of King Lear, Lear reveals his plan to split his kingdom between his daughters by asking them how much they love him. The daughter that proves she loves him the most receives the largest portion of the kingdom (1.1.46-50). Kent intends to calm Lear down, yet Lear’s unstable emotions at the time lead to him thrashing out against Kent, even threatening him.
For example, Gloucester’s open discussion of Edmund’s bastardy parallels Lear’s love test of having his daughters publicly proclaim ‘who doth love [him] most’, in addition, both instances leads to the humiliation of their offspring generating familial conflict and triggering their downfall. Therefore, one can argue that by analysing Gloucester’s tactlessness, one can surmise how Shakespeare has successfully portrayed the fragility of human relationships and in doing so, has allowed us to identify the relationship between human tactlessness and an individual’s undoing within the human
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.
Regan, Lear 's middle child, keenly fulfills the role of a deviant woman by demonstrating a violent nature, "first by plucking poor Gloucester 's eyes out, and then by killing her own servant" (Teach). Due to her
After dividing the kingdom, Lear gave everything to his two daughters on the condition that he would keep his title as King, keep his entourage and that he would stay with each daughter for a certain amount of time. Goneril, annoyed with her father’s impulsive temper, refuses to put up with him and orders Oswald and all other servants to provoke Lear so she would have a chance to rid of him: