Essay on William Shakespeare's Plagiarism of King Lear

1657 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Literary context of king lear

Shakespeare's Plagiarism of King Lear

In creating the tragedy play King Lear, William Shakespeare plagiarized many sources in getting the base-line story, but it required his genius and intellect to place them together to create the true tragedy with its multiple plot lines that his play turned out to be in the end. The story of King Lear (or as it started, King Leir) is first seen in literature in the year 1135, contained in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae. Other authors placed King Leir into their stories including; John Higgins in A Mirror for Magistrates (1574), by Warner in Albion's England (1586), by Holinshed in The Second Book of the Historie of England (1577), and by Spencer in The Faerie Queen (1590). The most influential of all was probably The True Chronicle History of King Leir, which was anonymous. This play was performed as early as 1594, which is when it showed up in the "Stationers' Register." Kenneth Muir even suggested that Shakespeare "may have acted in it" (Muir 141). Shakespeare took the best of all the sources of King Leir, added his touches and personality, and created the masterpiece we enjoy today.

Geoffrey of Monmouth in Historia Regum Britanniae, gave us the description of King Lear and his three daughters, and also the basis for the love test. One major difference is that unlike Shakespeare's Lear, Geoffrey's Leir does not appear to be insane and has not lost control of his mind. In fact, he regains control of the kingdom, with the help of the King of France. According to Geoffrey Bullough, "This is no senile man" (Bullough 273). Whether Shakespeare actually read this account of the daughters and the love test or read it in a later version cannot be proven, but...

... middle of paper ...

...ly continuous was masterful. Despite the use of all the sources, the additions of the Fool, the earlier death of Cordelia, the plot of Edmund to take over the kingdom, and the blindness of Gloucester (literally) and Lear (emotionally) was pure genius of Shakespeare. The blending of both the sources and his genius led to a complete and amazing story of redemption, the same way that Jane Smiley used Shakespeare's King Lear as a source to help create her Pulitzer Prize winning A Thousand Acres about a twentieth-century farm.

Works Cited

Bullough, Geoffrey. "King Lear". Narrative and Dramatic Sources of Shakespeare. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1973.

Muir, Kenneth. "Great Tragedies I: King Lear." Shakespeare's Sources. London: Methuen & Co Ltd, 1957.

Satin, Joseph. "King Lear." Shakespeare and His Sources. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1966.

Show More
Related

  • Transformation of Milkman in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon

    1788 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the same episode, he begins his incestuous affair with Hagar, leaving her 14 years later when his desire for her wanes. Milkman's experience with Hagar is analogous to his experience with his mother, and serves to "[stretch] his carefree boyhood out for thrifty-one years" (98). Hagar calls him into a room, unbuttons her blouse and smiles (92), just as his mother did (13). Milkman's desire for his mother's milk disappears before she stops milking him, and when Freddie discovers the situation and notes the inappropriateness, she is left without this comfort. Similarly, Milkman ends the affair with Hagar when he loses the desire for her and recognizes that this affair with his cousin is not socially approved, leaving Hagar coldly and consciously, with money and a letter of gratitude.

    Read More

  • Situational Analysis - Chick-fil-a

    1670 Words  | 4 Pages

    The fast food restaurant industry, which includes quick-service and fast-casual restaurants, is highly segmented with the top 50 companies accounting for only 25% of the industry’s sales. The $120 billion industry includes over 200,000 restaurants with 50% of those specializing in hamburger entrees. (hoovers.com 2008) The major competitors in the industry include McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, Subway, and KFC – Chick-fil-A’s major competitor in chicken sales. Chick-fil-A’s unique position in the market, specializing in chicken-based entrées, has lead to a competitive advantage which the company has been able to capitalize on. Recently, many competitors have added chicken entrees in order to compete in the market segment. Through marketing strategies and company initiatives, Chick-fil-A has tried to stay distant from competitors, offering a fresh alternative to the ordinary fast food restaurant.

    Read More

  • History Of Subway

    576 Words  | 2 Pages

    Subway, one of the present leaders in the fast food industry was set up in 1965 in Bridgeport, Connecticut by Fred DeLuca. A family friend of him suggested this idea to help him pay for his education to fulfill his dream of becoming a doctor. Dr. Peter Buck, one of Fred’s friends agreed to be his partner with a loan of $1,000. There was a huge growth in the business relationship that changed the landscape of the fast food industry.

    Read More

  • The American Dream in Of Mice and Men by John Stienbeck

    890 Words  | 2 Pages

    The American Dream started off as propaganda in order to make the American people of the early twentieth century work harder to build a successful economy. The idea of the American Dream is that every American citizen has an equal opportunity of making money along with owning a large house, some land, and having a family with kids. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck illustrates that the American Dream, no matter how simple is impossible to achieve. As everyone has their own interpretation of the American Dream, Steinbeck uses George and Lennie, Crooks, and Curley’s Wife to demonstrate how the American Dream is impossible to achieve and how important the dream was for people so they could carry on with their lives.

    Read More

  • King Lear as a Commentary on Greed

    1114 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare, William. "King Lear: A Conflated Text." The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York:

    Read More

  • Themes Of The American Dream In A Raisin In The Sun

    1631 Words  | 4 Pages

    The concept of the American Dream has always been that everyone wants something in life, no matter if it is wealth, education, financial stability, safety, or a decent standard of living. In addition, everyone will try to strive to get what they want. The American Dream, is said to be that everyone should try and get what they hope they can get in life. In the play A Raisin in the Sun the author Hansberry tells us about a family where each has an American Dream, and Hughes in the poem “ Let America be America Again “is telling us to let America be the America that was free for us to obtain The American Dream. Hansberry and Langston see America like as a place to find the dream desired, although they also see limitation to obtain the American Dream, such as poverty, freedom, inequality, racism and discrimination.

    Read More

  • The Significance of the Players in Hamlet

    909 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bradley, A.C.. Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth. New York: Penguin Books, 1991.

    Read More

  • King Lear, by William Shakespeare

    1561 Words  | 4 Pages

    King Lear is often regarded as one of Shakespeare’s finest pieces of literature. One reason this is true is because Shakespeare singlehandedly shows the reader what the human condition looks like as the play unfolds. Shakespeare lets the reader watch this develop in Lear’s own decisions and search for the purpose of life while unable to escape his solitude and ultimately his own death. Examining the philosophies Shakespeare embeds into the language and actions of King Lear allows the reader a better understanding of the play and why the play is important to life today.

    Read More

  • The Juxtaposition of Ruth Foster and Pilate Dead in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon

    937 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ography book. But had been from one end of the country to another. One wholly dependent on money for life, the other indifferent to it. But those were the meaningless things. Their similarities were profound. Both were vitally interested in Macon Dead’s son, and both had close and supportive posthumous communication with their fathers” (139). They are very different in personality, but they both want Milkman, Pilate wishes to teach him love and culture, and Ruth wishes to keep Milkman at her side. These characteristics lead Milkman along his journey, both as hindrances and as salvation, and without these juxtaposed mother-figures in Milkman’s life he would not have a well-rounded character and growth which is brought from his struggles brought by his mother, and his triumphs from Pilate.

    Read More

  • The Existential Progression of King Lear

    3669 Words  | 8 Pages

    1-William Shakespeare. King Lear edited by Russle Fraser.(New York: Penguin Putnam Inc., 1982). All future references will come from this text.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Othello's Speech

    933 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cohen, Walter, J.E. Howard, K. Eisaman Maus. The Norton Shakespeare. Vol. 2 Stephen Greenblatt, General Editor. New York, London. 2008. ISBN 978-0-393-92991-1

    Read More

  • Madness and Insanity in Shakespeare's Hamlet

    963 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bradley, A.C.. Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth. New York: Penguin Books, 1991.

    Read More

  • How are different versions of the American Dream portrayed in Of Mice and Men and The Great Gatsby?

    1689 Words  | 4 Pages

    The American Dream is a difficult concept to describe because the dream is usually different for different people. Nevertheless, if we define the term ‘American Dream’ it is the uphold ideal that everyone has the right to ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ as stated in the Declaration of Independence 1776. The American Dream is also known to be an improved social and financial status by hard working. The vision of the American Dream for Of Mice and Men for George an...

    Read More

  • Mcdonalds And The Sustainability Of Mcdonald's

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    Typically the fast food industry is associated with urban development, franchised operations which become chain restaurants across the globe that offer standardized meals, so that consumers can enjoy their favorite meals anywhere (Borade, G. (2012). Tracy V. Wilson states that McDonald’s was the first fast food restaurant to utilize a speedy assembly-line system to prepare food when the McDonald brothers opened up a redesigned restaurant in 1948, in which other chains followed a couple years after in the 1950’s (Wilson, n.d.). The speedy delivery made McDonald’s the largest fast-food chain restaurant in the world

    Read More

  • Comparing Lear and Gloucester in Shakespeare's King Lear

    1980 Words  | 4 Pages

    Bengtsson, Frederick. “King Lear by William Shakespeare.” Columbia College. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

    Read More

More about Essay on William Shakespeare's Plagiarism of King Lear

Open Document