Shannon Ball
1. The title of the work is King Lear.
2. The work was written by William Shakespeare in England between 1604 and1605.
3. William Shakespeare lived in Stratford-upon-Avon.
4. Major(Lear, Cordelia, Edmund, Goneril, and Regan)
• King Lear- The king of Britain who is used to lavishing in all of his power and having people cater to him. He doesn’t like to be.
Conceded: He enjoys having other people tend to all his needs and having the title of king but leaves the work to others.
Tormented: As his mental health deteriorates, he is being internally tormented and later discovers that people that he thought that he could trust are out to kill him.
• Cordelia- She is the youngest daughter of King Lear, whom he disowns upon her not being able to put her love for her father into words. The King of France marries her without dowry, but for her virtue.
Misunderstood: Her father misunderstands her being unable to put her love for him into words and he disowns her.
Devoted: Even though her father disowns her, she continues to care about him and even brings her army to save him from his torturers.
• Edmund- He is Gloucester’s younger son. He is a troublesome character, whose plans in causing distress in the lives of the other characters continually succeed.
Instigator: He is constantly causing trouble among the other characters and is always out to get someone.
Abandoned: Gloucester disowns him leaving him without a father.
• Goneril- She is King Lear’s oldest daughter and also the wife of the duke of Albany. She defies Lear’s power, takes military power away from her husband, and brazenly initiates an affair with Edmund.
Greedy: She over exaggerates in telling her father how much she loves him just so that she...
... middle of paper ...
...with their previously disowned and abandoned child. An example of symbolism in the play is the storm as it symbolizes King Lear’s inner mayhem and increasing insanity. An example where conflict can be found is in Act 3, Scene 7, where Cornwall gauges out Gloucester’s eyes. A theme that can be found in the play is reconciliation between King Lear and his daughter Cordelia in that she remained devoted to her father even after he banishes her and she even brings him an army to rescue him from his tormentors. An example of mood in the play is set during the storm in creating a scary and intense mood as the winds roar and clouds roll through the sky. A tone of being “conceded” can be found in Act 1, Scene 1, from King Lear as he asks his daughters to flatter him by telling him how much they love him.
8. The title of the work is the name of the main character in the play.
The play of "King Lear" is about a search for personal identity. In the historical period in which this play is set, the social structure was set in order of things closest to Heaven. Therefore, on Earth, the king was at the top, followed by his noblemen and going all the way down to the basest of objects such as rocks and dirt. This structure was set up by the people, and by going by the premise that anything that is man made is imperfect, this system cannot exist for long without conflict.
Goneril and Regan, two daughters of King Lear try to gain some power. After Lear banishes Cordelia, Goneril and Regan think that their father is going crazy and they over throw his power of being a king. Another character that tries to gain some more power in the play is the character, Edmund, his brother Edgar has more power than him, people treat Edgar better because Edgar was born in their parents’ marriage, while Edmund was not so they call Edmund, Gloucester’s illegitimate son.
Thou shall honour thy father and thy mother, is not only one of ten powerful commandments but is also the foundation for King Lear's perception of himself and his overwhelming situation in Shakespeare's masterpiece King Lear. After a recent life-altering decision, Lear's seemingly stable and comfortable world has been thrown into upheaval through the disobedience and lies told by not only his two daughters but also by his servants! Thus, after being dishonoured by his family and attendants, Lear forms an accurate perception of his situation, that he is "a man / More sinned against than sinning" (Act III scene ii lines 60 - 61).
Michael Vu Mrs. Soukup – Block 1 AP English Literature & Composition April 11th, 2014 2005, Form B AP Literature Essay for King Lear William Shakespeare devised Edmund as an ambitious character that seeks power over others within his tragedy King Lear. Tainted by his illegitimacy, Edmund must rise to power through his own capabilities and intellect rather than inheritance. However, his drive for power leads him toward corruption as he commits treachery to both his father and brother. Shakespeare demonstrates the problem society has with those who seek power as a means of retribution. Edmund believes in the idea of natural law as a way to attain power; in fact, the Nature to which Edmund is appealing is human nature, where desire is the driving force behind all action.
her love in relation to their filial bond. Although her father views this as a
Shakespeare, William. "King Lear: A Conflated Text." The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York:
knew that she didn't love him, but still proceeded to commit the rest of his life to her. Consequently, a story of forbidden passion, hatred, and jealousy unfolds.
Let us begin by looking at the role of human nature in King Lear more closely. It is clear from the beginning of King Lear that Cordelia has an entirely good nature, she remains constant throughout the play, never wavering in her morals. The play begins with Lear deciding that he will have his daughters compete for their divisions of his kingdoms based on which of them can impress him the most with their proclamations of love. Cordelia, however, cannot express her love for her father in words, and refuses to deceive him by doing otherwise, stating that she is “sure [her] love's more richer than [her] tongue” (1.1.78-80). She realizes that by holding her tongue she is infuriating her father, but her nature cannot allow her to do otherwise. When King Lear asks her what she has to say, she states “Nothing, my lord” (1.1.86). A...
However, the two sisters sole interest lies in acquiring their father’s power and money, so each of them refuse to accommodate him and his 50 knights. In Scene 4, Lear finally realizes that Goneril does not truly love him as proclaimed in Scene 1, when she put her father above all else; Lear now sees her for who she really is and realizes that he banished the wrong daughter Cordelia, who had been honest in pronouncing that she loved him according to her bonds, no more nor less.
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
King Lear is a play about a tragic hero, by the name of King Lear, whose flaws get the best of him. A tragic hero must possess three qualities. The first is they must have power, in other words, a leader. King Lear has the highest rank of any leader. He is a king. The next quality is they must have a tragic flaw, and King Lear has several of those. Finally, they must experience a downfall. Lear's realization of his mistakes is more than a downfall. It is a tragedy. Lear is a tragic hero because he has those three qualities. His flaws are his arrogance, his ignorance, and his misjudgments, each contributing to the other.
The first stage of Lear’s transformation is resentment. At the start of the play it is made quite clear that Lear is a proud, impulsive, hot-tempered old man. He is so self-centered that he simply cannot fathom being criticized. The strength of Lear’s ego becomes evident in the brutal images with which he expresses his anger towards Cordelia: “The barbarous Scythian,/Or he that makes his generation messes/To gorge his appetite, shall to my bosom/Be as well neighboured, pitied, and relieved,/As thou may sometime daughter.” (1.1.118-122). The powerful language that Lear uses to describe his intense hatred towards Cordelia is so incommensurable to the cause, that there can be only one explanation: Lear is so passionately wrapped up in his own particular self-image, that he simply cannot comprehend any viewpoint (regarding himself) that differs from his own (no matter how politely framed). It is this anger and resentment that sets Lear’s suffering and ultimate purification in motion.
Moreover, Lamb only talks about King Lear and forgot to mention how important the subplot of the play is, what is going on in the subplot with Edmund, Edgar and the Earl of Gloucester reflects the main plot, but in a smaller scale. Edmund reflects the maleficent older daughter that are eager to for power and Edgar reflects Cordelia the younger daughter that only wants to show her true
Hatred and desire fueled Goneril, Regan, and Edmund to lie in order to obtain their parents’ power leading to destruction within their family. Edmund’s hatred was continued by the reminder that he was only the bastard son of Gloucester driving him to lie to both of them ultimately ruining his father’s eyesight and his brother’s identity. Goneril and Regan got rid of their father while retained his power by lying about who loved him the most and took away his knights. From King Lear, Shakespeare concluded that greed and power are capable of ruining a family.
" King Lear was egotistic in the first act where he asked his daughters who loved him most. When he found out his favorite daughter Cordelia did not have much to say about his love for him he disowned her and divided his land to his two evil daughters Regan and Goneril, "From whom we do exist, and cease to be; Here I disclaim all my paternal care, Propinquity and property of blood, And as a stranger to my heart and me Hold thee, from this, for ever. " This was also the error in King Lear's judgement.