The Theme of Family Relationships in King Lear
King Lear is a tragic poem in which ultimately displays the destruction of family relationships and the personal drama that follows. The two families in which family relationships were the most prevalent were that of King Lear and his daughters’: Cordelia, Goneril, and Regan, and Gloucester and his legitimate son Edward, and his illegitimate son Edmund. Throughout the poem both character’s King Lear and Gloucester increase in self knowledge and learn the truth towards the end. Directly According to The Image of the Family in King Lear, many believe that Cordelia’s statement of “Nothing, my lord” (1.1.82), answer’s Lear’s demands for verbal reassurance and self-justification. The empty-ness of the
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In Shakespeare’s King Lear, the various family relationships cause a dominant disruption and cynical progressions, which in the case of Lear and his daughters, a lack of forgiveness leads to death and animosity, and for Gloucester and his sons, the deception overwhelms the …show more content…
Gloucester claim’s he loves both sons equally, when he says, “But I have a son, sir by order of law, some year elder than this, who yet is no dearer in my account”, yet he nor society compares them as equals (1.1. 19-21). At the beginning of the play Gloucester speaks of Edmund as if he wasn’t present, making his true feelings toward his illegitimate son known (Tromly 2010). Edmund tricked Gloucester into believing that Edgar wanted him dead for his inheritance, when it was really Edmund all along. Eventually, Edmund’s inadequacy led to his downfall in fighting Edgar, and Gloucester dies as a result of learning Edgar’s true identity. Gloucester speaks of Edmund’s birth in a derogatory manner, which could lead one to believe he is a thoughtless parent overall, which also correlates to his immediate believing of his legitimate son Edgar’s betrayal towards him, whom he has claimed to love so much. The whole time, Edgar had been preparing to prove his innocence, but in the end, he was too late to save his father. Edmund shows his true colors by turning against his Gloucester in order to gain the trust and admiration of Goneril and
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.
Edmund’s behavior comes from his desire to attain legitimacy and, thereby, acceptance. Thus, Shakespeare characterizes Edmund as wronged and vindictive through Edmund’s soliloquy about his lack of stature, even when he is as intelligent and attractive as Edgar. Shakespeare supplements this characterization by reinforcing Edmund’s use of deceit and betrayal. Edmund begins to align himself with the Duke of Cornwell and form alliances with Goneril and Regan by first, disloyally revealing his father’s treasonous acts and then, pitting King Lear’s daughters against one another for control of the kingdom. Edmund gradually gains power and status, but at a cost.
As intended in the story Edmund is a static character and represents wit, deception, and the wicked. Yet with all these amazing traits comes the consequences of using the for evil and not good. Sadly and ironically him trying to kill Edgar eventually leads to Edgar killing him out of the rage he feels after their father dies. What goes around always comes around good or bad and Edmund just got the bad side
Even after his clouded judgement, Gloucester admitted that “the grief hath crazed [his] wits” (III.iv.180). Due to Gloucester being a “credulous father / Whose nature is so far from doing harms / That he suspects none” (I.ii.187-189), he was deceived by the craftiness of his illegitimate son and believed that his good son Edgar was evil, thus proving that retributive justice did not win in this case. Gloucester was loyal to King Lear and wanted to help him despite Regan advising him not to do so. Gloucester, unfortunately was concluded to be a spy for France by Edmund to Cornwall. Instead of being sceptical and making a correct judgement, Cornwall immediately believed him and decided to arrest him. Edmund handed him a letter for further proof, but even without reading it, Cornwall proclaimed, “True or false, it hath made [Edmund] Earl of / Gloucester” (III.vi.18-19), and right after decided to arrest the true Earl. Even without his knowledge, his status was handed over to one who did not deserve it, a situation that Nemesis would never have allowed. Finally, after all of this chaos ensues, Gloucester comes to his own home where he is tied to a chair and was cruelly
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.
In King Lear, Shakespeare portrays a society whose emphasis on social class results in a strict social hierarchy fueled by the unceasing desire to improve one’s social status. It is this desire for improved social status that led to the unintentional deterioration of the social hierarchy in King Lear. This desire becomes so great that Edmund, Goneril, Reagan and Cornwall were willing to act contrary to the authority of the social hierarchy for the betterment of their own position within it. As the plot unfolds, the actions of the aforementioned characters get progressively more desperate and destructive as they realize their lack of success in attaining their personal goals. The goals vary, however the selfish motivation does not. With Edmund, Goneril, Reagan and Cornwall as examples, Shakespeare portrays the social hierarchy as a self-defeating system because it fosters desires in its members that motivate them to act against the authority of the hierarchy to benefit themselves. A consideration of each characters actions in chronological order and the reasons behind such actions reveals a common theme among the goals for which morality is abandoned.
Communication is the key essential for one to fully understand and personify the thought of another. Without the key essentials themselves, a knowledge for wisdom and understanding would be lost, thus, causing a breakdown towards communication and emotional intelligence. Within the theatrical play, King Lear written by William Shakespeare himself, comes the story of the falling of an old English Elizabethan king, Lear, whose patriarch role was taken away; due to the act of his own pride. Other than the play’s main plot, King Lear too portrays the telling between the lost of communication and the consequences of its breakdown between people, parents and children. The lack of communication and understanding is shown throughout the entire play,
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...
Absolute in every child’s mind is the belief that they are right, despite all the evidence to the contrary. Until children grow up to raise children own their own, a parent’s disputation only inflates that desire to prove. Part and parcel to this, as one may find out through personal experience or by extension, cruelty towards parents is a reflection of a child’s own inadequacy (whether in large or small scale). In this sense, King Lear is a story of children with a desire to break past their hierarchal status. Whether it is the belief that a woman shall take a husband, and with that guard her inherited land, or what role bastards truly deserves in a society that preemptively condemns them. Cruelty at the hands of children accounts for almost
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.
The tragedy King Lear by William Shakespeare ought to be seen as a lesson on what not to do as a parent. By picking favorites, King Lear and the Earl of Gloucester leave a lasting impact on their children 's psyche, ultimately leading to them committing horrible crimes. The rash judgments, violent reactions, and blindness of both Lear and Gloucester lead to both their and their children 's demise. As a result, all of the father-child relationships in the play begin to collapse.
Shakespeare’s character Gloucester has two sons, Edmund and Edgar. Edmund is the illegitimate son, the result of Gloucester’s affair with his mother. Gloucester doesn’t let this idea rest, as even when he introduces his bastard son to Kent at the beginning of the play it’s mentioned. “Though this knave came something saucily to the world before he was sent for, yet was his mother fair, there was good sport at his making, and the whoreson must be acknowledged” (I.I.21-24). Gloucester openly denotes Edmund and puts him in his place as illegitimate and unfitting to take his crown. 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 argue...
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.
Lear needs to feel a sense of closure and he is trying to fill a void in him that he thinks Poor Tom can, Lear believes that by having someone who is going through the same type of madness and situation he would not be alone and he would have someone he can relate with. Lear brings Poor Tom with him as his personal Philosopher. Additionally, Lear holds an imaginary court trial against his two daughters Regan and Goneril “I 'll see their trial first. Bring in their evidence.” (3.6.36) Lear tries to restore order and sanity back in his life but does it in an insane way like the imaginary trial. He brings Poor Tom with him and has him play the role of the judge. Lear believes that is it the fault of the two daughter that cause him to go
The possession of a higher power and authority is the foundation of an individual’s excessive pride, which ultimately restricts their rationality and leads to their downfall. In fact, through studying Lear in the love scene, Shakespeare has indefinitely characterised Lear as a hubristic monarch due to his initial power and authority, conveyed through the sennet and majestic plural used in Lear’s entrance and dialogue respectively. For example, Lear’s decision to ‘[divide] in three [his] kingdom’ so that ‘future strife may