Although King Lear and Laurence Cook are from completely different eras, they are two of a kind. They both established impressive kingdoms, amassed large amounts of land, and achieved an elitist status in the process. Consumed with themselves and with the acquisition of material goods, they assumed that their ‘greatness’ would somehow render them infallible, and allow their children to perhaps become carbon copies of themselves. The reader knows that this is not the case, that the tale of these two fathers is a tragedy, and that their fortunes became their Achilles’ heel and that of their children. Not only does the plot line intertwine these two tragedies so intimately but so does the contrasting points of view, the theme of an oppressive patriarchal society, and the characterization of Lear, or Larry, himself. A major difference between King Lear and 1,000 Acres is the perspective from which the story is told and whom the reader places their sympathies with. King Lear is told from a predominantly male standpoint, with minor conversations between Regan and Goneril. In the story Lear is portrayed as a senile old man, whose wealth has managed to drive him to insanity. He decides to divide up his kingdom between his three daughters, two of whom end up collaborating against him and send him out into that infamous thunderstorm. It is at this point that the reader feels an incredible amount of sympathy for Lear. He has cast away the one daughter who loved him the most, and is being horribly mistreated by his other two offspring, whose only motives to ostracize him are their desires for wealth and power. 1,000 Acres, on the other hand, is told from a distinctively opposite point of view, that of Ginny Cook Smith, (Goneril) daughte...
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... the farm. Their arrogance corrupts their relationships with family and friends, who in turn fall from grace as well. For example, Pete becomes so fed up with Larry’s mistreatment that he attempts to physically harm him by tampering with his tractor. Unfortunately, it is not Larry who uses the tractor but Harold Clark, who is permanently blinded after getting the ammonia solution sprayed into his eyes. Their debauched behaviors essentially are the chain reactions to the destruction of the farm or kingdom, as well as the relationships between siblings, spouses, and friends. Another difference between the two is how they develop after being sent out into the thunderstorm. Lear realizes his insignificance in comparison to the natural forces of nature, and comes to cherish Cordelia. Larry on the other hand, curses his two daughters and ostracizes them until his death.
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.
King Lear by William Shakespeare, and A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley are both fantastic tragedies that follow a similar story arc. Although King Lear was written in 1606, and A Thousand Acres was written in 1999, they contain the same essential elements of a tragedy. Jane Smiley modeled her novel after King Lear, focusing less on Lear’s story, and more on the daughters’ stories. The story-line of both is extremely similar: a father chooses to divide his land amongst his daughters, and everything following that is a disaster. King Lear and A Thousand Acres utilize the elements of unexpected suffering, suffering that extends beyond the protagonist, and society/status to mold their stories into classic tragedies.
In Shakespeare’s version, Lear is the head of the family. He is the one who makes the decisions and calls the shots. However, he also makes the foolish decision to relinquish his power to his daughters and their husbands. In this household, and the one present in Smiley’s adaption, Lear is the one who holds the power. Even though Goneril and Regan are married, Lear is still the one who is the head of the household. However, once he decides to let go of his power, he struggles to adjust to the shift in power. Smiley utilizes this same struggle in her own novel by having him sign away his farm to Ginny and Rose. This idea of a shift in power signals an end to his reign at the top of this patriarchy even though he still tries to hold onto his place by placing certain rules and expectations on his daughters. If he were to have had sons, they would have taken his throne. This underlying idea is present in both works. It is a comment to the undesirability to have daughters as they do not have much of a role to play. Larry does not speak about his daughters in a positive light. He refers to them as the “whores” that “had sent him out into the storms and that he wished he’d had son” (Smiley 195). Lear does not speak much better of them and calls them “pelican daughters” (Shakespeare 78). Pelican is referring to feeding on a parent’s blood. Lear specifically uses the word
Gonorill. Regan. Cordelia. Those names should ring a bell if you have ever read or seen “The Tragedy of King Lear.” The plot behind this play revolves around King Lear’s relationships with each of these three characters; his daughters. King Lear has a different relationship with each of them. Gonorill, Regan and Cordelia all have very distinct personalities. In this play, King Lear decided it was time to give up and divide his kingdom amongst Gonorill, Regan and Cordelia. He determined who got what based off of their love for him. Each daughter was asked to express their love for their father but, only Gonorill and Regan end up with portions of King Lear’s kingdom.
to show Lear as being an old man and that he does not know what is
As the play progressed, Lear slowly came to clear vision. he realized that that his two eldest daughter did not truly love him after they locked him out of the castle during a tremendous storm. He also finally saw through that Cordelia’s love for him was so tremendous that she was not able to put it in words. Unfortunately, his blindness caused the dearth of Cordelia and his own.
The general plot of King Lear revolves mainly around the conflict between the King and his daughters, although there is a definite and distinct sub-plot dealing with the plight and tragedy of Gloucester as well. One of the main themes that Shakespeare chooses to focus on in King Lear is the dysfunctional nature of not only the royal family and Gloucester, but the heartache and emotional strain that goes along with being a parent and having to make a decision that will divide your children. This play focuses on not only the after effects of this decision, but the way in which it affects the King, his children and his subjects as well.
... 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.
Shakespeare uses subplots to dramatize the action of the play and give spark on the contrast for the themes in King Lear. Sub plots usually improve the effect of dramatic irony and suspense. The latter, which is used in King Lear, gives us the understanding of the emotions of the characters in the play. This follows the parallelism between Gloucester and King Lear.
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
William Shakespeare's tragedy of King Lear begins with the King's decision to divide his kingdom between his three daughters. He gathers them all together, and tells them he will divide up the kingdom according to whoever has the most love for him. Goneril and Reagan, the two older daughters, make big declarations of love in order to get the shares they want of the kingdom. The youngest daughter, Cordelia, tells Lear that she loves him, as a daughter should love a father. Lear becomes angry and disappointed with Cordelia's response feeling she has shown a lack of devotion so he takes action and banishes her. When Kent, a close friend of Lear, attempts to defend Cordelia, but as well he is banished by Lear. Cordelia marries the King of France and goes to live there. The kingdom is equally divided between Goneril and Regan. These two daughters are evil and decide if Lear becomes too much of a problem then they will take d...
The setting of King Lear is one spoiled with materialism, and is portrayed clearly within the first scene. King Lear is demanding his daughters proclaim their affections towards, in order to divvy up the land of his kingdom upon his retirement. Upon this forcefulness, Regan and Goneril are willing to falsely profess their love towards Lear, with clearly negative intentions. Their deceit is established early in the play. Cordelia, Lear’s third daughter, refuses to comply immediately. She will not participate because she understands the vanity, although her feelings towards her father are the most genuine; she believes that there are no words to accurately express her love. Lear’s inflamed insecurities cause him to dismiss Cordelia, refusing her an inheritance. Her initial refusal is minimal as a means to convey the depth of concern she has for her father, as she witnesses her sisters fake their admiration for material wealth and power.
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.
Bradley, A.C. Twentieth Century Interpretations of King Lear. Ed. Janet Adelman. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1978.