King Lear as a Commentary on Greed
In Chapter 4 of a book titled Escape from Freedom, the famous American psychologist Erich Fromm wrote that "Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction" (Fromm 98). Fromm realized that avarice is one of the most powerful emotions that a person can feel, but, by its very nature, is an emotion or driving force that can never be satisfied. For, once someone obtains a certain goal, that person is not satisfied and continues to strive for more and more until that quest leads to their ultimate destruction. For this reason, authors have embraced the idea of greed in the creation of hundreds of characters in thousands of novels. Almost every author has written a work centered around a character full of avarice. Ian Fleming's Mr. Goldfinger, Charles Dickens' Scrooge, and Thomas Hardy's John D'Urberville are only a few examples of this attraction. But, perhaps one of the best examples of this is found in William Shakespeare's King Lear. Edmund, through his speech, actions, and relationships with other characters, becomes a character consumed with greed to the point that nothing else matters except for the never-ending quest for status and material possessions.
Edmund, the bastard son of Gloucester, embodies the idea of avarice from the very beginning of the play almost until the end. In fact, Edmund seems to become more and more greedy as the production progresses. When Edmund is first introduced in person on stage, after a short exposition of his character by Gloucester and Kent in the first scene, the audience immediately finds Edmund engaged in a plot to strip his father's inheritance from his...
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...gain his freedom from this addiction. And only through his life and death does Shakespeare paint a picture to which anyone can relate and a picture on which everyone must act.
Works Cited and Consulted
"Fromm, Erich." The Columbia Dictionary of Quotations. CD-ROM. New York: Columbia UP, 1998.
Harbage, Alfred. " King Lear: An Introduction." Shakespeare: The Tragedies: A Collection of Critical Essays.
Englewood: Prentice-Hall, 1964: 113-22.
Knight, Wilson. "King Lear and the Comedy of the Grotesque." Shakespeare: The Tragedies: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood:
Prentice-Hall, 1964: 123-38.
Shakespeare, William. King Lear. New York: Scholastic, 1970.
Shakespeare, William. "King Lear: A Conflated Text." The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York:
W.W. Norton & Co., 1997. 2479-2553.
Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese it was a military attack on a military target. The attack on World Trade Center was a civilian aircraft against a civilian target. The targets were different for the two of the events. In 9/11, World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the White House were targeted. In both events, thousands of lives were lost. In the attack on Pearl Harbor, 2,400 people died within a matter of hours. In the attack on 9/11 3,000 people died. The people that died were all innocent during these events!!. The 9/11 and the attack on Pearl Harbor were both surprises for the nation. These both events were attacked by people from another country such as; Pakistan, Syria, Japan, and other countries. These attacks have in common that 9/11 and Pearl Harbor are facts, that the attacks were unprovoked, without benefit of a declaration of war on U.S. soil.
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 for retribution.
Much to the same effect, the Earl of Gloucester blames nature for things that go wrong early on in the play, and refuses to see things for what they truly are. This leads him to disown his true, loving son and ends up causing his downfall as his illegitimate son takes everything from him. Gloucester eventually realizes the mistake in what he has done, with just enough time left to salvage his relationship with his loving son before he dies. His tragic flaw, much like Lear, is excessive pride, or “hubris”. This is shown when he believes his son, Edgar is trying to kill him. If he knew much about Edgar, he would know that Edgar would not ever do such a thing, but he chooses to believe his other son, Edmund. Instead of questioning his role in
William Shakespeare has been considered one of the most influential and prominent writers of the English Renaissance and Elizabethan Era. He wrote quite a few tragedies and one of several fantastically written works and grew lots of admiration. His work has consequently influenced other works of literature, art, and theatre. King Lear, one of several of his works, was made into a video production in the 1980s. In this review, I will analyze how the written text is transcribed on screen, whether my impression of the written text is different from the movie production, which characters were portrayed poorly and which were not, and lastly, what aspects of the play that were not clear, became clear in the movie.
The attack on Pearl Harbor and the horrific events of September 11, 2001, will both live on in our country’s history as times of great sadness and loss. These attacks were different in many ways however, they also share many substantial similarities. Both events changed the course of history and had a resounding impact on American society. Though these events occurred during very different time periods, the attacks will both be remembered as a time of sadness, and grief, but also as events that showed the good in our nation, and the strength of Americans, no matter who they were.
Thesis: Islam and The Islamic Empire started suddenly and spread rapidly over a 500+ year period because of political, cultural, and religious reasons.
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.
Then someone said teachers and principals better not discipline our children when they misbehave. The school administrators said no faculty member in this school better touch a student when they
If you are thinking of restoring a vehicle there are many things to remember before you start. First, it won't be cheap by any means, nor will it be fast. It will take lots of work and you should be prepared for the long haul. Also there is many hidden surprises along the way, but at the end it is worth every hour and dollar invested in it. To restore a vehicle, one must understand how to remove, refinish, repair, and replace both interior and exterior parts (Classic Car Restoration for Dummies.)
Edmund, the bastard son of Gloucester is not pleased with his status as a bastard. Edgar the legitimate son of Gloucester stands to obtain the lands, wealth and power of his father. Edmund thinks this is unfair and begins a plot to banish his brother and obtain the lands of his father. He begins by writing a fake letter from Edgar saying that he wants to murder his father and wishes to take power by force. Edmund uses his deceiving abilities to make the letter seem genuine. He lies to his father about how he came into possession of the letter: “It was not brought me, my Lord; t...
Bradley, A.C.. Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth. New York: Penguin Books, 1991.
Power is a person’s capacity to influence and control. In Shakespeare’s time and in the modern world, power is something that is sought by many people. When used for good, power can inspire change, help society and unify a nation. However, in William Shakespeare’s play King Lear, it is a force strong enough to turn family against each other, and drive people mad. Goneril and Regan are corrupted by the power their father gives them. Edmund is corrupted by the power of his new position, Earl, and King Lear is blinded by his belief that he is the all-powerful King. The greed for power, plays an extensive role in the play because it corrupts most of the villainous characters and ultimately leads them to their demise.
Edmund lusted for all of his father’s power, lying to his gullible brother and father aided him in his plan for total authority along with destroying their lives. As bastard son of Gloucester, Edmund wanted to receive all of the power destined for his brother, Edgar, who was Gloucester’s legitimate son. Edmund stated his disapproval of his brother, “Wherefore should I/ Stand in the plague of custom, and permit/ The curiosity of nations to deprive me/ For that I am some twelve or fourteen moonshines/ Lag of a brother? Why bastard?”(1.2.2-6). Edmund wanted the respect and love that Edgar received even though he was Gloucester’s bastard son. He claimed that he was not much younger or “moonshines lag of a brother” therefore he should be considered just as smart and able-minded as any legitimate son. He built up hatred toward Edgar and in order to get rid of him he convinced his father that Edgar had betrayed him through a letter. The letter that Edmund made read, “If our father would sleep till I waked him, you/ should enjoy half his revenue for ever, and live/ the beloved of your brother, Edgar”(1.2.55-57). Edmund portrayed Edgar as the son that would kill Gloucester only to inherit his money and share his inheritance with Edmund. Gloucester believed Edmund, sending out guards to kill Edgar for his betrayal...
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
Bengtsson, Frederick. “King Lear by William Shakespeare.” Columbia College. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.