Author Abigail Buren said “Wisdom doesn't automatically come with old age…” This statement rings true for Morrie Schwartz from Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom and Lear from King Lear by William Shakespeare. These two elderly men come from different backgrounds and experience several trials and adversity to acquire various levels of wisdom regarding dealing with relationships, society and death. Firstly, Morrie Schwartz and King Lear have varying perspectives when dealing with relationships before they acquire wisdom from their personal experiences. In regards to Morrie Schwartz, due to his mother’s death early on in his life, Morrie was deprived of love until his father married Eva, his step-mother. Eva loved and nurtured Morrie …show more content…
Morrie Schwartz often expresses his dislike for modern culture saying it makes people feel inadequate about themselves as people tend to follow trends blindly. He advises that people should disobey cultural rules at times if they feel it does not match their own moral principles. For instance, Morrie mentions “They repeat something over and over. And that’s what we do in this country…More money is good. More property is good... We repeat it-and have it repeated to us-over and over until nobody bother to even think otherwise" (Albom 124). This demonstrates his dislike towards some aspects of modern society and culture where too much importance is given to materialistic goods leading to greed instead of focusing on love, happiness and giving to others. In addition, Morrie views pop culture as a brainwashing machine to make people feel inadequate about themselves. He once states during his weekly lessons with Albom that he believes people value material goods because they use it as a substitute for the love they are missing in their lives. On the other hand, after distributing his wealth and power, Lear becomes furious when his daughters confront him on reducing the number of knights in his entourage. According to Lear, his noble knights represent his pride and without this he would be no better than an animal as even a beggar as more than the necessities of …show more content…
For example, after Morrie learns about his neurological disease, ALS he has time to think about the true important matters of life after accepting that the disease is quickly affecting his sense of independence. Morrie views death as a natural progression in life which he encourages everyone to embrace in order to live a free and satisfying life. He mentions that the people who try to avoid this topic are usually people who have many regrets and are not living their life fully. In addition, Morrie states "You can't get stuck on the regrets of what should have happened... Forgive yourself. Forgive others... Not everyone gets the time that I’m getting" (Albom 166-167). This quotation explains Morrie’s beliefs about the importance of withholding one’s pride and ego at times to find inner peace within oneself and others before the opportunity is gone and all that is left is regret. He repetitively expresses that death is not something that should be feared, but acknowledged. In contrast, Lear has a different perspective towards death. Although he also accepts death similar to Morrie, Lear’s final days are filled with betrayal and regret. Lear makes the decision to forgo his responsibilities to his daughters and live the remaining days of his life lavishly as a king without any duties to fulfill. Later on, he acknowledges his great mistake of trusting his deceitful
Timothy Findley and Shakespeare use the theme of appearance versus reality in their texts: The Wars and King Lear. Characters in the novel and the play: Robert, Goneril, and Regan, intentionally appear to be something they are not in order to achieve a goal. However, they differ in where it leads them by the end, as in King Lear the characters die, unlike in The Wars where Robert cannot escape his true self and goes back to follow his personal morality.
In his kingdom Lear was practically a god, but he was a god that knew nothing of morals, humanity, personal identity, or love. Lear forces his daughters into open displays of verbal affection for the sole purpose of flattery. Lear’s self-centered mindset is amplified in his speeches to Cordelia after she refuses to participate with hyperbolic love. In his rage Lear says, “he that makes his generation messes / To gorge his appetite, shall to my bosom / Be as well neighbored, pitied, and relived / As thou my sometime daughter” (I.i.130-134). Lear feels closer to Satan than his own daughter since the cannibal that feeds on his children is Lear himself. Lear’s daughters are reduced to the status of food; they do not exist beyond the feeding of his ego. Lear continues with his tirade as he proclaims “I loved her most and thought to set my rest / On her kind nursery” (I.i.137-138). To Lear love is synonymous with being a caretaker. Lear does not understand love beyond utility. Before his tragic
Sogyal Rinpoche stated “When you start preparing for death you soon realize that you must look into your life now...and come to face the truth of yourself. Death is like a mirror in which the true meaning of life is reflected.” Death is imminent. Many people today fear death for various reasons. Some people are able to accept it, where others deny its existence. Some people spend their lives working towards the coming of their death, and their life thereafter, where others spend there lives doing everything they possibly can to make the most of their time on earth. In Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom, the lead character Morrie Schwartz was diagnosed with the fatal disease Lou Gerrig’s Disease, also know as ALS. Although many people would fall into a deep pit of self loathing and regret, Morrie Schwartz took the opportunity to teach people about life and love. He surrounded himself with friends, and loved-ones in his final days. Contrary to Morrie’s attitude, Lear, in William Shakespeare's King Lear, treats death as a negative thing in his life, fearing it, and running from it. Lear spends his last days regretting the things he had done in his life. He wallows in self pity, blaming others for his demise. Lear isolates himself from the people who love him, and fills himself with jealousy towards those who will survive him. Mitch Albom's Tuesdays With Morrie outlines themes of understanding and forgiveness, whereas William Shakespeare's King Lear explores themes of regret and isolation. It is apparent that both texts show the relevance of death and its affect on human behaviour.
King Lear's hot temper and hasty decisions play a significant role in his fall from grace. His old age has caused him to behave impulsively, without any consideration for the consequences of his actions. When Lear asks his devoted daughter Cordelia to express her love for him, he becomes upset with her because she cannot put her feelings into words. He does not realize that she cares deeply for him and disowns her by saying, "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 (1.1.120-123)." It is only later, when Cordelia has left him, that Lear realizes he had made a wrong decision. In another fit of rage, Lear ...
What Morrie does is he emphasizes the idea because Morrie has been derived from love in his childhood, it foreshadows that this will be a recurring theme in the book. Morrie's mother died when he was very young, his father was always working and wasn't interested in showing affection and love towards Morrie and his brother. When Eva came into their house she provided them with motherly love, that they hadn't had in awhile. Morrie had realized just how important it is to show affection towards others and he emphasized that for the rest of his life. The concept can really relate back to love as an important aspect of life because like Morrie, he didn't really have much love and affection in his childhood until Eva came into his life. Throughout Morries whole adulthood he realized love is significant, because without love you feel like you are worth
The first flaw in King Lear is his arrogance, which results in the loss of Cordelia and Kent. It is his arrogance in the first scene of the play that causes him to make bad decisions. He expects his favorite, youngest daughter to be the most worthy of his love. His pride makes him expect that Cordelia’s speech to be the one filled with the most love. Unfortunately for King Lear’s pride, Cordelia replies to his inquisition by saying, “I love your majesty/According to my bond and nothing less';(1.1.100-101). Out of pride and anger, Lear banishes Cordelia and splits the kingdom in half to the two evil sisters, Goneril and Regan. This tragic flaw prevents King Lear from seeing the truth because his arrogance overrides his judgement. Lear’s arrogance also causes him to lose his most faithful servan...
Although the Fool and Cordelia are similarly candid towards their King, they never interact in Shakespeare’s King Lear, because the Fool is a chaotic influence while Cordelia is a stabilizing force. While the Fool and Cordelia both act in the Lear’s best interest, it is not always evident to Lear. The Fool’s actions often anger the King, and lead to an increase in his madness. On the other hand, Cordelia’s actions more often soothe Lear, and coax him back into sanity. Another commonality between the Fool and Cordelia is their honesty. Both the Fool and Cordelia are frank with Lear, though he may not always appreciate that they do so for his own good.
Lear is a character that is labelled as rash and impulsive due to actions to banish his truthful daughter, Cordelia, and giving all he owns to her materialistic sisters, Goneril and Regan. To begin with, Lear initially asks his daughters “Which of us shall we say doth love us most?” (1.1.52) in order to divide up his wealth and kingdom amongst them. This shows Lear’s insecurity toward others feeling towards him and that he needs to be constantly reminded of his power and status. This is a weakness that Goneril and Regan are able to use to their advantage by flattering lies and untruthful feelings in attempt to attain a larger portion of the kingdom, which in turn means they would be more powerful. Cordelia, on the other hand, is not able to “heave [her] heart into [her] mouth” (1.1.94) like her sisters are doing. She is completely honest and truthful with her father which in turn does not please him. Moreover, by exploiting Lear’s weakness, Goneril and Regan are able to manipulate Lear into believing the flattery and fake feelings they express towards him. Therefore, when he is struck with Cordelia’s answer of “Nothing, my lord” (1.1.89), he acts impulsively by disowning and banish...
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.
In King Lear William Shakespeare gives king Lear a very kind personality and a very caring father towards his daughters. King Lear possesses traits that make him a soft person one that is very, calm and gentle hearted. His softness comes out in the beginning when he exclaims he tells his daughters she who loves him the most will get all the land. Lear falls victim to the lies of Reagan and Goneril while he casts out Cordila his only daughter that did not sweet talk him and loves him truly. You learn that his daughters Goneril and Reagan want to betray him so they get the kingdom to themselves. The two evil sisters plot to kill Lear seeing that he is blinded by his love for them and his willingness to help them in times of need. The author betrays lear as king but the reader knows the plot from the beginning on to the end on what his daughters plans are for their father and how it leads into the later parts of the story.
In Shakespeare's “King Lear”, the tragic hero is brought down, like all tragic heroes, by one fatal flaw; in this case it is pride, as well as foolishness. It is the King's arrogant demand for absolute love and, what's more, protestations of such from the daughter who truly loves him the most, that sets the stage for his downfall. Cordelia, can be seen as Lear’s one true love, and her love and loyalty go not only beyond that of her sisters but beyond words, thus enraging the proud King Lear whose response is: "Let pride, which she calls plainness, marry her". Here, Lear's pride is emphasized as he indulges in the common trend of despising in others what one is most embarrassed of oneself.
King Lear was a tragic hero that was born into nobility, endowed with a tragic flaw and doomed to make a serious error in judgement. King Lear was born into nobility. "He owned vast amounts of land and ruled over many people. Give me the map there. know that we have divided In three our Kingdom." Not only was King Lear born into nobility he was responsible for his own fate. He disowned his daughter Cordelia and made his other two daughters rulers of his land once divided into three now divided into two. His two daughters really did not love him they just wanted the land and power. They turned against their father and had him sentenced to death by Edmund. Lear's death was his own fault. This reason came about because of King Lear's tragic flaw, his pride. Pride is also his reason of how he is a tragic hero. "Tell me, my daughters,-- Since now we will divest us both of rule, Interest of territory, cares of state,-- Which
Lear's self-destruction begins when he stands before the court to divide his kingdom and commands his daughters to profess their love for him. Cordelia, his youngest and most favored daughter, idealistically believes that words are unnecessary in the expression of love and refuses to profess her feelings. King Lear had planned to give the most land to Cordelia and to stay with her in his old age and he states of Cordelia, "I loved her most, and thought to set my rest/ On her kind nursery" (1.1.125-126). The king does not understand the motives behind Cordelia's silence and is shocked by her unexpected reaction to his demand. He loses sight of his careful preparation for his future and in his...
Tuesdays with Morrie, written by Mitch Albom, is a story of the love between a man and his college professor, Morrie Schwartz. This true story captures the compassion and wisdom of a man who only knew good in his heart and lived his life to the fullest up until the very last breath of his happily fulfilled life. When Mitch learned of Morrie’s illness, the began the last class of Morrie’s life together and together tried to uncover “The Meaning of Life.” These meetings included discussions on everything from the world when you enter it to the world when you say goodbye. Morrie Schwartz was a man of great wisdom who loved and enjoyed to see and experience simplicity in life, something beyond life’s most challenging and unanswered mysteries. Morrie was a one of a kind teacher who taught Mitch about the most important thing anyone can ever learn: life. He taught Mitch about his culture, about trust, and perhaps most importantly, about how to live.
Lear's vision is also marred by his lack of direction in life, and his poor foresight, his inability to predict the consequences of his actions. He cannot look far enough into the future to see the consequences of his actions. This, in addition to his lack of insight into other people, condemns his relationship with his most beloved daughter, Cordelia. When Lear asks his daughters who loves him most, he already thinks that Cordelia has the most love for him.