Theme Of Pride In King Lear

1404 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Character analysis of King Lear

For this paper, I will address the themes of pride and humility in the character development of King Lear. I will begin this paper by examining King Lear’s prideful characteristics in Act 1, scene 1. I will also highlight the storm scenario in Act 3, as King Lear’s revelation of the world around him, and ultimately revelation about himself. Finally, I will close out this paper with the dialogue between King Lear and his daughter Cordelia in Act 4, scene 7 and Act 5, scene 3. Act 1, scene 1 reveals King Lear’s prideful character trait. The scene is set inside King Lear’s palace. Right from the beginning it is important to notice that King Lear is wealthy and powerful. I think that because of his riches and wealth, it can be assumed that King
The reason for the dividing of the kingdom is because King Lear has become an old man and he would not be able to keep up with the business and cares of the kingdom anymore. King Lear asks his three daughters to profess how much they love him in order to determine which daughter will inherit the largest region. King Lear begins to ask Goneril, the eldest daughter, to speak first. Her speech is filled with over-the-top terms. According to her, her love for her father is “worth more than eyesight, space and liberty.” Goneril ends off her speech by stating that she does not have enough words that could describe the love she has for him. King Lear’s response to her profession of love is the giving of one third of the kingdom to
She refuses to answer the question at first, but then begins to state her case when asked again. Her response is the turning point of the whole story. She declares that she cannot “heave he heart into her mouth.” I think that this response to King Lear, was meant to communicate to him that Goneril and Regan’s declaration of love was a total lie. She continues to out her sisters’ speech by stating that if they say they love their father as much as they say they do, then why do they have husbands. Her response to King Lear is simple, she loves him according to the bond that they have as father and daughter, no more nor

Show More
Related

  • Essay Comparing King Lear And Frankenstein

    1827 Words  | 4 Pages

    With Cordelia declared as banished, Lear states, “With my two daughters’ dowers digest the third...Only we shall retain The name and all th’ addition to a king. The sway, revenue, execution of the rest, Beloved sons, be yours” (Shakespeare 17). Lear’s fault here is that he believes that he can divide up his kingdom to his daughters and still retain the title as king; he wants to retire his position and responsibilities as a king but still remain respected and treated as one. His flaw in wanting to be superior leads to his downfall, as he is so blinded by his greed that he decides to divide up his kingdom to his two daughters who are as hungry for power as he is. They only want to strip him of his position and respect to gain more influence. Lear, not realizing the impact of such an impulsive decision, descends into madness when his daughters force him out of his home. After being locked out of his only shelter by his daughters, he states, “Filial ingratitude!...In such a night To shut me out?...O Regan, Goneril, Your old kind father whose frank heart gave all! O that way madness lies. Let me shun that; No more of that” (Shakespeare 137). Lear becomes fully aware of the consequences of his actions. He realizes how ungrateful his daughters are and how they have treated him unfairly even though he has given them everything; much to his dismay, he is left with

    Read More

  • Sense Of Entitlement In Shakespeare's King Lear

    1072 Words  | 3 Pages

    Cordelia uses her self-entitlement to create a newfound identity for herself that is stronger and more prominent. The text creator develops her character through a very strong leader who regardless of her gender is able to use her sense of entitlement to empower herself. On the other hand, closely following this concept set out by Shakespeare, he also expands on the other side of this curtain through King Lear. Lear’s fatal flaw is indeed is self-entitlement and this upper status of himself he has built up. It not only leads to the ultimate downfall of himself, but further also causes the destruction of the closely held relationships in his life – causing them to be lost or for the element of complete moral respect to diminish; degrading the value of entitlement. all in all, Shakespeare expands on this key element of self-entitlement and delivers the idea to the reader that when managed it can be a tool that empowers an individual, or when gone out of one’s control can be the singular reason to the ultimate downfall of an

    Read More

  • King Lear as a Commentary on Greed

    1114 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Analyzing Shakespeare´s Account of Human Nature in King Lear in Comparison With Other Authors

    1435 Words  | 3 Pages

    He seems to suggest, however, that it is not impossible for one to move from one end of the spectrum of human nature to the other, as multiple characters go through somewhat of a metamorphosis where their nature is changed. In this paper, I analyze and present Shakespeare’s account of human nature in King Lear in comparison with other authors that we have read throughout our year in the Aquinas program. 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.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Loyalty In King Lear

    911 Words  | 2 Pages

    In King Lear, love is shown as important and strong. The filial love between Lear and his three daughters is the driving force of the play. Lear orders his daughters to tell him how much they love him to divide the land between the three of them. His eldest daughter, Goneril states: “Sir, I love you more

    Read More

  • What Are Our Duty To Our Father's Roles In King Lear

    971 Words  | 2 Pages

    King Lear had come so accustomed to his praise, that it is the sole thing he lived for, he needed it to survive, his treatment as a king was his Achilles heel in this play. He wanted to step down as king and divide his kingdom into 3 sections, giving them to his daughters to rule. Goneril and Regan were more than willing to accommodate his request to demonstrate their love for their father and king by professing their love to him in dramatic fashion combined with a good bit of exaggeration. While Cordelia on the other hand, found it a struggle to profess what she thought to be known by her father and king, she states, “Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave / My heart into my mouth. I love your majesty / According to my bond; nor more nor less (Scene 1.1, Lines 91-93).

    Read More

  • King Lear Cathartic Moment Essay

    1847 Words  | 4 Pages

    Initially, King Lear appears to be a strong ruler, a monarch who has decided to divide kingdom. This is crucial because this would make the audience perceive him to be a selfless king. However, his loss of control when Cordelia refuses to proclaim that her love for her father is greater than that of her future husband like her other sisters make the audience change their perspective of king Lear

    Read More

  • Shakespeare’s King Lear Philosophy

    645 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the beginning of the play the reader learns that Lear is ready to give up his kingdom and retire from a conversation that two noblemen, Gloucester and Kent, are having. He asks his three daughters; Cordelia, Goneril, and Regan to express their love for him to help him make his decision as to who would inherit his kingdom. Cordelia has always been his “favorite” daughter and when asked how much she loved her father she does not lie to him and tells him “I am sure my love’s more ponderous than my tongue” (1363). Rather than being grateful for such love and honesty, Lear banishes her to France and divides his kingdom to his two other daughters. Kent does not agree with Lear’s decision and Lear banishes him too.

    Read More

  • The King's Pride Depicted in Shakespeare's King Lear

    564 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Love In King Lear

    1471 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare expresses two major themes in King Lear: love and wisdom. King Lear’s struggle to recognize authentic love, love himself, and acknowledge the wisdom imparted on him, due to his weak emotional state, results in needless conflicts and the deaths of many. In the first scene of King Lear, Lear reveals his plan to split his kingdom between his daughters by asking them how much they love him. The daughter that proves she loves him the most receives the largest portion of the kingdom (1.1.46-50). Kent intends to calm Lear down, yet Lear’s unstable emotions at the time lead to him thrashing out against Kent, even threatening him.

    Read More

  • Tragic Mistake In King Lear

    1374 Words  | 3 Pages

    The tragic collapse of King Lear was initiated within the first act, where he demonstrated a lack of insight into who his daughters genuinely were. To start, Lear decided that it was time for him to divide his kingdom among his three daughters, and the criteria he used was who every flattered him the most with kind and lovely words, would obtain the greatest share. This idea that whoever showed the most affection for him under this rationale would prove who loves him the most, and therefore would they would receive a great share of the kingdom, was his tragic mistake. Regan and Goneril, the two villains throughout the play, put together an act in order to achieve the greatest share of the kingdom, and both excelled in this regard, despite

    Read More

  • Human Condition In King Lear

    995 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Character Analysis of King Lear

    598 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Comparing Lear and Gloucester in Shakespeare's King Lear

    1980 Words  | 4 Pages

    Bengtsson, Frederick. “King Lear by William Shakespeare.” Columbia College. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

    Read More

  • The Tragedy of King Lear

    1090 Words  | 3 Pages

    " 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.

    Read More

More about Theme Of Pride In King Lear

Open Document