Theme Of Journey In Mccarthy's King Lear

In Shakespeare’s King Lear, Kent and Edgar embark on altruistic journeys that lend purpose to their life. Similarly, In McCarthy’s The Road, The man and the son’s journey is to care for each other which provides them a meaningful life in an apocalyptic world. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, purpose is defined as “That which a person sets out to do or attain” and journey is defined as “ the ‘pilgrimage’ or passage through life.” In King Lear, Kent’s last line is “I have a journey, sir, shortly to go;/My master calls me. I must not say no.” Kent’s “journey” is to serve Lear through life and death. Edgar’s journey is to remain loyal to and avenge his father. Likewise, In The Road, the man’s purposeful journey is to care for his son.

In other words, he commits suicide. During King Lear, Kent’s purpose is to serve and follow Lear. At first Kent may seem like a generic servant, but as the plot progresses it is evident that Kent truly cares for the well-being of Lear and is emotionally invested in his care. After Lear banishes Kent, Kent “raze[s] [his] likeness” in order to serve Lear once again. Kent’s extreme devotion drives him to sacrifice his personal identity . Kent’s journey is exceedingly purposeful in that he devotes his life to another human being without any obligations to do so. By the same token, Kent follows his journey to the final hour, as his purpose in caring for Lear ends in

Edgar’s journey emanates from his devotion to his father. As the loyal son, Edgar believes it his responsibility to avenge the trickery that caused his father’s. In act V, scene iii, Edgar professes that “[He met his father and] his bleeding rings, / their precious stones new lost; became his guide, / Led him, begged for him, saved him from despair.” The bleeding rings are a reference to Gloucester’s empty eye sockets. Edgar then goes on to explain that he essentially became a servant of Gloucester. Edgar says that he “led” Gloucester, “begged for him,” and “saved him from despair.” As opposed to his self-serving brother, Edgar regards his father as his first and foremost priority. Ignoring his own desires, Edgar’s sense of altruism provides him with a satisfying journey that he carried out through his father’s