Comparing S King Lear And Edgar Allen Poe's Eldorado

Experiences of journeys provide insights into the lives of individuals and the world around them
Shakespeare’s King Lear and Edgar Allen Poe’s Eldorado both present varying ideas of journeys, as characters in both texts come to realisations about their true natures, reflect on their past choices and gain a deeper understanding into personal relationships. This enables protagonists in both texts to change their perspectives as a result of their journeys.
A journey often sparks an individual’s self-realisation. In King Lear, when Edmund is close to death, he is finally aware of his despicable nature and attempts to redeem himself by revealing Cordelia and Lear’s location. When Edmund states “I pant for life. Some good I mean to do, Despite of

In King Lear, Lear regrets his decision to banish Cordelia after her refusal to exaggerate her love for her father. Cordelia offends Lear when she states “I love you as a child should love her father, no more, no less.” However, later in the play when Lear has been ill-treated by both Goneril and Reagan, he begins to reflect on the consequences of his impulsive actions, realising that Cordelia’s honest words showed her true love. As a responder, we begin to empathise with Lear and can relate to similar situations. He expresses his forgiveness and love for Cordelia “I’ll kneel down and ask of thee forgiveness, So we’ll live, and pray, and sing and tell old tales…” Contrast is utilised to compare the implied strength of the love between Lear and Cordelia with the inconsistency of human life, as Cordelia dies soon after this scene. In Eldorado, The knight’s ultimate goal of his journey, spanning over his entire life, is to achieve great wealth and prosperity, however with each stanza the knight is closer to futility and death. Upon reflection, he comes to regret his thoughtless ambition. As shown in ‘And o 'er his heart a shadow, Fell as he found, No spot of ground, That looked like Eldorado.’ As the knight nears death, he is slowly losing faith, coming to realise that his single-minded plans of discovering Eldorado and living a prosperous life may come to nothing, that he has wasted all his efforts. Poe

Both texts present varying ideas of journeys, as characters in both texts come to realisations about their true natures, reflect on their past choices and gain a deeper understanding into personal relationships. In both texts characters come to realisations in their journeys that create a deep understanding of many aspects of their