The Unaccommodated Man in King Lear
In William Shakespeare's King Lear, betrayal is a common event that leads to the downfall of some of the characters. In today's society, there are two main attitudes that are generally taken towards these fallen individuals or unaccommodated men. The first attitude is more of a pessimistic, judgmental attitude. This attitude puts the majority of the blame on the individuals themselves. The individuals are portrayed as being responsible either due to ignorance or laziness, and it is thought that the individuals got themselves into their deprived situation and they can also find their way out. The second view is more optimistic and is usually more merciful and accepting. People taking this stance generally would take pity on the individuals thinking that their unfortunate situation was due to a simple case of bad luck, or that these individuals were taken advantage of or betrayed by others ultimately leaving them accommodated. In King Lear, the characters Lear, Gloucester, and Edgar were all betrayed by family members leading to their unaccommodated lives. Once again you can take the pessimistic, judgmental attitude or the optimistic, merciful attitude. When applied to the characters in King Lear, I choose to take the optimistic, merciful attitude.
King Lear was betrayed by his two daughters Goneril and Regan. King Lear wanted to distribute his land according to the amount of love that this daughters had for him. Granted this was an illogical method, his intentions were not to destruct the family and himself. He was also very harsh to Cordelia, but the ultimate event that took place to leave him unaccommodated was the betrayal by Goneril and Regan. Lear put his trust in the wrong people, and it ended up placing him in a horrible situation. Now Lear did not make the smartest decisions, but what wrong did he commit in trusting his two daughters who professed their love for him to provide for his basic needs. "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child." ( I, iv,57). Lear voices his frustration with not being able to trust his own family members.
Gloucester's downfall was also a case of betrayal. His illegitimate son, Edmond, betrayed him into thinking that Edgar, his legitimate son, was plotting against him. One might say that Gloucester was ignorant in believing Edmond, and that he was illogical in not confronting Edgar.
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
...ough dishonesty that Lear finally has an epiphany and acknowledges to himself that he is “old and foolish” when he banished Cordelia but the tragedy is that the errors of his ways comes too late. In the play, Shakespeare’s message to the audience is that being dishonest is a human trait but can lead to tragic consequences. In both Williams’ plays, the playwright uses symbolism such as a Chinese lantern and the “old dress” to present the issues of dishonesty and its aftermath. However, in contrast to Shakespeare, Williams does not give his characters an opportunity to redeem themselves of their falsifications and the audience is aware of dishonesty having a negative impact on others. Therefore, the authorial intention in all three texts is relevant today as it was in their time and presents the idea that in the long run, dishonesty does not lead to any gratification.
Even after his clouded judgement, Gloucester admitted that “the grief hath crazed [his] wits” (III.iv.180). Due to Gloucester being a “credulous father / Whose nature is so far from doing harms / That he suspects none” (I.ii.187-189), he was deceived by the craftiness of his illegitimate son and believed that his good son Edgar was evil, thus proving that retributive justice did not win in this case. Gloucester was loyal to King Lear and wanted to help him despite Regan advising him not to do so. Gloucester, unfortunately was concluded to be a spy for France by Edmund to Cornwall. Instead of being sceptical and making a correct judgement, Cornwall immediately believed him and decided to arrest him. Edmund handed him a letter for further proof, but even without reading it, Cornwall proclaimed, “True or false, it hath made [Edmund] Earl of / Gloucester” (III.vi.18-19), and right after decided to arrest the true Earl. Even without his knowledge, his status was handed over to one who did not deserve it, a situation that Nemesis would never have allowed. Finally, after all of this chaos ensues, Gloucester comes to his own home where he is tied to a chair and was cruelly
The most astounding aspect of The Prince is Machiavelli’s view that princes may indeed, be cruel and dishonest if their ultimate aim is for the good of the state. It is not only acceptable but necessary to lie, to use torture, and to walk over other states and cities. Machiavellianism is defined as “A political doctrine of Machiavelli, which denies the relevance of morality in political affairs and holds that craft and deceit are justified in pursuing and maintaining political power (Def.)” This implies that in the conquest for power, the ends justify the means. This is the basis of Machiavellianism. The priority for the power holder is to keep the security of the state regardless of the morality of the means. He accepts that these things are in and of themselves morally wrong, but he points out that the consequences of failure, the ruin of states and the destruction of cities, can be far worse. Machiavelli strongly emphasizes that princes should not hesitate to use immoral methods to achieve power, if power is necessary for security and survival.
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.
... Lears blessing, and declared his daughter. Lear also realized that Kents speaking out was for Lear’s best and that he too was abused and banished. What stings Lear even more is that he is now completely dependent upon his two shameless daughters, Goneril and Regan. Plus that he must now beg them when he took care of them like a father when they were once children, to drive Lears further into madness he realizes that as king he was so ignorant and blind with power that he never took care of the homeless and let them suffer. All these realization and the fact that Lear is in his second childhood a tender stage drive him into the peak of madness.
In Shakespeare story King Lear, two of the women were portrayed as emasculating and disloyal while the third was honest and truthful. Showing, that most women who have power can’t be trusted. The story told of a king named Lear who had three daughters named Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia. Lear had given his two oldest daughters Goneril, and Regan a piece of land even though they had lied to their father telling him feelings that they didn’t really have. Then there was his youngest daughter she was as honest and truthful as any other child could be.
"Love is whatever you can still betray. Betrayal can only happen if you love." (John LeCarre) In William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of King Lear, characters are betrayed by the closest people to them. The parents betray their children, mostly unintentionally. The children deceive their parents because of their greed and power hunger. Their parents were eventually forgiven, but the greedy children were not. Parents and their children betray one and other, and are only able to do so because they are family, however, the children betray for greed while the parents betray through the credulity caused by their children's greed.
When Lear tells Gloucester “A man may see how this world /goes with no eyes” (4.6.146-47) he displays both of their misfortunes, but it is too late to prevent ultimate tragedy. Shakespeare proposes that their tragic saga is a mere game to the heavens. “As flies to wanton boys, are we to th’ gods,/They kill us for their sport” (4.1.37-38). This line generalizes the overall simplicity behind the tragedy of King Lear. Even though Gloucester and Lear made terrible, fatal errors the reader feels at the end as if it is intended to be their destiny.
One of the main points mentioned in both articles is that genetic modification is very useful in the sense that it could help get rid of some of the most deadly diseases that plague humanity, like different types of cancer and Alzheimer’s. This can be done by going into the unborn fetus and basically just eliminating the gene that would cause it. Neither ...
A connection that is lost would include Lear’s relationship between him and his three daughters. If Lear’s lack of communication were to be put aside, then Lear could then understand and know his daughters each on a personal level. Thus, allowing him to realize that Cordelia is the most loyal and loving daughter of all. Whereas, he would recognize Goneril and Regan to be his two ungrateful daughters, who are known to be fake backstabbers that are capable and willing enough to get that they want. Secondly, with Lear’s deficient sense of communication, it has allowed him to gain the persona of haste irrationalism. As said by Goneril to Regan “The best and soundest of his time hath been but rash” (1.1. 295). Goneril explains that Lear himself has always been irrational and uncontrollable, even when young. This is proven after the choice of Cordelia to not profess the love that she has for her father, causing Lear to then hastily banish Cordelia from the
Combining the antics of a circus with the pomp of a royal court is a difficult task indeed. William Shakespeare's genius came from how closely he intertwined the two seemingly mutually exclusive realms to appeal to all socioeconomic groups in his audience. In King Lear, Edgar's appearance as Tom of Bedlam, Lear's insanity, and Lear's Fool provide the comic relief which slices the dramatic tension. Among these, Lear's Fool provides the closest intercourse of the two realms of royalty and tomfoolery while still maintaining their separation.
” Considering their father just left, Edmund is clearly stalling and planning something. The trust displayed here highlights Edgar’s thirst for approval from his family. Additionally, Edgar displays patterns of children who look for relationships similar to the one’s they are familiar with, which in this case means someone perceived as family who commits the ultimate betrayal. The first time his wet nurse who he viewed as a mother left him and now his half-brother stabs him in the back.
Lear's relationship with his three daughters, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia, is, from the beginning, very uncharacteristic of the typical father-daughter relationship. It's clear that the king is more interested in words than true feelings, as he begins by asking which of his daughters loves him most. Goneril and Regan's answers are descriptive and sound somewhat phony, but Lear is flattered by them. Cordelia's response of nothing is honest; but her father misunderstands the plea and banishes her. Lear's basic flaw at the beginning of the play is that 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. Similarly, his test of his daughters demonstrates that he values a flattering public display of love over real love. He doesn't ask "which of you doth love us most," but rather, "which of you shall we say doth love us most?" (I.i.49). It would be simple to conclude that Lear is simply blind to the truth, but Cordelia is already his favorite daughter at the beginning of the play, so presumably he knows that she loves him the most. Nevertheless, Lear values Goneril and Regan's fawning over Cordelia's sincere sense of filial duty.
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...