Shakespeare's play King Lear is a story told of an old king who goes from powerful to powerless, in the downfall of his sanity. The story takes place around 1605, which would be considered a patrilineal time frame. Each of his daughters Reagan and Goneril receive half of the kingdom yet conflict begins to rise as each of his daughters yearn for more than what they received. Due to the conflict that goes on with the daughters, it turns into a domino effect and suddenly every character has a conflict of their own. As the plot thickens, it is clear that the women are the main focus of the story and Reagan and Goneril are controlling the series of events. In parts of King Lear Shakespeare portrays women as stronger, opposing most literature written …show more content…
It does this by viewing oppression in multiple aspects of society concerning women. The theory questions the audience in order to have the readers ponder the relationships of men and women, and the positions they each hold in society. Feminist Criticism analyzes language and symbols in the literature and look at how certain parts of the language and symbols are relating to a specific gender; a social construction of what masculinity and femininity is. This is believed to have influence on the audience and how they as individuals view and regard women based on the stereotypes that are fed to them. Feminist critics propose that male authors address the audience as if they were all males and exclude women. When using Feminist Criticism as a literary device, readers can find sexist assumptions of the inferiority of women compared to men made in male authored literature. The literary theory is also in consideration of the exclusion of women writers from conventional literary canon, which is a body of readings considered to be influential to a certain time period. In women's writing, the theory believes, a woman will still have to write like a man in order to be acknowledged. The point of the theory is to come question the connotations that come with being a woman versus being a man. The theory wishes to deconstruct what society has constructed to be …show more content…
When remembering Cordelia's character and how her and King Lear last met, the readers see the stereotypes of the archetypal "Mary" figure come into to play. Even though Cordelia was brutally turned away by her father, once his own life begins to be brutal she is supposed to be there for him; even though he has turned her away. The readers see this with Cordelia's tone towards the king when he finally awakens. " O, look upon me, sir, / And hold your hands in benediction o'er me. / No, sir, you must not kneel" (4.7.2975-2977). Although everything that happened, Cordelia is still asking the king for blessings over her. This shows her loyalty to the king, because when everyone else feels sorry for him and looks down upon him, she still gives him respect as if he is still as elite as a used to be. This shows the archetypal "Mary" character, because despite the fact that the King shut her out, the minute that he needs her she is supposed to bring him in
Social pressures change as time passes, therefore it is interesting to see how these three texts whom differ by almost four hundred years perceive society and the effect this has on the protagonists; Shakespeare’s King Lear which was first performed in 1606 during the Jacobean era, presents a patriarchal society. Whilst, Arthur Miller uses the characters in ‘Death of a salesman’ to show the failure of the ‘American dream’ during the “golden era” of America in the late 40’s. The ‘American Dream’ was a set of ideals which suggested that anyone in the US could be successful through hard work, and had the potential to live a happy life. The sense of the deterioration in the equality of opportunities links to the fall in power and hierarchy in King Lear. Arudanthi Roy, however, uses her contemporary Indian novel to illustrate, using a proleptic and coalesce structure, the lives of the protagonists living in a post – colonial society. In each of these three texts there are characters who fit the stereotypes that society has instilled in them, but then there are those characters who noticeably differ from the norm; According to 19th century novelist Alfred de Musset “how glorious it is – and how painful – to be an exception.” Hence this statement can be seen as applicable to these characters, because in all three texts these characters do end up losing a lot.
One definition of gender is the membership of a word or grammatical form, or an inflectional form showing membership, in such a class. Gender critics take masculinity and feminism, as well as male and female, and use those theories to analyze writings. In books, or other writings, masculinity and feminism are used in order to describe how a character is seen by other characters. Feminism is the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men. It is also a feminine character. After the women’s rights movement, women began to write works and put in their own views and beliefs. This era became known as the feminist writing era. Women felt that by writing their feelings and then getting their works published, that people would see why women should be equal to men.
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
Feminist criticism is a literacy form of criticism that gives the perspective of writing through a feminist perspective. It is a political form of literature that analyzes the questions of how male and females relate to each other and the world, the repression of women and how women are portrayed in literature. From a feminist perspective
King Lear is often regarded as one of Shakespeare’s finest pieces of literature. One reason this is true is because Shakespeare singlehandedly shows the reader what the human condition looks like as the play unfolds. Shakespeare lets the reader watch this develop in Lear’s own decisions and search for the purpose of life while unable to escape his solitude and ultimately his own death. Examining the philosophies Shakespeare embeds into the language and actions of King Lear allows the reader a better understanding of the play and why the play is important to life today.
Firstly Cordelia is seen to deviate between two extremes either extremely feminine and passive or extremely masculine and assertive. She is a daughter, son, wife, and mother. The sisters Goneril and Regan are in contrast extremely masculine, they are promiscuous and fiendish. Lear calls them hags or witches. This further reinforces Elizabethan myths of women only being ‘men’ if they were religious. Religion was said to come from man’s deviation from nature seen in Adam and Eve where sin cut off them from God and paradise and sent all of humanity into chaos and destruction, with brothers killing each over. In this case Cordelia maintains her femininity because she is divine and with holy tears, while Goneril and Regan are fiends, in their power. It represents the image of good and evil polar opposites in the daughters. In the
King Lear is the protagonist within the play, he wears the label of a successful
The plot of King Lear is set in motion by the conversation between Lear and his daughters. In return for their love and honour, he will give them land and power. The fact that they are daughters and not sons is significant because Lear demands their total love, trying to put them into a mother role: something he would not do if they were men. Goneril and Regan are neither noble nor truthful and they have no problem lying to their father for their own personal gain. While Regan claims "I am alone felicitate/ In your dear Highness' love." (I.i.75-76) and later treats her father in the most reprehensible manner, Cordelia denies Lear's unnatural request saying, "Sure, I shall never marry like my sisters/ To love my father all" (I.i.103-104). Her truthful refusal to proclaim total love for her father proves her to be the actual loving daughter but results in her banishment. From this first scene, the characters' alliances and allegiances are forged and all that follows is directly resultant.
In order for us to deal with how a consideration of femininity can effect our understanding of a literary text, we must also be able to grasp the notion of `feminism' and `Feminist Literary Theory'. A dictionary definition of `feminism' is: `the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of the equality of the sexes.' Although this leans towards feminism in the historical sense of the word, it still provides the grounds, or foundations, from which feminist literary theories were created. Feminists argue against the stereotyping and social construction of female norms, seeing them as created by men in order to establish their own sense of power. It is thought that while males suggest that gender is sex and not actually a construct, the female role will become much more passive, stereotyped and controlled.
To begin this paper, I want to explain a little bit about Feminist Criticism. This category of criticism scrutinizes the means in which texts have been molded in accordance with matters of gender. It concentrates on social and financial disparities in a “male-controlled” culture that continues to impede women from grasping their true potentials. There are several perceptions and theories universally shared by feminist critics. One such belief is that our society is undeniably regulated by men. Another belief is that the concept of “gender” is mostly, if not wholly, a social standard that has curtailed from the never ending masculine biases that engulf our world. This male dominated philosophy is excessively abundant in most of the writings that are deemed exceptional literature. In addition, many feminist consider females, in literature, to be represented as destructive or docile objects, while most males are portrayed as being brave and resilient leaders.
King Lear, by William Shakespeare, is a tragic tale of filial conflict, personal transformation, and loss. The story revolves around the King who foolishly alienates his only truly devoted daughter and realizes too late the true nature of his other two daughters. A major subplot involves the illegitimate son of Gloucester, Edmund, who plans to discredit his brother Edgar and betray their father. With these and other major characters in the play, Shakespeare clearly asserts that human nature is either entirely good, or entirely evil. Some characters experience a transformative phase, where, by some trial or ordeal, their nature is profoundly changed. We shall examine Shakespeare's stand on human nature in King Lear by looking at specific characters in the play, Cordelia who is wholly good, Edmund who is wholly evil, and Lear whose nature is transformed by the realization of his folly and his descent into madness.
Shakespeare 's King Lear is a story of a king who sets out to divide his kingdom among his three daughters, with only Goneril and Regan reaping in his fortune. The family unit becomes torn as conflicts between personalities emerge between King Lear and his three daughters, thus creating a tragic end for many. King Lear 's two eldest daughters, Goneril, and Regan defy the roles and rights of women of the eight-century, displaying behavioral traits that are less desirable. Whereas King Lear 's youngest beloved daughter, Cordelia, embodied the warmth and true spirit of women that one would up most expect during this time period, one who showed loyalty, respect, and honesty, but remained strong and noble (Phillis). William Shakespeare skillfully
While plenty of interpretations can be drawn from Shakespeare’s King Lear, what I personally drew from the text was his warnings against the dangers of vying for instant gratification. This is shown at the start of the play, King Lear immediately beseeching his daughters to draw out elaborate arguments for why they love him more than their two other siblings. While this competition seems legitimate at first, the audience goes on to find out that Lear already had the land divided, the majority of as much going to his youngest and most loved daughter, Cordelia. Knowing this information, it becomes clear that Lear’s attempt to pit his daughters against one another was simply a ploy for affection—in short, he wanted his daughters to inflate his ego. It is this attempt at instant gratification from his daughters that ultimately causes him to banish Cordelia and leads to his demise.
When Cordelia finds out how poorly her father had been treated she is extremely surprised because of how well he cared for them. The first example of this would be the fact that King Lear was going to divide his kingdom amongst all his daughters. He was going to give them everything he had and all he wanted in
"Hamlet" and "King Lear" "Hamlet" and "King Lear" have many aspects in common such as the themes, motifs, scenes and characters. They are both concerned with human nature and represent the good and the bad side of human beings. Shakespeare has focused on the contrast between good and evil and the appearance verses reality in addition to the play with in a play technique. Even both plays end with bloodshed and death of the tragic heroes and many other characters and both have sad endings. As well as having similarities, they have many contrasts and paradoxes.