King Lear Research Paper

This paper will examine the relationship problems associated with King Lear and his three daughters. An initial question to be had was why did this relationship become the relationship that it is. King Lear gave up his power to his daughters but that transition of power was anything but successful. William Shakespeare, the writer of King Lear lived in times where having kings were commonplace. The relationship between King Lear and his three daughters was anything but healthy. “In the primary plot, Lear betrays his youngest daughter and is betrayed by his two oldest daughters”. Lear had his two oldest daughters full support before he gave them the throne. However, when he betrays his youngest daughter they see the kind of man Lear really

However, that plan for King Lear to have a clear favorite daughter backfired when his older two daughters caught wind of it and eventually turned on him. “In the opening act, Lear creates a love test to justify giving Cordelia a larger share of his kingdom. Although his kingdom should be divided equally, Lear clearly loves Cordelia more and wants to give her the largest, choice section of his wealth. In return, Lear expects excessive flattery and gushing confessions of love. But instead, Cordelia's reply is tempered, honest, and reasonable — custom dictates that she share her love between her husband and her father”. It was obvious that King Lear expressed a heavy amount of favoritism towards Cordelia, his youngest daughter of the three. He wanted her to become heir to the throne more so than his other two daughters. “Just as soon as Cordelia fails to meet her father's expectations, Lear disinherits her. At Cordelia's loss, Goneril and Regan are quick to take advantage. They may have genuinely loved their father at one time, but they now seem tired of having been passed over in favor of their younger sister. After Lear states his obvious preference for Cordelia, the older sisters feel free to seek their revenge, turning the family's natural order on its ear”. Lear put his daughters through a test to see just how much they loved him. His oldest daughters passed with flying colors while Cordelia failed to show it. Up until that

That case is no different when it comes to King Lear because it is a story that could very well pertain to some people’s own lives. “For the audience, the generational conflict between parent and child is an expected part of life. We grow impatient with our parents and they with us. We attempt to control our children, and they rebel”. Many families have relationships that contain some sort of issue. A very common trope with family issues is the parent vs child relationship. “Shakespeare's examination of natural order is central to our own lives, and that is one of the enduring qualities of King Lear”. William Shakespeare is very good at connecting his pieces of world to the real world. King Lear is a great example of that because no family is perfect and he goes into great detail showcasing