king lear

527 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Analysia the character of king lear

Shakespeare's King Lear

William Shakespeare's King Lear had downfalls in character which later on

caused him to suffer extreme consequences. if anyone knows the true meaning of

suffering it is King Lear.

King Lear's downfalls are his pride, selfishness, and blindness to truth.

Pride as one of Lear's first downfalls, in the beginning Lear disowns his lovely daughter

Cordelia, because Lear is to blind to realize that cordelia loves her father for who he is

and NOT what he has in his possession. Lear sees his daughters for what they have as

far as quantity not quality. This is his downfall of selfishness. Lear offers his two

greedy and selfish daughters, Coneril, and Regan his entire kingdom, simply because

he is so damn conceded and thinks he is so great that he can not possibly see anyone

not loving him, and what he owns as far as land and power. His greedy daughters

realize this and then decide to kiss a little of their father's butt. Cordelia, and Regan

go and kiss their father's butt hoping to get all his power, and his kingdom.

On the other hand, his one daughter who loves him for what he is, not what he

is or has, realizes that she must play on her fathers side just to receive a little respect

from the king.

Lear, by toying with loved one's emotions endues consequences upon

himself. Even at his age ,he was still perfectly capable of living up to his duties
...

Show More
Related

  • Essay Comparing King Lear And Frankenstein

    1827 Words  | 4 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • King Lear and a Brave New World: Similar Themes and Motifs

    786 Words  | 2 Pages

    two daughters that flattered him with words he wanted to hear, King Lear suffers greatly during the

    Read More

  • What Is The Theme Of Age In Where Are You Going Where Have You Been

    1277 Words  | 3 Pages

    When the short story began, Connie was an extremely conceited girl. She expressed how pretty she was throughout the beginning of the short story. However, she didn’t get much praise at home about her outer appearance. In actuality, her mother seemed to hate that the most about her. Connie seemed to have no support around her. Unfortunately, her mother nagged at her all the time about how she thought she looked and a constant comparison to her older sister. Per in the short story, “Her mother, who noticed everything and knew everything and who hadn 't much reason any longer to look at her own face, always scolded Connie about it. "Stop gawking at yourself. Who are you? You think you 're so pretty?" she would say.” "Why don 't you keep your room clean like your sister? How 've you got your hair fixed—what the hell stinks? Hair spray? You don 't see your sister using that junk." (Pg.1) Therefore, her older sister received all the glorious praise from her mother. Subsequently, not only was her

    Read More

  • Fairies In The Play A Midsummer Night's Dream

    812 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Puck exhibits manipulative tendencies towards the human characters: he deceives them yet, then again, brings them back to their “Athenian” senses (as displayed in the previous paragraph). In his epilogue, he treats the audience in much the same way. First, he wishes to gain their trust, “If we shadows have offended / Think but this, and all is mended” (5.1.430-431), and then proceeds to deceive them into thinking that “[they] had slumber’d here / While these visions did appear.” (5.1.432-433). Just as he reconciles the worlds of Athens and the Woods by reinstating “That every man should take his own” (3.2.459), Puck reassures the audience into making them believe that what they had witnessed in the woods was but a dream—without, of course, dismissing the idea of it happening altogether. In this manner, his ability not only to influence the human characters of the play, “On whose eyes I might approve / This flower’s force in stirring love” (2.2.68-69), but also to address the audience directly, “Give me your hands, if we be friends / And Robin shall restore amends” (5.1.444-445) further reinforces the notion that his character embodies the ambivalence in-between these contrasting worlds. He is not confined to these boundaries, but rather, makes use of

    Read More

  • Lear's Pride Creates his Madness

    1855 Words  | 4 Pages

    Lear: I’m old with older strengths with the burden of rule, legal ownership of territory and all the duties and commands that are thrown upon you regarding cares of state. Restless i have three times as many daughters as one and i have three pieces of a map. The last one being the largest and given to the blood and flesh which loves this old man more than for himself. So unleash your hearts for your words are future jewels, revenue, soil and marble, fuels of the earth and raiment.

    Read More

  • An Analysis of Love in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream

    2433 Words  | 5 Pages

    A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of Shakespeare's most widely read comedies about love. This seems somewhat strange, however, in light of the fact that so few of its characters seem to display any kind of full or true love. A close examination of the actions and words of each of the players will reveal that only one of them, by the end of Act V, should be considered a "lover".

    Read More

  • Essay on Blame in Shakespeare's King Lear

    575 Words  | 2 Pages

    King Lear's hot temper and hasty decisions play a significant role in his fall from grace. His old age has caused him to behave impulsively, without any consideration for the consequences of his actions. When Lear asks his devoted daughter Cordelia to express her love for him, he becomes upset with her because she cannot put her feelings into words. He does not realize that she cares deeply for him and disowns her by saying, "Here I disclaim all my paternal care, propinquity and property of blood, and as a stranger to my heart and me hold thee from this for ever (1.1.120-123)." It is only later, when Cordelia has left him, that Lear realizes he had made a wrong decision. In another fit of rage, Lear ...

    Read More

  • Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Power of Love

    1250 Words  | 3 Pages

    Love is a powerful emotion, capable of turning reasonable people into fools. Out of love, ridiculous emotions arise, like jealousy and desperation. Love can shield us from the truth, narrowing a perspective to solely what the lover wants to see. Though beautiful and inspiring when requited, a love unreturned can be devastating and maddening. In his play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Shakespeare comically explores the flaws and suffering of lovers. Four young Athenians: Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia, and Helena, are confronted by love’s challenge, one that becomes increasingly difficult with the interference of the fairy world. Through specific word choice and word order, a struggle between lovers is revealed throughout the play. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare uses descriptive diction to emphasize the impact love has on reality and one’s own rationality, and how society’s desperate pursuit to find love can turn even strong individuals into fools.

    Read More

  • The cold war

    2042 Words  | 5 Pages

    Kent, J. and Young, J.W. (2013), International Relations Since 1945: A global History. 2nd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Read More

  • Blindness and Sight - Lack of Insight in King Lear

    1420 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lear's vision is also marred by his lack of direction in life, and his poor foresight, his inability to predict the consequences of his actions. He cannot look far enough into the future to see the consequences of his actions. This, in addition to his lack of insight into other people, condemns his relationship with his most beloved daughter, Cordelia. When Lear asks his daughters who loves him most, he already thinks that Cordelia has the most love for him.

    Read More

  • Love in A Midsummer Night’s Dream

    1057 Words  | 3 Pages

    Love plays a very significant role in this Shakespearian comedy, as it is the driving force of the play: Hermia and Lysander’s forbidden love and their choice to flee Athens is what sets the plot into motion. Love is also what drives many of the characters, and through readers’ perspectives, their actions may seem strange, even comical to us: from Helena pursuing Demetrius and risking her reputation, to fairy queen Titania falling in love with Bottom. However, all these things are done out of love. In conclusion, A Midsummer Night’s Dream displays the blindness of love and how it greatly contradicts with reason.

    Read More

  • The Theme of True Love in A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

    742 Words  | 2 Pages

    The overriding theme of the play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare deals with the nature of love. Though true love seems to be held up as an ideal, false love is mostly what we are shown. Underneath his frantic comedy, Shakespeare seems to be asking the questions all lovers ask in the midst of their confusion: How do we know when love is real? How can we trust ourselves that love is real when we are so easily swayed by passion and romantic conventions? Some readers may sense bitterness behind the comedy, but will probably also recognize the truth behind Shakespeare's satire. Often, love leads us down blind alleys and makes us do things we regret later. The lovers within the scene, especially the men, are made to seem rather shallow. They change the objects of their affections, all the time swearing eternal love to one or the other. In this scene Shakespeare presents the idea that both false love and true love can prevail..

    Read More

  • Comparing Lear and Gloucester in Shakespeare's King Lear

    1980 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...not truly be seen with the eye, but with the heart. The physical world that the eye can detect can accordingly hide its evils with physical attributes, and thus clear vision cannot result from the eye alone. Lear's downfall was a result of his failure to comprehend that appearances do not always represent reality. Gloucester avoided a similar demise by learning the relationship between appearance and reality. If Lear had learned to look with more than just his eyes before the end, he might have avoided this tragedy. These two tragic stories unfolding at the same time gave the play a great eminence.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Love In King Lear

    1471 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the first scene of King Lear, Lear reveals his plan to split his kingdom between his daughters by asking them how much they love him. The daughter that proves she loves him the most receives the largest portion

    Read More

  • Analyzing King Lear's Tragic Flaws

    862 Words  | 2 Pages

    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...

    Read More

More about king lear

Open Document