ENG4U-04 Allison MacLachlan
King Lear Take Home Test Due Friday, October 22, 2004
Literary Lessons in Love
If William Shakespeare’s work can be considered a foundation of literary achievement and theatrical excellence, the theme of love must be one of its fundamental cornerstones. In many Shakespearean plays, love is an effective theme that is carefully sculpted to yield the desired audience reaction or the required moral lesson, and can enhance both comedic and tragic works. Most significantly, the portrayal of love as a theme on stage is able to establish deep roots of meaning within the lives of the audience, drawing parallels between imaginary characters and the striking reality of human emotion. In the Olivier film version of Shakespeare’s King Lear, the director makes careful decisions about character portrayal, camera angles, and lighting to accentuate particularly significant examples of self-love, materialistic love, and parental love in drawing the conclusion that love, as exhibited by many characters in the opening act of his play, is thoroughly flawed.
One of the most prominent situations supporting the director’s choice to demonstrate the imperfect pursuit of love in King Lear occurs when the ageing King, overwhelmed by his desire for flattery, decides to divide his expansive kingdom among his three daughters with the pursuit of self-love at heart. Lear asks his daughters, “Which of you shall we say doth love us most?” (1.1.46), and plans to give the greater portion of his kingdom to the daughter who showers him lovingly with the most bountiful praise. Loving himself so highly that he blinds himself from seeing the right way to make a decision, Lear exposes the fact that making unwise choices based on flattery and self-absorption is foolish. For example, the director of the film demonstrates the idea of Lear’s love for himself by portraying the daughters as Lear, himself, would view them following their differing declarations of love. Using costumes and makeup, the director depicts both Gonerill and Regan as elegant, mature women in colourful gowns, corresponding to their overly flattering claims of love for their father. However, Cordelia is dressed simply in white, and plainly shows her nervous emotions, corresponding to her honest and straightforward answer to Lear’s question. As a result of Lear’s uncontrollable love for his own reputation, he disowns his favourite daughter, Cordelia, stating harshly, “Better thou/ Hadst not been born than not t’have pleased me better.” (1.1.229-230) Lear’s other daughters, Gonerill and Regan, begin to believe that he is growing insane, and undermine their father by limiting the number of loyal knights that he will be allowed to keep at the castle. Clearly, Lear’s preoccupation with flawed self-love leads him to irreparable damage in his most meaningful relationships.
