“I am made of that self mettle as my sister,
And prize me at her worth. In my true heart
I find she names my very deed of love;
Only she comes too short: that I profess
Myself an enemy to all other joys
Which the most precious square of sense possesses,
And find I am alone felicitate
In your dear highness’ love.” (I.iii.68-75)
In this speech, Regan tries to belittle Goneril and support her claim of Lear’s wealth and power. She makes this clear when she puts on exactly the same value as Goneril but exclaims, “She comes too short” and that she is only made joyful “in [her] dear highness’s love”. To complicate further their situation, Shakespeare creates no motherly figures in King Lear to guide Goneril and Regan from right and wrong or soft and strong. In the “Bard on the Beach” production of King Lear, we see a similarity in Goneril and Regan’s clothing: they are both wearing male attire. Such open expression of masculinity would have been absurd in Elizabethan society, however, the directors at “Bard on the Beach” have agreed to this fashion statement to expose the lawlessness and masculinity of Goneril and Regan. Shakespeare, in doing so, designs them to become entirely self-guided and spontaneous characters, and like chameleons, can abandon their circumstances as fast as they can adapt to them. This consistent feature in both Goneril and Regan, in addition to their social associations, makes for an extreme relationship that is almost impossible to predict or control. Therefore, it is simultaneously correct to refer to the Goneril-Regan relationship as both foils and collaborators
As the plot of King Lear reveals itself, Goneril and Regan find themselves caught within the corrupt sandstorms of affection. The special relationship between Goneril and Regan serve as a spiritual base for any relationships they have with other characters in King Lear. Albany and Goneril, for example, have arguably the most contrasting male-female relationship in King Lear. Because of Goneril’s approach to relationships, she is very commanding and unyielding even to her husband. Given the period of the Elizabethan era, it was customary for wives to submit and serve their husbands, however, when Albany criticizes Goneril’s harsh treatment of her father, she ignores him insults his character:
“Milk-livered man,
Thou bear’st a cheek for blows, a head for wrongs,
Who hast not in thy brows an eye discerning
Thine honor from thy suffering, that not know’st
Fools do those villains pity who are punished
Ere they have done their mischief.” (IV.i.51-56)
When Albany tries to correct and control the situation, Goneril further insults him by telling him to “Marry, [his] manhood-mew!” This is not an outstanding case of obstinacy for Goneril as she kisses Edmund passionately in the upcoming scene. Not only is Goneril obstinate in her treatment of Albany, she is also committing adultery when she attempts an affair outside of her marriage. Regan, although not as vigorous as her sister, is also very stubborn and attempts adultery. Even though Regan does not show her love for Edmund as openly as Goneril does, we can sense a connection between the two. When Cornwall is slain by his servant, Regan does not show shock or disbelief as we would expect – especially during a time when being widowed was a taboo – and simply moves onto Edmund; she almost seems happy at her husband’s death. Goneril and Albany’s affection and obstinacy towards Edmund affects his rise to power and completes perhaps the most notorious love-triangle in all of Shakespeare.
Evil corrupts. Goneril and Regan are empirically evil in nature, and as the play progresses, we see the effects of their evil plots play against each other. Shakespeare uses the relationship of Goneril and Regan not only to advance the plot but also to enlighten us that evil will always corrupt onto itself. I have made a variation of Freytag’s Pyramid to trace the relationship of Goneril and Regan. The triangle represents the original Freytag’s Pyramid while the darker line represents the tension between Goneril and Regan with each number representing a different stage of tension in their relationship:
Medium tension: As the story begins, Goneril and Regan are in a medium-tense situation in which both of them want more land than the other. They utilize verbal warfare in court to gain the love and trust of King Lear.
Low tension: After Cordelia is removed from Britain, Goneril and Regan realize that they have both won the battle and the tension level drops. They start working together to get rid of their last frontier: King Lear.
No tension: After King Lear is forced into the stormy weather, tension between Goneril and Regan is released. This is a rare occasion for both Goneril and Regan as they befriend each other, no longer having reasons to fight. King Lear does not pose as a problem and it is only a matter of time before Gloucester is neutralized.
Rising tension: When there are no longer obstacles between the sisters and the throne of Britain, they begin to turn on each other. After Cornwall is killed, Regan turns her sights onto Edmund, creating an imbalance because she now has what Goneril wants. Both send letters to Edmund in hopes of gaining an advantage.
Rapidly-rising tension: Goneril feels she is loosing Edmund to Regan and ultimately resorts to poisoning Regan out of jealousy.
High tension: Goneril realizes her mistake in poisoning Regan and kills herself out of guilt and despair when she realizes that she cannot win Edmund’s affection. All is lost for Goneril and Regan.
My variation on Freytag’s Pyramid is similar to an inverse triangle. Initially, tension in the story rises as tension between the two sister fall. At the height of dramatic climax, there is almost no tension between Goneril and Regan. We see rapidly increasing emotional tension between the sisters just as action is in reversal and the story is coming to its catastrophic ending. When we refer to climax, whether we realize it or not, we are referring to the emotional climax of the “good” characters. My analysis shows that as “good” characters reach their emotional apex, the “bad” characters find the mountain valley, and vice-versa. In doing so, Shakespeare is trying to teach us a lesson about humanity. Although “good” characters reach an emotional climax first, they also find their way down first. “Bad” characters are frozen at the climax, evening in death. In King Lear, although Lear dies at the end, he receives a moment of clarity when all is resolved and he rests in peace, however, Goneril, and Regan die at the height of emotion and do not live to see their resolution. Their relationship stay tense and neither dies in peace.
Shakespeare’s King Lear is considered one of his greatest works. Shakespeare in writing the play not only considered theatrical importance but also incorporated his many insights into the patterns of relationship. As the play progresses, Goneril and Regan’s relationship digress and each find themselves trapped in an upward spiral of tension, like a balloon that keeps stretching but never pops. When we trace their relationship, we find that it grows inversely with Freytag’s Pyramid. This special relationship between Goneril and Regan not only stimulates a climax for King Lear but also helps to deliver a tragic ending to this Shakespearian masterpiece.
