With particular reference to Act 1, Scene 1, show how Shakespeare presents the character of Lear. Is he a blind fool or a tragic father?
With particular reference to Act 1, Scene 1, show how Shakespeare presents the character of Lear. Is he a blind fool or a tragic father? King Lear is a play that was written by William Shakespeare, in 1606. The play is a tragedy, one of many written by Shakespeare; the definition of a tragedy is a play in which characters must struggle with circumstances and in which most meet death and despair, and King Lear fits that mould beautifully. Throughout the play the characters have to deal with King Lear giving away his Kingdom, banishing his favourite daughter Cordelia, and ultimately turning mad. The play also sees problems for other characters, including Lear's other two daughters - Goneril and Regan - and for Edmund, Edgar, Gloucester, Kent and other characters. The play ends with most of the characters dieing, including Regan, Goneril, Cordelia, Lear, Edmund, Gloucester, France, Cornwall and the Fool. Act 1, Scene 1 begins with Kent and Gloucester talking about Gloucester's bastard son. The scene is set in Lear's palace; however, we do not see the main character, Lear, straight away, as Shakespeare introduces him to us through other characters. This adds to the audiences expectations of Lear, and builds up his importance. To add further to his superiority, Lear's entrance is supported by trumpets playing, and a servant at his side. Lear's first line in the play is a
An Examination of the Significance of the Fool in King Lear
An Examination of the Significance of the Fool in King Lear A Fool is used in plays as a professional jester or clown whose function it was to amuse the king and his followers by his jokes and witty remarks. The Fool enjoyed the freedom to speak on any subject and to comment on persons and events without any restraint. The Fool's function was purely to provide entertainment and to amuse people. Shakespeare's objective in introducing the fool in King Lear is to provide comic relief in the play where the events are very tragic and oppressing. The jokes of the Fool serve to lighten the gloom and to relieve the tension and the stress which are generated by the cruel treatment delivered to Lear by his own daughters and by the storm, fury and violence which he faces of which are too great to bear by the aged king. The Fool only speaks to Lear himself, and his words are generally of a nature to 'rub in' the mistakes of Lear. The sarcastic remarks of the Fool intensify the sufferings of Lear and actually become a contributory cause of his madness. The Fool is essential to Lear's character development. The Fool represents the conscience of Lear, maybe a reason why there is no more of the Fool when Lear loses his mind. The significance and the role of the Fool is not confined to just one objective. Shakespeare uses the Fool for a number of reasons. I will examine the Fool's various
How effectively does Shakespeare present Lear's loss of power in the play?
How effectively does Shakespeare present Lear's loss of power in the play? In the opening scenes of the play, King Lear is the character who wields the most power. However throughout the play he gradually loses his power and this is presented very effectively by Shakespeare. Shakespeare portrays this loss through the characters language, Lear's and other's, and certain symbolic events such as the loss of Lear's knights. At the beginning of the play, Lear's language displays his power and authority. His language is forceful and the line, "Come not between the dragon and his wrath", portrays his power as he compares himself to a dragon, a very powerful beast. It also shows how he can issue demands without a moment's hesitation. As King, Lear's servants and courtiers attend to his every need. Lear's first line of the play is a demand to Gloucester to "Attend the lords of France and Burgundy", which is immediately obeyed. This again portrays Lear's power. Another part of Lear's language that depicts his power is the use of the 'royal we'. He describes Cordelia as "our joy", which shows his status as King by the use of the royal we. Therefore Shakespeare effectively presents Lear's loss of power by emphasizing Lear's initial power through his language in the opening of the play. This emphasis on the vast amount of power Lear wields in the play's opening makes the audience all the
The Nature of Redemption and the Limits of Pessimism in King Lear
The Nature of Redemption and the Limits of Pessimism in King Lear Brian Sheldon King Lear distinguishes itself as Shakespeare’s bleakest tragedy, for it combines a level of brutality and a moral nihilism that are unparalleled in the rest of his works. The question of cosmic justice is the central theme in the play, and yet the dramatist’s perspective on the subject seems to be couched in ambiguity—especially with regard to the significance of the apparently senseless deaths of Lear and Cordelia in the final scene. This ambiguity is highlighted in the contrasting opinions of A. C. Bradley and J. Stampfer. In Shakespearean Tragedy, Bradley contends that Lear attains redemption through his previous suffering, a fact that allows him to die joyfully after casting off the vanities of worldly existence. However, as Stampfer points out in “The Catharsis of King Lear,” this interpretation is untenable because Bradley misjudges the depth to which Shakespeare’s pessimism extends. In the first place, Bradley possesses a weak understanding of pessimism itself, made evident by his presumption that King Lear is “too beautiful” to be pessimistic. This “aesthetic” reaction against pessimism causes him to take a narrow view of cosmic justice, a fact that leads him to conflate the moral with the metaphysical. As Stampfer demonstrates, the ultimate consequence of this twofold
Explore the presentation of Edmund in 'King Lear'
Explore the presentation of Edmund in 'King Lear' There is all the difference in the world between the evil of Goneril and Regan - dour, stark, and mean-minded - and the evil of Edmund, which has an almost magnificent vitality and elegance. His first appearance in Act 1 reveals all; scorns traditional attitude, establishing himself as a crusader in the cause of amorality. There is tremendous energy and vigour here; martial fidelity and family ties are swept aside. Self-confident and poised, for Edmund a man is what makes himself, especially 'by wit'. His pride in his cunning is justified; Edgar and Gloucester are slickly manipulated, while Cornwall and Regan are smoothly incorporated into his plans other people are there to be used; he uses, when suited, Goneril and Regan against each other. Yet nobody is allowed to use him, as we see when he fights shy of Goneril's suggestion that he should murder Albany. Such single mindedness makes him a successful military leader, concerned with results and not the niceties of principle. Yet we must beware of glamourising this dangerous man, and remind ourselves that he does callously abuse those who are closest to him. He delivers Gloucester into the hands of Cornwall and Regan; he later rides out to apply the final murderous thrust to his own father; he calmly orders the execution of Lear and Cordeila. He is attractive in his zest,
Compare and contrast madness: its possible causes; its manifestations; its consequences; and its resolution, in King Lear and The Winters Tale
Compare and contrast madness: its possible causes; its manifestations; its consequences; and its resolution, in "King Lear" and "The Winter's Tale". The theme of madness within King Lear and The Winter's Tale is one of unavoidable importance; through insanity society is inverted, the wise are transformed into the irrational, and the innocent and guilty alike are united in suffering. Though both plays are placed historically within a pre-Christian context, the themes explored by Shakespeare - of madness, the breakdown of order, and the subversion of truth - seem designed as a potent challenge to the religious society in which the author resided, and if these motifs have lost some of their cogency with age, it is very easy to observe the way in which the plays would have provoked and shocked contemporaneous spectators. Though the Renaissance was bringing with it modernizing views upon mental illness, the madness depicted here is certainly not the more clearly known malaise of the twentieth century; this is a view of the subject far detached from the understandings of Freud and his followers; rather than an illness that simply affects the brain, insanity here acts as a threatening veil of senselessness, an extended metaphor for the collapse of order and values considered resolute. In the wake of the rise of psychoanalysis and medicine, today one sees madness within drama merely
How does Shakespeare present Edmund in King Lear?
How does Shakespeare present Edmund in King Lear? King Lear is a play about child - parent relationships, nature, Christianity and enlightenment. King Lear initiates with a King dividing up his land and bestowing it upon his three daughters. After being betrayed by his youngest born Cordelia, Lear banishes her and starts his struggle with madness. King Lear is a tragic play and ends with many characters dying after a bloody war. Shakespeare touched on many themes when creating his masterpiece and all of these can be voiced through Edmund which makes him an integral character to the play. Edmund is the illegitimate son of the Duke of Gloucester. He is one of the first characters mentioned in the play, and throughout the play he seems to be the personification of evil. The mendacious bastard betrays his brother and father before dying with little remorse. Shakespeare used a variety of literary techniques to convey his message about Edmund and used the villain as a pawn in the story about Good vs. Evil. Edmund is a godless character; he embraces the concept of humanism and refuses to answer to any divine being when he stresses "thou nature art my goddess" he instantly dismisses the notion of an abrahamic God. To be an atheist was still seen as "satanic" so for Shakespeare to present Edmund as faithless, it reasserts this notion of malevolence. Edmunds denial of God means he
Social injustices in King Lear
To what extent are the perceived injustices in Lear's society the ultimate cause of tragedy? To understand why tragedy was caused in 'King Lear' we must understand the root of the words 'Social Injustices' and how each character perceived them. 'Social' could be defined as an individual living in companionship with others or in a community rather than in isolation, and an 'injustice' could be defined as the rights of others being overlooked as they are treated unfairly and there is a violation of their rights and is a cause for their behaviour. Thus the social injustices in Lear's society were the fuel for the tragic momentum and were met by the majority of characters in "King Lear". These perceived 'social injustices' had led to the frustration and resentment characters bred. Lear created a society where the birth of a child and how it was conceived defined its social position, characters such as Edmond were branded as 'bastards' as they grew up feeling isolated and faced injustices society had condemned on them breeding frustration and resentment a cause for their behaviour and tragedy. Edmond's status in society inevitably led him to resent the status that was awarded to him at birth, consequently the tragedy being heightened due to his undying enthusiasm to overturn the injustices that were casted upon him. The injustices in Lear's society epitomized the frustration and
In Shakespeare's King Lear, the Fools main function is to play three major roles. Discuss
In Shakespeare's, King Lear, the Fools main function is to play three major roles. The first of these roles is to play King Lear's "inner-conscience". The fool provides basic wisdom and reasoning for the King at much needed times. His second role as the Fool is to work as amusement for Lear in times of sadness and his third role as one of the only people besides the Duke of Kent and Cordelia with the ability to stand up to King Lear. I plan to use these roles and other functions of the fool to examine their effect on other characters in the play and how they develop with the plot. I will use my own knowledge and that of: Arnold Kettle, Kathleen McLuskie and ... to support my thoughts on his functions. The fool works as the "inner conscience" of Lear throughout the play quote . He informs him of his mistakes (follies) . quote . The fool shows Lear the side of reasoning and tries to persuade Lear that it was wrong to banish Cordelia. The fool first appearance is in Act 1, scene four, after Cordelia had moved away with the King of France, due to the bad judgement of King Lear. The fool knows that King Lear has done wrong by giving all his land away to his 2 other daughters, Goneril and Regan, and tells him so in act one, scene four, when he says, "All thy other titles thou hast given away; that thou wast born with." Lines 147-148. The
"How does Shakespeare illuminate and develop character in the opening scenes of King Lear?"
"How does Shakespeare illuminate and develop character in the opening scenes of King Lear?" In the opening scenes of King Lear, we are introduced to many characters, all of whom are provided with an array of personalities and opinions. However, even in the early stages we see a development in these characters, in their way of thinking and how they deal with the challenges around them. The first of many of these characters is Gloucester. In the opening scene, Gloucester is portrayed as a very heartless character, especially to his illegitimate son Edmund, "I have so often blushed to acknowledge him..." Despite his brave face, we as the reader see Gloucester as being ashamed here, totally embarrassed and full of guilt. Gloucester's way of trying to hide this is by degrading Edmund, "Do you smell a fault?" The fault referred to here being Edmunds existence, and Gloucester feels no guilt in referring to him as a "knave" and a "whoreson". The "whoreson" could also illuminate Gloucester as being a slightly dishonest character, having obviously carried out an affair some time ago. He is also very cold in the way he describes Edmund's mother, "whereupon she grew round-wombed, and had, indeed, Sir, a son for her cradle ere she had a husband for her bed". Despite Edmund being there with him, Gloucester has no problem in talking in a degrading way to someone who Edmund thinks so
