Representation of women in King Lear
Malik Al-Mahrouky 12JRb
Candidate Number: 0001
Centre Number: 34703
Describe the Representation of women through the play, King Lear.
Representation of women in King Lear can be looked at from a variety of perspectives: as a play of patriarchy, of rejection and madness, a feminist interpretation but ultimately, a play of tragedy and despair. Shakespeare's description of women through King Lear imputes the distinct seperation between what should and what shouldn't from perspectives of both a Shakespearean audience and that of a modern audience chiefly through the contribution of Lear's distinguishably individualised daughters: Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. All three 'women' devise the representation of what should (Cordelia), what could (Regan), and what wouldn't (Goneril) have been acknowledged as the traditional expectation of a woman essentially established through the three daughters signifying purity, rivalry and callousness.
Primarily from Act One Scene One, Regan establishes herself as a bitter, opportunistic woman through rebounding off her sisters, Goneril's, emotions in order to advantageously depict her 'declaration of love' that " makes breath poor and speech unable" in effectively enabling herself to enhance her own. Theoretically speaking, this represents Regan as a character who imposes on others to get what she wants: a character of selfishness who possess' lack of remorse when doing so. This is reflected when Regan says:
"I am made of that self metal as my sister,
And prize me at her worth"
This represents Regan as an egocentric woman who finds her love "an enemy to all
other joys", which, as a contemporary audience, is rather ironic as she seems to
be her own worst enemy, fighting against her own insecurities which leads, in my opinion, to her odious behaviour through sibling rivalry within the play and the inheritance of wealth and power. However, it also represents Regan as an independent woman of the Shakespearean era (a rarity of course), who is able to justify her own emotions through that of another yet still ENHANCING her own prerogative in order to retain her hubris (pride). This is augmented through the use of the metaphor "metal" representing herself as an impregnable and durable woman reflecting a strong, robust nature: an early preparation of what may later occur.
King Lear's eldest daughter, Goneril, emerges stronger than Regan, which is portrayed through the way she dominates her husband in the early acts of the play. We learn of Goneril saying:
"I will not speak with him; say I am sick:
If you come slack of former services,
You shall do well; the fault of it I'll answer"
From this, Oswald merely replies
"well madam"
Goneril's tenacious comments such as "I'll not endure it" and "I will not speak with him" not only represent her as a child-like and stubborn individual emphasized primarily through the use of personal pronouns such as "I" and "I'll", but also female domination within their relationship. Within the Shakespearean era this would have been seen as an absurd rarity. Relationships between men and women were based upon a patriarchal ...
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If you come slack of former services,
You shall do well; the fault of it I'll answer"
From this, Oswald merely replies
"well madam"
Goneril's tenacious comments such as "I'll not endure it" and "I will not speak with him" not only represent her as a child-like and stubborn individual emphasized primarily through the use of personal pronouns such as "I" and "I'll", but also female domination within their relationship. Within the Shakespearean era this would have been seen as an absurd rarity. Relationships between men and women were based upon a patriarchal structure: ultimately, male domination. Women were of little significance and seen essentially as a figure of nurture and care whilst men were seen as maintaining an authoritative role. This represents Goneril as an estranged protagonist, a woman who symbolises the antithesis of Shakespearean society's norms through the role reversal within her relationship with Oswald. Goneril is seen overspeaking and undermining her husband representing herself from one perspective, the perspective of a Shakespearean audience, as a woman who clearly disacknowledges her role within society epitomizing her defiance, however, from a contemporary audience, and also a feminist perspective, Goneril glorifies independence; a woman who stands up against her husband to express her opinion.
Goneril's dominant nature is also apparent in Act One Scene Four where she chastises the Fool through her reprimands and authoritative tone representing herself, again, as a character who acts against the norms of a patriarchal society. Language such as "Sir", "Insdent", and "quarrel" reinforce this not only representing herself as a disrespectful woman authoritising herself over a man but also yet again, a female protagonist unaware of her 'social status'. This attitude that Goneril, as well as Regan, possess can be explained through the absence of a female role model to aspire to. Throughout the play we are unaware of the presence if a motherly female counterpart therefore the only life that these 'women' are enlightened to is that of King Lear and his entourage: a lucid comparison to the older daughters' masculinity. This leaves the youngest of daughters, Cordelia, with an inheritance of masculine traits from both her Father and his entourage but also her sisters. I believe that Cordelia is the character she is, unlike Goneril and Regan, as she did have some form of a female role model, her sisters, whereas they didn't. The only inspirational figures they were enlightened to were that of their father, as previously mentioned and also his entourage.
Cordelia, from the perspective of both a Shakespearean and modern contemporary audience enriches the essential qualities of a traditional Shakespearean woman through her purity and willingness to accept her role within a patriarchally structured society served to "reinforce order and peace"- (The Patriarchal Bard: Feminist Criticism: CWF Coming/ Mcluskie). Cordelia's emotional and intact moral imperatives empower her with respect and dignity in accepting and respecting authority not only not only as a daughter, but as a civil servant to her father, King Lear. Cordelia's genuine nature is reflected when she comments:
"Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave
My heart into my mouth: I love your majesty
According to my bond; no more nor less."
Although Cordelia loves Lear as a daughter should accordingly do so, her inability in "heaving her heart into her mouth" as her integrity and acceptance of a patriarchal structure disallows her to do so signifying not only respect but domination: a traditional expectance of both a daughter/father relationship and a civilian/monarchy relationship- the antithesis of the exploitation of Goneril and Regan. However, adapted from 'Shakespeare in performance', edited by Keith Parsons and Pamela Mason:
"Cordelia was a stubborn child who saw through her father's sentimentality but lacked her sisters sophisticated ability to humour it".
This arises as questionable as on the surface it is Cordelia who is traditionally seen as the most harmonious and moral of the three daughters. However, when focusing on Act One scene One, her 'purity' becomes a little more ambiguous and begins, in my opinion, to reiterate the theory made by Parsons and Mason. By Cordelia stating "nothing" when asked to speak by her father, the King of England, this enlightens Cordelia as a stubborn individual refusing to express her emotions (egotistically benefiting or not) as she is certain her 'loves more ponderous than her tongue' to such an authoritative role not just to her father, but to her King. This represents women's actions within King Lear going against the stereotypically perceived traditional Shakespearean woman, going against what was expected of them in order to satisfy themselves against ones ego. Nowadays it is acceptable for a woman to defend herself against a male however in the Shakespearean era this would have been unheard of.
Although I can understand and relate to Parsons' and Masons' interpretation of Cordelia refusing to declare her love for her father, I however see the comparison of a 'stubborn child' untrue and unjust. In Act Four Scene Four we learn of Lear "crowned with rank fumiter and furrow weeds, with hardocks, hemlock, nettles, cuckoo flowers". Not only does this reflect natural healing, it also creates us with an element of religious imagery: the figure of Jesus Christ before he was crucified, however, rather than a crown of thorns, Lear wears a crown of flowers hereby one must stress that just as Shakespeare's other great plays, there will be no redemption as this a tragedy. Cordelia is noted expressing her concerns over her estranged father later on and says:
"He that helps him take all my outward worth,
Search every acre in the high grown field".
This ultimately creates a mother-like figure, a role of nurture, care and responsibility which is further emphasized in Act Four Scene Seven allowing one to compare Cordelia to that of Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.
"O you kind Gods
Cure this great breach in his abused nature
Th'untuned and jarring senses, O! wind up
Of this child changed father".
With Cordelia's protective attitude of her father's well being, this epitomizes her femininity and role within a Shakespearean society where a woman vows and protects her husband/father through expectance. Lear's "child-changed" nature as both a reformed child aswell as changed by his children allows the representation of what a woman should be therefore disagreeing with Parsons' and Masons' theory. I believe, however, that Cordelia is too hard a character to aspire to as stubborn and is principally too pure and chaste: just like the Virgin Mary.
We now visualises the representation of women through 'King Lear' as a play of changed positions:
Goneril and Regan: acting masculine and going against the norms of society- female to male.
Cordelia: A role reversal with King Lear. She is now Virgin Mary whereas he is the "child changed" Jesus Christ- daughter to mother.
When encountering Peter Brooks 2004 direction of King Lear, the entirety of the play is set in black and white: an ironic juxtaposition of colour. On one hand we have the colour black- a colour of negativity and mourning for example the beginning of Americas Great Depression was known as Black Tuesday, a colour of evil and immorality: a lucid comparison to the way in which Brooks represents Goneril and Regan in his adaptation. Goneril is portrayed a severe, sharp and harsh looking female with a lack of empathy in her tone when declaring her 'love' for her father. Her colour of clothing reiterates this through dark and cold colours. Regan is presented as a more softer and pleasant character than her sister: an early substitution for her hardness and the way in which sibling rivalry evolves her into something that isn't her and isn't acceptable within a Shakespearean society dominated hugely on a structure of patriarchy. On the other hand we have the colour white: a colour of purity and angelicity: the contemporary Shakespearean audiences traditional perception of a woman. In Brooks' direction, Cordelia is presented a lot younger than her sisters and resembles a very childlike look about herself- a way of illustrating her immature side, which, ultimately would account for her later actions in refusing to declare her love on behalf of her fathers ego. I however disagree with this direction of Cordelia as I feel she exemplifies the traditional Shakespearean woman trough her virginal innocence and virtuous dignity as opposed to the child she has been portrayed as.
The representation of women through Act Three Scene Seven corrupts the difference between a contemporary Shakespearean audiences perception of the play and a modern contemporary audiences as the scene distinguishes the verbal and violent rivalry and outdoing of husband versus wife. This is shown though Cornwall versus Regan with Regan successfully bettering her husband: the antithesis of social expectation. After Cornwall's harsh attack on Gloucester, Regan replies by adding:
"One side will mock another,
Th'other too".
This not only represents a woman bettering her husband, but also a contrast of two societies: Shakespearean versus modern day. For the Shakespearean audience this would've been perceived a hugely shocking comment and also socially incorrect adding a sense of irony to the matter as it shows how Shakespeare endlessly opposes this through his plays such as 'Macbeth' and the characterisation of Lady Macbeth: a clear comparison to Goneril and Regan. Nowadays, although one wouldn't agree with the violent context, arguably, one wouldn't perceive it as shocking for a woman to verbally better her husband as positions of gender have dramatically changed since then allowing the equality and independence of women both within the home and in society. Act Three Scene Seven allows the clear links of what is socially of women through both the Shakespearean audience and modern day audience representing them through the antithetical norm of the Shakespearean society's expectations.
WORD COUNT: 2008
