King Lear was an interesting play that I enjoyed reading. It was mainly about filial service and love. This is seen throughout the play as relationships take a turn from good to worse and family members desert each other. Goneril and Regan show false love for their father when he asks them to show him their love. AS the play unfolds they are quick to through him out into a storm because neither really cared for him int eh first place. Cordelia at first tells him she has "nothing" (Act I Scene I line 99) when he asks for her to show her love for him yet quickly forgives him and eventually ends up dying with her father. The Earl of Gloster has the similar problem with his children. He has a legitimate son Edgar whom he had prided himself in although he denied loving one over the other. He also has a bastard son Edmund who also shows false love for his father and turns against him in the end.
Although nearly everyone dies toward the end I still feel the story was a great way to show the differences between children and how people can be easily manipulated to the point where they believe good is bad and bad is good (this is based ont he children who falsely proclaim theie love).
This play could hit home for most people considering children could always do the same thing to their parents by breaking their hearts just as Goneril and Regan did to King Lear.
I addition this play holds Christian Theme in that both Cordelia and Edgar show a neverending love for their fathers to the extent that they would die for them just as Christ did for the Father.
Overall the play was good if you especially if you love to read Shakespeare.
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That's a good summary of the story, however Christ didn't die for the Father, he died for all the people on earth. Since God is holy, he doesn't need salvation, right? ;D
ReplyDelete(And Mr. B, this isn't one of my three posts, I just felt inclined to make a comment.)
I'm just wondering what sort of atmosphere fueled this conflict. I can understand Goneril and Regan being dishonest to gain power, but then to betray Lear? Do they ever show remorse or conflict? What makes Lear so despicable to his oldest daughters?
ReplyDeleteI would imagine that a greater comparison to the Christian faith would be that Goneril and Regan show false love to their father, and then when a storm comes they quickly turn on him. For some reason (and maybe I'm completely lost) but this reminds me of the Israelites in the New Testament. God was there for them, he showed them love, but they turned against him at times, questioned him when figurative storms came, worshiped idols (showing false love), and then are forbidden to enter the promise land because of the way they treated God. Were these two characters eventually punished for their actions? (or did carma strike them?) because Shakespeare always seems to create the idea that people who hurt others will hurt themselves.
ReplyDeleteGood point, Luke, but what I meant by that is Christ helped his Father by showing people the love he had for Him. In his dying to sava mankind he also died in helping his father gain recognition by the people of earth. Sorry I didn't explain before. Thanks for catching that.
ReplyDeleteDanielle: Their father was getting old and they had no desire to take care of him. He really hadn't shown as much love for them while they grew as he had for Cordelia. They must've felt left out or betrayed by him and decided to show him what it felt like for them to endure that while they grew. King Lear just felt more connected to his youngest daughter. He wanted to pamper her as she grew and in the process he forgot about the other two daughters he had. I would not say he despised them just that he merely forgot they needed his love just as much as Cordelia did. Do you mean remorse and conflict for killing their father? If so I have to tell you they never got the chance as their father died after they had killed each other. But his death was a direct result of their actions and betrayal.
Abby Allen: Great Comparison :) And Yes they did. They killed each other. Goneril was killed with a knife and Regan by poison.