You can only see a persons true colours when they no long become beneficial to your life. William Shakespeare’s King Lear introduces the true meaning of corruption, the greed for power and the true pure meaning of love. We learn that the fatal flaw of these characters is due to their own stubborn and blind conscious. The play starts out when Lear decides to ignore the chain of being and split his land between all three of his daughters, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. To determine who will receive the most wealth he asks each daughter to tell him how much they love him.
Regan and Goneril both go at it and express their undying love for him. He becomes completely blinded by their words of flattery but to his surprise his youngest and favourite daughter remains silent. This angers Lear and he casts her off leaving her with no wealth or land. He isn’t aware that by doing so it intrigues Cordelia to set off a Chaotic spree in where she starts her spincycle of mistakes. Lear unaware at the time, comes to realize that Goneril and Regan plan to betray him. The duke of Albany is blinded by his dying love for his wife. For the first half of the play Albany allows his wife Goneril to walk all over him, he soon realizes how wretched she is he still does nothing to stop her. He is a symbol of of good, but good in this case can not compete with evil.
Against his will he leads his armies into battle against the king, even though he knows that they are in the right. Gloucester hamartia is as the same as Lear’s. They both decided to be blind and neglect a child who really loves them and favours the others who sucked up. Lear, The Duke of Albany and Gloucester, are both metaphorically blinded by their respective idea of what a “ good” child should be, thus leading them to be fooled and payed and eventually dead.
127 our experts are availableright now
Actions speak louder than words, and that is something that many of us live by, however Lear doesn’t. As Lear grows old he makes the decision of splitting his kingdom between his three daughters, he also does it because he doesn’t want any political issues once he’s passed that could come up. In order to determine who will get the biggest piece of land Lear ask all his children to tell them how much they feel about him because to him he feels as though that’s the only fair way. “ Tell me, my daughter since now we will divest us both of rule, interest of territory, cares of state which of you shall we say doth love us most, That we our largest bounty may extend where nature doth with merit.challenge.” ( Shakespeare, 1.1. 52-58)
Lear is now under the impression that love can only be expressed by words and love is something that comes in quantity. This is his first mistake. Goneril is the first to speak as she says “ Sir, I love you more than words can wield the matter, dearer than eyesight, space, and liberty, beyond what can be valued, rich or rare, no less than life, with grace, health, beauty, honor; as much as child e’er loved, or father found; a love that makes breath poor, and speech unable. beyond all manner of so much I love you.” ( 1.1.60-67) Goneril speaks nothing but empty words, she claims here that all the love she has for her father leaves her breathless yet she is able to utter so much too him. She speaks not from her heart but only to flatter her father.
Regan is next in line and does the same to flatter her father, only she thinks that Goneril fell too short in her confession to their father. The final and youngest sister Cordelia, Lear’s favourite remains completely silent when it’s her turn to speak. This leaves Lear speechless. Cordelia speaks but the words she utters are not the one that are wanted to be heard“ I love your Majesty according to my bond; nor more nor less.” ( 1.1.105-107) Cordelia doesn’t believe that words are sufficient enough to express how much she loves her father. She’s love him according to her bond, no more no less. Lear is enraged by her response and disowned her.
The king of France steps in and says that he will take Cordelia. He eventually divides the land between the two sisters and their husbands, however Lear’s main man Kent hears the news he tries to warn Lear that it’s a bad idea and instead of listening he banishes Kent for speaking up. He is too blinded by the fact that just because his daughters say they loved him, it was true. At the time Lear doesn’t notice what he’s doing to not only himself but his children also. He fills them with greed and banishes one, but he doesn’t see it as bad because it’s all in the name of love.
Goneril is married to the Duke of Albany. The duke of Albany and Lear both share the delusion, they are both blinded by words of love rather than actions. Her husband The duke of Albany is afraid of her, for most of the play she controls and speaks to him however she feels and he doesn’t rebel. He does this all because he loves her. “ I cannot be so partial, Goneril, to the great love I bear you. ” (1.4.308-309) He is so blinded by his love for her that he doesn’t see how greedy and evil she is.
It is clear that he is trying to stop his wife but he first tells her he loves her, but before she can say anything else, she cuts him off saying “ Pray you, content. Come, sire, no more.” (1.4.310-311) Goneril mistreats her father and The duke of Albany doesn’t know why, as he knows it’s wrong he is too afraid to stand to her. She cuts off her husband mid sentence to go on about how her husband has 100 knight and the threat it has to her. Although this is not a big displace of disrespect it is still disrespect.
However the duke of Albany finally gets disgusted with her behaviour and stands up to her and the way she mistreats Lear. “O Goneril, you are not worth the dust which the rude wind blows in your face. I fear your disposition.” (4.1.33-35) He tells her that she isn’t worthy and that she can’t trust anyone who speaks to their father the way she has. He continues and says “Wisdom and goodness to the vile seem vile.” (4.1.39-40) we see great growth from Albany as he is able to stand to his wife and looks past the love he thought she was giving. Lear does the same. He soon comes to realization that both Regan and Goneril are no good and he regrets banishing Cordelia. He understands that words have no meaning when actions doesn’t match.
Lastly Gloucester. We first learn that Gloucester is the father to Edmund and Edgar. He is a parallel character to Lear because they’re both individuals who don’t understand or even attempt to understand their children. When Edmund speaks he talks about how much he despises the way his father acts towards him because of how his father mocked him right in front his face. “Sir, this young fellow’s mother could, whereupon she grew round-wombed and had indeed, sir, a son for her cradle ere she had a husband for her bed. Do you smell a fault? “ (1.1.8-16).
So he plots against him and the kingdom. A motive that he had to go against his father and the kingdom would be because he wanted to feel loved by his father. “For that I am some twelve or fourteen moonshines, lag of a brother? Why “bastard”? Wherefore “base”? When my dimensions are as well compact, my mind as generous, and my shape as true As honest madam’s issue? Why brand they us” ( 1.2.5-10). Gloucester makes Edmund feel not as legitimate as his brother Edgar. Near the end of the play when Goneril and Regan die for him he says to himself “ Yet Edmund was beloved” ( 5.3.53)
There is a moment of weakness and he realizes that after everything he is loved. During a storm Regan and Goneril kick Lear out of his home. Upon hearing that Lear’s death is being plotted Gloucester tires to help Lear by sending him to Dover. When he returns finds out that his good son Edmund has ratted him out to Regan and Goneril, and by doing so Regan and her husband punish him. The literally blind Gloucester. “Because I would not see thy cruèl nails pluck out his poor old eyes, nor thy fierce sister.” ( 3.7.54-55)
For sending Lear to Dover so he wouldn’t be murder Cornwall gauges out one of his eyes and steps on it. “ “See” ’t shalt thou never. ——Fellows, hold the chair.— Upon these eyes of thine I’ll set my foot.” (3.7.65-66) Both their blindness gets them kicked out of their homes by the younger generation who is looking to gain power. Gloucester is blind to his son’s true intentions, and falls for his deception, as Lear does too when he falls for Regan and Goneril’s flattery. Gloucester tried to execute Edgar and Lear banishes Cordelia, both children who truly love their fathers. They soon Lear the truth of the children that they loved the most. It is too late for them for change their fate as they are already that death’s door.
In conclusion Shakespeare “ King Lear” give us insight of what it is like to be blinded by false love. Although y’all three characters, Lear, The Duke of Albany and Gloutchester are all deceived by the ones that claim to love them the most most, they finally grow strength and they grow through the lies. When lead finds out that Goneril and Regan plan to dethrone him he comes to realization that Cordelia was the only true one that loved him. Thus, causing his death more painful. The reason why The duke of Albany is left remaining, of the three is because he was the purest of all three.
All he did was love and cherish his life regardless of the way she acted. He is a symbol good, even though he could not compete with his wife he eventually did. He ends up being the last one standing and because he such a gentle selfless soul he offers splitting the throne with Edgar and Kent. During the battle Gloucester starts to look to suicide, but Edgar reveals that he actually dies off of a mixture of shock and joy. Gloucester has to have his vision taken away from him before he is able to see how pure and noble his son Edgar really is. King Lear teaches readers that your own flesh and blood can turn against you when you are in possession of something that they want. Being ignorant and greddy will cause you your own life. Each characters teach us that words mean nothing with the actions that follow match.
References
- King Lear on Samploon
- King Lear characters on Shakespeare Online
- Study Guide for King Lear on GradeSaver
- Research and Citation Resources from Purdue Owl
- University of Saskatchewan Library Guide for Researching Literature
- Literature Homework Center from Multnomah County Library
- Texts collection on Internet Archive
