Free Essay

King Lear- Transformation

In: English and Literature

Submitted By Noush228
Words 877
Pages 4
Transformation
The Transformation of King Lear

Like all other plays, throughout the tragedy of King Lear, written by William Shakespeare – many of the characters undergo changes that help the plot to progress. The transformations of King Lear’s character are one of the driving forces behind the play, and help the plot to develop. The audience may notice how Lear’s sanity, thought processes and physical status changes his character transforms. Throughout the tragedy, King Lear goes from having a complex social identity and status to becoming just another peasant.

Throughout the play King Lear, there are many actions and events that take place that cause a change in his character. When King Lear chooses to resign from the kingdom, giving his power to his daughters- he disturbs the great chain of being. Giving up his kingdom by choice as opposed to death was not common or agreed upon during that time. Therefore, by taking such a risky action in doing so, the audience is aware that his character will go through many changes.

King Lear goes from being the king and the patriarch of the family to becoming another peasant who is under the rule of these daughters. However, by doing so – the king expects to keep the privileges of being king without having to do the work. Lear goes from having a very high social identity, to being under the rule of his daughters which does not sit well with him. The audience learns about how his power is stripped away little by little, and is aware of how this is impacting his character. By Goneril and Regan reducing his power down to 50 men, then 25 then finally one – King Lear becomes a powerless being with limited to no control over his kingdom. Due to these changes in his social status, King Lear- his overall sanity is then impacted.

As King Lear’s social status is diminished, his level of sanity is quickly driven to the point of madness. At the beginning of the play, King Lear is a confident and egoistical character. He shows his power and confidence through challenging his each daughter with the task of telling him that she loves him the most to decide who will get the kingdom. He further shows his power by then proceeding to banish his daughter and loyalist servant – Kent. It is the repercussions of these actions, and his choice to give his other two daughters the Kingdom that further transforms his sanity.

Once Lear gives up his kingdom, it is difficult for him to cope not being to alpha-character. He begins to go mad as more power is taken away from him by his daughters. Lear goes through many emotional changes represented through his thought processes as his daughters begin to diminish his power. After Goneril demands that Lear reduce his men to 50, he says that she cannot do that as it is his kingdom. However, this is not the case. The emotional change that the audience is aware becomes evident through the curses he puts on his family, and how he reacts in certain situations.

Much of the transformation in Lear’s character occurs when Lear is forced to face the elements of nature after Goneril and Regan throw him out of his kingdom. Lear goes extremely mad when outside. There comes a point in the play in Act III, when King Lear comes to a climax. At this point, we see Lear peak at his insanity when he beings to strip in the middle of a thunder storm. He states as he strips, that man should be able to face nature by themselves. At his point, the audience sees as Lear comes to the realization that he no longer has power. At this point, Lear’s character is further transformed when he comes face to face with his daughters, and Kent.

In the last Act of the play, both the audience and Lear are aware of the multiple changes that Lear has undergone throughout the duration of King Lear. In the last couple of scenes, Lear states a few things. When he realizes that Kent is next to him, he states that “his eyesight was not as clear as it used to be”. This ties in with the theme of blindness, and is Lear’s admittance that he has not been thinking clearly. Finally, the last realization that King Lear has in the play is what Love is. He realizes that his two daughters who professed that they loved him the most were driven by their lust for power and it was truly his youngest daughter – Cordelia who was the more faithful and loving. By the end of the play, the king’s character has gone through an epitome of changes.

Throughout the duration of the play, Lear’s change in character is evident through many key points in the play. As power is stripped away from King Lear, he goes from being a power driven, egoistical man, to a man with common senses realizing his mistakes. Though his physical status changes, Lear’s real transformation occurs in his sanity. By the end of the play, King Lear transforms into a character that is aware of his surrounding, and realizes the meaning behind love and family.

Word Count: 874

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Literature

...Analysis of King Lear King Lear, by William Shakespeare, is a tragic tale of filial conflict, personal transformation, and loss. The story revolves around the King who foolishly alienates his only truly devoted daughter and realizes too late the true nature of his other two daughters. A major subplot involves the illegitimate son of Gloucester, Edmund, who plans to discredit his brother Edgar and betray his father. With these and other major characters in the play, Shakespeare clearly asserts that human nature is either entirely good, or entirely evil. Some characters experience a transformative phase, where by some trial or ordeal their nature is profoundly changed. We shall examine Shakespeare's stand on human nature in King Lear by looking at specific characters in the play: Cordelia who is wholly good, Edmund who is wholly evil, and Lear whose nature is transformed by the realization of his folly and his descent into madness. The play begins with Lear, an old king ready for retirement, preparing to divide the kingdom among his three daughters. Lear has his daughters compete for their inheritance by judging who can proclaim their love for him in the grandest possible fashion. Cordelia finds that she is unable to show her love with mere words: "Cordelia. [Aside] What shall Cordelia speak? Love, and be silent." Act I, scene i, lines 63-64. Cordelia's nature is such that she is unable to engage in even so forgivable...

Words: 1267 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

How Lear Learns to See Better

...In this paper we are going to follow King Lear through his journey from being an arrogant King to finding his humanity and point to key moments that help him to gain a clear vision or open his mind’s eye as opposed to his short sightedness. This is a very important theme and throughout history alchemists, poets and writers have been focused on it. For example Rumi in his poetry mentions that if we open the mind’s eye then we see all the secrets of the world in front of us. Before diving into the details of words and imagery let’s have a look at key synopsis and events in the play related to our theme: * 1.1.130 Lear uses flattery test to divide his kingdom (shortsightedness) * 1.1.161 Overtaken by anger Lear says “out of my sight” to Cordelia his favorite daughter (anger) * 1.1.16 Lear banishes loyal Kent for his honesty (anger) * 1.4.9 Lear does not recognize Kent in disguise and employs him again (shortsightedness) * 1.4.200 Lear asks “Where are his eyes?” (confusion) * 1.4.204 “Lear’s shadow” is fool’s answer to Lear question about how he is (fool wise words) * 1.5.20-21 “To keep one’s eyes of either side’s nose, that what a man cannot smell out he may spy into” (Fool wise word) * 1.5.36-37 “If thou wert my fool, nuncle, I’d have thee beaten for being old before your time.” (Fool) * 3.2.1-13 “Blow winds and crack your cheeks! Rage, blow, You cataracts and hurricanoes, spout Till you have drenched our steeples, drowned the cocks! You...

Words: 2683 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Themes and Motifs in King Lear

...King Lear In Shakespeare’s Tragedy King Lear understanding the themes and motifs is as important as interpreting the dialogue. The emotional effect is highlighted in King Lear with Shakespeare’s use of themes which mirrors the father-child relationships, the different definitions of blindness and the degrees of complete madness. Blindness can normally be defined as the inability of the eye to see, but according to Shakespeare, blindness is not a physical trait, but a mental imperfection some people possess. Because of Lear’s high position in society, he was supposed to be able to distinguish the good from the bad however his lack of sight prevented him from doing it. King Lear’s first act of blindness came at the beginning of the play. First, his two eldest daughters easily deceived him by their lies then he could not see the reality of Cordelia’s true love for him, and as a result, banished her from his kingdom with the following words:“for we have no such daughter, nor shall ever see that face of her again. Therefore be gone without our grace, our love, our benison.” (Act I, Scene I, Ln 265-267) Lear’s blindness also lead him into getting rid of one of his most loyal men. Kent was able to see Cordelia’s true love for her father, and tried to protect her from her blind father’s irrationality. After Kent was banished, he disguised himself and was eventually hired by Lear as a servant. Lear’s inability to determine his servant’s true identity proved once again how blind...

Words: 1222 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

King Lear

...Character Analysis Lear, the King of Britain, is a powerful and important man. But he's getting near retirement age. Lear thinks he can hand over the hard work of ruling the kingdom to his children and relax. He wants to enjoy the power of still being king without any of the responsibility. That's Lear's first mistake, separating power and responsibility. His two eldest daughters are ready to run their own lives – and their own kingdoms. They resent Lear acting as if he is still in charge. Yet the King is shocked when his daughters assert their independence from him. After all, he gave them everything they have. Lear's second mistake is to exile the people who love him the most. He chooses to stage a "love test" among his three daughters so he can give the biggest slice of the kingdom to the one who loves him most of all. When Cordelia refuses to participate, Lear is so angry that he orders her out of the kingdom. And when his advisor, Kent, warns him that this is a terrible idea, Lear throws him out, too. So Lear has to deal with the power struggle his retirement sparked without two of the people who could have smoothed the transition. (Kent does come back disguised as Caius, a peasant, but this means he only has a peasant's power – enough to take care of Lear, but not enough to soothe his political worries.) Lear realizes his stupidity soon enough. His retirement starts a series of conflicts that lead the whole country to civil war. Two of Lear's own children turn...

Words: 2299 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

King Lear Paper #1

...Jasmine Pagan Dr. Amy C. Reeves Survey of World Literature February 7, 2013 Paper #1 I am writing a paper on King Lear, focusing on the main reason for his “fall” in the play. King Lear falls for power, so what is the reason for it? Does Lear end up deserving his fate? Or is he just blind to what is going on around him? Lear was a high respected aging king of British. He had three daughters, Goneril, Regan and Codelia, who he is dividing the kingdom into before he passes. Before he does so, he wanted to put in daughters through a test. He wants to know how much his daughters love him the most and which one would be great to take his place when the time comes. So he asks all his daughters how much they love him. Both Goneril and Regan, (which are his older daughters) lie to him. They tell King Lear that they love him more than anything and that they would be great to take over the kingdom in due time. He waits to hear from his youngest daughter, Cordelia (which is his favorite daughter), she is quiet at first then tells him she loves him like a regular daughter should love her father. “Nothing more; nothing less” she says. At that point King Lear becomes very angry, disappointed and immediately disowns Cordelia at sight because she did not say what Lear expected to hear from her. Deep down, King Lear was crushed and upset. He loved Cordelia very much, that was his favorite daughter out of them all. So when she told him that she loved him regular, at that moment...

Words: 1393 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

The Madness of King Lear

...The Madness of King Lear Madness is a key theme throughout King Lear and has, therefore, been the subject of much debate by scholars and critics throughout the centuries. Samantha MarkhamSamantha Markham Samantha Markham is a professional freelance writer with a particular passion for literary and theatrical subjects. Ludwig Devrient as King Lear (1769)Written between 1603 and 1606, King Learis one of Shakespeare’s most celebrated tragedies. The story is based on the legend of King Leir of Britain in which a king divides his kingdom. However, Shakespeare’s interpretation of the legend is much darker than the original and is filled with deceit, death and madness. Much debate surrounding King Lear’s madness concentrates on possible early manifestations of it and its causes. While some assert that King Lear displays early signs of insanity from the commencement of the play, others believe that it is his anger and lust for revenge that drive him to madness. King Lear’s Madness in the First Scene The opening scene of King Lear is a fascinating exploration of flattery, self-love and the relationship between father and daughters. It seems absurd that a king would divide his kingdom according to professions of love, but it is worth considering that a long reigning king is accustomed to exercising irresponsible power. However, the problem with chalking the opening scene up to an old king’s desire to be flattered is that the kingdom has already been divided. Gloucester tells...

Words: 704 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Discuss in Detail Two Different Performances of King Lear on Stage, Film or Tv.

...English 3 Group AA Due: 04 October 2013 Monday 09:35 Dr. D. Seddon Early Modern Literature Discuss in detail two different performances of King Lear on stage, film or TV. Your discussion should include an assessment of the relative merits of the directorial decisions as regards characterization, setting, costume, and dialogue. The only way of expressing emotion in the form of art is by finding an 'objective correlative'; in other words, a set of objects, a situation, a chain of events which shall be the formula of that particular emotion; such that when the external facts, which must terminate in sensory experience, are given, the emotion is immediately evoked. (Eliot, 1919) William Shakespeare’s King Lear is considered by many to be one of his most powerful pieces. Its universal themes and messages that seep through have inspired many other works and allowed room for several adaptations. In his influential critical essay on Hamlet, T.S. Eliot suggests that one could “examine any of Shakespeare’s more successful tragedies…” and always “… find this exact equivalence” (1919). His term ‘objective correlative’ encompasses the phenomena of emotional reaction being created in the audience by the writer or poet or playwrights combination of images, objects or description which evoke the...

Words: 1863 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

“the Family Is a Natural Hierarchy, and the Father Possesses Rightful Authority. the Violation of This Order in King Lear Leads to Tyranny, Cruelty and Moral Chaos in the Light of the Above Comment, Discuss Shakespeare’

...“The family is a natural hierarchy, and the father possesses rightful authority. The violation of this order in King Lear leads to tyranny, cruelty and moral chaos In the light of the above comment, discuss Shakespeare’s presentation of family in King Lear? According to the 2011 census in the UK, the stereotypical image of a family being a mother, father with two children- often one boy, one girl- living in a semi-detached or detached house is fast “becoming a myth”. Today’s census is expected to affirm the fact that there is a larger proportion of families with single mothers or fathers, and adults still living in the house with their parents. This real-life exemplar degradation of the family ethos resonates within King Lear as Lear almost intentionally disrupts his family community through his power-play and expressions of favouritism, essentially cutting himself off from communication with his three daughters as they all develop spiteful distaste for his actions. The ‘rightful authority’ which Lear certainly possesses in the first instances of the play is ironically reversed as his three daughters adopt the power and authority he abandoned when he stepped down from his position as monarch. The violation of this order in King Lear does indeed lead to tyranny, cruelty and moral chaos as a bitter power struggle ensues. On the other hand, however, the family being a ‘natural hierarchy’ is questionable as- especially in a monarchical family- whoever is heir to the throne, or the...

Words: 1950 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Sorry for the Loss

...”Once you label me you negate me.” a quote by Søren Kierkegaard which is identical with ”Sorry for the loss” We’re introduced to a rough environment and in the beginning of the novel. We have a sterotypical image of a prisoner. We label them as criminal and killers. However, throughout the novel. We will gain a better understanding of people and how our stereotypes don’t match reality. written by Bridget Keehan starts in medias res. We’re thrown directly into the story. We follow a third person narrator with a restricted point of view. The narrator does not participate in the story, however, tells” Sorry for the Loss. It means that the narrator doesn’t have access to the thoughts of the other persons in the novel. Therefore, in this case, the narrator has a limited point of view. The narrator does only have access to the thoughts of Evie, who is a Catholic chaplain. Therefore, we don’t have access to the thought of Victor or the officer. If we had access Victors thought or the officers. We would have a bigger picture of the situation and their reaction to various subjects. The restricted point of view gives us as reader better understanding of Evie. We learn how Evie is as a person for an example. She says “Although she has been in the post for over a year she still finds the environment of a prison abrasive and intimidating” (P.1, L 18-19) Evie is the main character of the novel, she is characterized by the narrator as an inexperienced Chaplain since it’s her first...

Words: 1378 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Disowning Cordelear

...G.W. Knight takes a completely different stance on King Lear, referring to the play as a “comedy of the grotesque.” Knight begins Chapter VIII of The Wheel of Fire by describing Shakespeare’s purpose in writing King Lear as a means to blend realism with imagination (160-161). Knight goes on to analyze several elements of the play and explains what makes them comical. Knight starts with King Lear, explaining how asking for love is silly yet part of human nature. In addition, while King Lear’s act of disowning Cordelia is childish, it is also representative of how he was unable to understand his children. These scenes help explain the play’s theme of greatness and immaturity, as King Lear is portrayed with heroic instincts, but no sense...

Words: 627 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

King Lear Principles

...As Dwight D. Eisenhower once stated, “A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.” Principles are moral rules or beliefs that help you know what is right and wrong and that influence your actions; therefore, once we begin to prioritize our monetary wants and power desires we begin to lose our true selves in the process. King Lear, Act 1 Scene 1, begins with King Lear dividing his kingdom into three portions and only when his daughters proclaim their eternal and grandeur love for him will he gift the kingdom. We are then introduced to his three daughters: Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia. Goneril claims to love her father boundlessly, Regan’s love however is more than even Goneril’s love, and then there is Cordelia...

Words: 416 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Allusions In A Raisin In The Sun

...As I read through A Raisin in the Sun again, I found a decent amount of allusions to the Bible. And after a little bit of reading in my own Bible, since I don’t know enough about it to just assume, I found out what those allusions meant. First, the phrase “30 pieces and not a coin less!” (page 118) is an expression Beneatha uses when Carl Lindner is around discussing with Walter about buying the house. The quote, found in Matthew 26:15, explains how Judas sold Jesus as a slave and betrayed him for money. This would relate to how Walter has the choice to sell their house, which would be betraying his family, or not accepting the offer, which would be his moment of moral reconciliation. Also, found in Genesis 2:7-21, Beneatha references Adam...

Words: 412 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

FDR Rhetorical Analysis Essay

...When Roosevelt delivered his speech, in 1933, The Great Depression had already tormented the United States for three years. His speech was address to the people that still had hope, the people that were tired of not having a place to leave or any money to feed their children. Roosevelt uses logos, pathos, and ethos to express what he feels is the right thing to do in a situation like the Great Depression and to persuade people to follow him in his plans. Logos is the use of logic, such as in FDR speech the First Inaugural Address. Roosevelt uses logos when he says, “our greatest primary task is to put people to work,” and then gives the audience information on how this task may be achieved. Some examples of this is when he says “ It can be helped by insistence that the Federal, the State, and the local government act forthwith on the demand that their cost be drastically reduced.” and by “ providing a better use of the land for those best fitted for the land”(Roosevelt). This is an important part in the success of the speech because this is exactly what the people want to hear, since most of the audience is homeless and unemployed. Roosevelt also uses pathos to persuade the people by using their emotions. Pathos is shown when FDR states, “ The rulers of the exchange of mankind’s goods have failed, through their own stubbornness and their own incompetence, have admitted their failures, and have abdicated” (Roosevelt). This statement makes the audience mad, and sort of betrayed...

Words: 473 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Rhetorical Analysis Of Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell

...Through the author Orwell’s use of imagery, tone, and figurative language such as metaphors in paragraph seven of his work “Shooting an Elephant”, he is able to establish a revelation he experiences to the reader in expert detail. The reader is experiences is awed as they realize Orwell’s epiphany, that he comes to see that although the white man’s rule is futile, he still conforms to it by deciding to shoot the elephant. Orwell begins strong, describing the vast crowd that has gathered around him in order to witness his shooting of the rampaging elephant. The author’s use of descriptions such as “a sea of yellow faces” and stating the way the multitude of spectators was comparable to the face of someone while watching a magician conjure a trick, allows the reader to fully imagine the size of the audience as well as their feeling of awe at watching Orwell ready himself to shoot the elephant. The reader realizes that Orwell has suddenly become a large spectacle and focus of admiration, although sentences earlier he was an object worthy of hatred. This imagery the author provides, leads in part to the reader recognizing Orwell’s inner struggle, to do what is right or become what the crowd wants him to be, at the cost of becoming as tyrannical as the government he loathes. Orwell comes to understand that because of his need to please the Burmese people in the flock of onlookers, he must also reduce himself to following the empire he does not approve of. Throughout paragraph seven...

Words: 588 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

What Makes King Lear Effective

...William Shakespeare’s King Lear is one of his most famous and well-written tragedy play, and there are countless different interpretations of the play such as Lawrence Olivier, Ian Holm, and BBC’s. However Lawrence Olivier’s King Lear definitely has the most effective ending out of the three versions. Olivier uses appropriate background music; a subtle and plaintive classical tune to build the atmosphere of the scene. The costumes in Olivier’s version gives a better understanding of the characters, and adds a deeper meaning to the play. Unlike Ian Holm’s and BBC’s version of King Lear, Olivier gives King Lear long white hair, which represents his old age along with his wisdom he has gained throughout his life. King Lear and Cordelia’s white...

Words: 419 - Pages: 2