...Compare and Contrast the theme of violence in William Shakespeare’s King Lear and Second Generation by Neil Biswas Although there is an immense gap in time between the work of William Shakespeare and Neil Biswas, it can be justified that there are various points of comparisons that can be made between their interpretations and presentations of the key theme of violence in their plays King Lear and Second Generation. Written between 1603 and 1606, Shakespeare’s King Lear is one of the most celebrated tragedies. King Lear is among the most complex and contradictory of Shakespeare’s works. True to Shakespearean tradition, King Lear borrows its tragic elements from several types of tragedies that were popular during the Jacobean Renaissance. It is a play about the dysfunctional relationships between fathers and their children, and how a foolish father in old age can misread his kids. Whereas Second Generation is a is the epic British Asian love story by Neil Biswas, controversially is a modern re-making of King Lear based in East London. Biswas describes in an article called ‘Conflict between Cultures Can Be Positive’ the social factors that influenced his desire to produce the screenplay. Biswas passively describes himself as ‘second generation of Asians’ who like their parents can relate to the 1977 TV show ‘Mind Your Language’ Biswas based Second Generation in East London in the Bengali Community and used his very own personal experiences, things he has seen or imagined...
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...KING LEAR Act One The play opens at Lear’s court, where we meet the main characters. The opening scene is in itself shocking, as Lear forces his daughters to declare their love for him. The one who loves him the most will receive the largest part of his kingdom, which he intends to divide between the three. Lear himself wishes to hand over the ruling of the kingdom to his daughters, while retaining the ‘Pre-eminence, and all the large effects / That troop with majesty’ (Scene 1, Lines 131-2). Goneril and Regan acquit themselves well at this love test. Cordelia, however, dismayed by her sisters’ ponderous words, refuses to take part in the ‘contest’ and tells Lear that she loves him as her duty instructs her. When Cordelia refuses to speak again, Lear casts her off without a moment’s hesitation. Ken attempts to argue with the King, accusing him of ‘hideous rashness’ (Scene 1, Line 151). When Kent further warns Lear that his elder daughters are false flatterers, Kent too is banished. Lear invests Albany and Cornwall with power, and, after Burgundy refuses to take Cordelia as his wife, now that she is without dowry, France takes her for her virtues alone. Goneril and Regan complain, in private, about Lear’s harsh judgement and unpredictable behaviour and worry that they too may be treated unfairly. Edmund, Gloucester’s bastard son, soliloquises about his own situation, revealing his devious intentions towards his brother. When his father enters, Edmund’s...
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...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...
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...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...
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...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...
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...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...
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...“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...
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...”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...
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...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...
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...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...
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...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...
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...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...
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...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...
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...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...
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...“Lear manages to fail his duty as King” Evaluate this view with reference to dramatic effects – TIMED (+5 mins) Mini plan – start of the play // father hood // identity // other kingly characters In keeping with Jacobean thought, Lear is portrayed as having a divine duty to rule. This is echoed by King James belief of the divine right of the Kings, and both him and Elizabeth saw it a sin to either abdicate the throne, or divide it up – both of which Lear is guilty of. To a Christian audience therefore, he was clearly failed his divine duty in acting as “God Lieutenant” (as King James I phrased it). Whether his failure was necessary in his duty as a father or in finding his identity can be explored. The start of the play is imperative it setting up Lear’s duty and role as King. He enters the kingdom as an absolute ruler, with an air of grandeur about him, and he was highly respected – as highlighted by the fact he was referred to as “my lord” and “my liege”. His word was never challenged; it held a divine authority evident through the use of imperative such as “Attend the lords” and “Speak first”. Shakespeare deliberately, therefore offers us the perfect painting of a dutiful king. The consequential break down in society is therefore unexpected, and is summarised in the horrific irony that Lear wishes to “divide our kingdom into three” so that “future strife may be prevented”. Lear is blinded by his selfish wish to “crawl unburdened toward death” that he neglects his...
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