King Lear is the oddest King I think we have encountered this semester. He doesn't have ambition any more and just wants to retire. While being a King is a life long job and he is going against the usual code. He seems to be a King that relies on lies quite heavily to be able to rule and have the confidence to reign.
He wants to have the air of a king but not have to deal with the work associated with it. This in it self is a lie because to be King isn't to relax, it's to rule. He wants his life to still have the pomp and frills but doesn't care enough to deal with the rest. So his plan is to give land to his three daughters and allow them to reign. But as it is custom back then, when a daughter becomes a wife she has a responsibility to her husband but not only that, he gets to reign and own the land with her. So the King thinks that he is spreading the land amongst his family but really what he is doing is giving away his power to three different groups. But before his plan can go through he has all the girls say how much they love him to see who gets the most land. This is another lie that delights the King, for the fact that they are having to make up the best most loving speeches in order to get land. So the King is equating his love for their land. He doesn't think much of it because that's how he functions but when you love money more than family, family will come second. In the two other daughters speech's it is clear they are just trying to pry the most land out of the old man as possible. But in Cordelia's speech there is much to be discussed. She initially states that she has nothing to say, and immediately her father is stunned: why is she not going along with the silly game/ what are you talking about you don't love me? But what she is getting at that this competition to show who loves him the most is ridiculous and shows more who's greedy then who loves him most. Then when Cordelia says she loves him just as a daughter should, it sounds half assed of a speech but shes speaking the truth and saying that there is no, loving more, per say but that all three of the daughters should love their father, but that the other two also need to love their husband so thus she must love him more. Not only is her point different but Shakespeare also has her speak less in poetry and more in prose. But when she says that the other two daughters are going to be busy with their husbands she starts playing the game too late. She is trying to say she is more worthy or loves her father more in this statement but in the setting she is then making the weakest attempt to win the prize. And at this he is in disgust for the truth is too ugly so he banishes her. And the same thing happens to Kent when he tries to tell the King that his plan is stupid and that he won't have power. The King wants to live in a fairy tale world but his daughters have other plans and he gives them their power over him. He felt like he was taking out insurance when he told the daughters to say how much they loved him, so he would know when he visited that they would treat him in the highest regards. His whole logic is built upon lies but without his power the lies will show themselves and King Lear's demise it seems will be the focal point of this tragedy.
5 comments:
I think that this entire scene functions as a really prominent starting point for the decline of everyone's relationships, and certain character's sanity, in this play. This entire exchange is one of misunderstandings, miscommunication and bruised egos. Lear, thinking he it the greatest in the world attempts to just give up doing any kingly work and still hold title and power. This is indicative of his weak grasp on reality, thinking that he can just break conventions and do things that just don't make sense. He also wants to hear from his daughters how much they love him and when they do, his most practical and honest daughter, Cordelia, appalls him with her somewhat brutally honest reply. While she still does confess love for her father, she is not as sycophantic as her sisters who recognize the opportunity for free land and power and sieze it immediately. I'm sure it was not Cordelia's intention to be rude, insulting, and get herself banished, but she definitely did. She was only being honest but honesty is not something that works with someone who is in another world.
I really like what you said about how being a king does not mean relaxing, it means ruling. This seems to be a big issue in the beginning of this play because the whole reason behind Lear's motivation to retire is that he wants to keep control without doing the work anymore. It may be indicative of his soon to come descent into madness, but at the same time it just shows a lot about his personality. Dylan makes a good point as well, because in this scene by showing Lear's dynamic we get a great look at the relationships between the characters, and overall everything going on just shows a lot of what is most likely to come; most of which will probably not be good for anyone involved.
I think the issue you bring up about the lying is a good one. Especially after reading Act 2. All these lies the girls have made up to show their love for their father are proved to be lies when it comes time to take their father in. Goneril no longer wants to take in her father with all of the knights, even though hers and Regan's husbands agreed that Lear could have 100 knights. Lear then goes on a rant how the daughter that lets him have the most knights is the one that loves him most which is Goneril who allows him to have 50. Lear is a character who is obsessed with hearing and being proven the affection others have for him. I think this first scene discussed in your blog is a good set up of how Lear will be stripped of everything he has that is in connection with the kingdom.
My response is a few days late. But This scene where the sisters are forced to declare their love for their father was particularly interesting to me. While I did feel that it was strong of Cordelia to be so honest despite her sister's obvious attempts to appease their father. I can't help but feeling that her breach of tradition was really out of place, and really disrespectful. Her father is doing something extremely unorthodox in dividing up his kingdom before his death and to me it seemed like he wanted to make a bit of a show if it in front of his friends. Perhaps he wanted to show them how benevolent and well loved he really was, perhaps he wanted to validate his decision a bit more in their eyes by showing them how grateful and loving his daughters were. whatever the case, Cordelia embarrasses him. She refuses to profess her love for him and tries to cut down the statements (however exaggerated they were) of her sisters. While I understand that she was trying to show that she loved him most because she didn't have the words to express it, she could have handled herself a bit more gracefully. She didn't have to shame him in front of the other men, she didn't have to make him feel a fool. I think Cordelia was acting selfishly and a bit spoiled, and I don't particularly agree with the way the situation was handled. I can understand what she was trying to do, and I can appreciate it. But I don't think it was appropriate at all and there was no excuse for it. She should know how to behave in public as the daughter of a King, and she should know that her father should be accorded a certain amount of respect in front of strangers.
Lear is a very foolish King. You pointed out that what he should be doing is ruling over the lands, but instead he has grown lazy and wants to relax. It makes me think that Lear's mental health might be slipping from the beginning. He is essentially giving away his kingdom to three men who are only related to him through marriage based off how well his daughters can kiss his ass. Any good and deserving child would do what Cordelia did and explain that she should not have to prove her love. I admit she did not use the best words, but she makes an excellent point. A father should know how much his daughters love him based off their actions toward him and their history together.
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