Saturday, December 28, 2019

Essay on The Development of the Character of King Lear

â€Å"King Lear† is one of the most complicated of all Shakespeares plays. It is about political authority as much as it is about family dynamics. It is a ruthless play, filled with human cruelty and awful, nonsensical disasters. Lear, an autocratic leader, is the king of Britain and has three daughters, Regan, Cordelia and Goneril. Regan and Goneril are cold, heartless and selfish, whereas Cordelia, the youngest is quite the contrary, honest, realistic and straightforward. P Lear is introduced with trumpets and crown. The symbol of his authority is carried before him. This gives the audience the picture of a King who can command respect and has the ability to speak with eminence. His first form of speech is spoken with the royal `we:†¦show more content†¦He is disappointed and he feels rejected- so he in turn rejects his daughter. His language is as violent as hers is plain; where Cordelia spoke of the simple, natural relationships of parent and child. He confesses his love for her; he is too emotional to be ware of his actions: â€Å"I loved her most, and thought to set my rest on her kind nursery.† P At the beginning of the play Lear speaks with measured dignity and authority, even after he has resigned all power along with his kingdom. He is seen as `an old man full of changes and liable to constant stars, in the eyes of Goneril and Regan. Kent who we see as loyal and honest and very protective of Lear is disguised as a witty persona to encourage Lear to allow him to remain near by. He respects Lears authority. Lear responds to Kents language with informality and lightheartedness, even when Kent risked the king displeasure with the joke about Lear being poor, but Lear responds with good humor. There is the theme of the natural order being overturned when Oswald behaves insolently to Lear, he seems to be enjoying his rebellious role. He is seen as an evil character and he can easily defy Lear when provoked. P The Fool makes his first appearance and comments on Lears folly in riddles and songs. The fool always provides answers that are deep in their meaning, but these answers are also simple sounding, like a joke. A lot of his lines refer directly to property, theShow MoreRelatedKing Lear Character Development Essay1662 Words   |  7 PagesKing Lear is understandably one of William Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, it encompasses the journey through suffering and explores, in detail, the idea of justice. Each character in the play experience s one or the other throughout the progression of the plot, it is evident that through compositional features such as these, the play write is trying to convey this meaning. 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