One of the most recognized and prestigious playwrights of the seventeenth century is William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s plays often comment on the most troubling issues of the day. In his play King Lear, Shakespeare addresses the idea of broken bonds. The play begins with King Lear dividing his kingdom amongst his daughters, in which the flattery of two of his daughters leads Lear to blindness. The play continues with the parallel story of Gloucester and his two sons. These two parallel stories converge at the end of the play with the realization of the truth. Using the theme of broken bonds as a focal point in the play, Shakespeare is able to create a most troubling tragedy. Using irony and the idea of blindness, Shakespeare uses the theme
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This stylistic technique becomes a central tool utilized by Shakespeare to demonstrate the devastation that comes from breaking bonds and characterizes the play as a tragedy. The two main types of irony present in the play are dramatic irony and situational irony. Shakespeare uses both types of irony to create a key situation for tragedy to occur. The main bond that fragments in the play is that of Cordelia and King Lear. Cordelia blatantly states to her father “I love your Majesty according to my bond, no more no less” (1.1.101-102) with which King Lear replies “Here I disclaim all my paternal care, propinquity, and property of blood, and as a stranger to my heart and me hold thee from this forever” (1.1. 125-128). Cordelia states openly and honestly her true regard for her father. This leads Lear to disregard Cordelia’s love because she does not extravagantly profess it as her sisters do. Shakespeare soon reveals the tragedy of this broken bond in dramatic irony. In this same scene, the audience comes to know the scheming plans of King Lear’s two eldest daughters, Goneril and Regan. After their father firmly accepts their professions of love, they begin the plot to overtake their father. Their conversation ends with Goneril stating “we must do something, and i’ th’ heat” (1.2.355). This line by Goneril translates to we need to “strike while the iron is hot”. …show more content…
These parallel stories represent the disintegration of the British State. This can be seen in the devastating effect of broken bonds that reverberates through the lives of the characters in the play. The characters suffer through much pain after their family relations are fragmented just as the British Empire would suffer if it were to be disintegrated. The theme of breaking bonds becomes a symbol to the future of the British Empire. The families also suffer much pain after the fragmentation of their relationships because the father-child relationship is one of the most basic relationships or in other words a natural law. Although these relationships tend to possess the most turmoil, they are also the strongest. Both King Lear and Gloucester fail to recognize the power sustained in these relationships, so when their relationships are destroyed, distressing results follow. Lear loses the life of his most precious daughter and Gloucester dies. When Lear and Gloucester ignore this natural law, tragedy ensues. Overall, Shakespeare is able to create the perfect tragedy using the theme of breaking bonds because it represents a natural law and because it symbolizes the disintegration of the British
This stylistic technique becomes a central tool utilized by Shakespeare to demonstrate the devastation that comes from breaking bonds and characterizes the play as a tragedy. The two main types of irony present in the play are dramatic irony and situational irony. Shakespeare uses both types of irony to create a key situation for tragedy to occur. The main bond that fragments in the play is that of Cordelia and King Lear. Cordelia blatantly states to her father “I love your Majesty according to my bond, no more no less” (1.1.101-102) with which King Lear replies “Here I disclaim all my paternal care, propinquity, and property of blood, and as a stranger to my heart and me hold thee from this forever” (1.1. 125-128). Cordelia states openly and honestly her true regard for her father. This leads Lear to disregard Cordelia’s love because she does not extravagantly profess it as her sisters do. Shakespeare soon reveals the tragedy of this broken bond in dramatic irony. In this same scene, the audience comes to know the scheming plans of King Lear’s two eldest daughters, Goneril and Regan. After their father firmly accepts their professions of love, they begin the plot to overtake their father. Their conversation ends with Goneril stating “we must do something, and i’ th’ heat” (1.2.355). This line by Goneril translates to we need to “strike while the iron is hot”. …show more content…
These parallel stories represent the disintegration of the British State. This can be seen in the devastating effect of broken bonds that reverberates through the lives of the characters in the play. The characters suffer through much pain after their family relations are fragmented just as the British Empire would suffer if it were to be disintegrated. The theme of breaking bonds becomes a symbol to the future of the British Empire. The families also suffer much pain after the fragmentation of their relationships because the father-child relationship is one of the most basic relationships or in other words a natural law. Although these relationships tend to possess the most turmoil, they are also the strongest. Both King Lear and Gloucester fail to recognize the power sustained in these relationships, so when their relationships are destroyed, distressing results follow. Lear loses the life of his most precious daughter and Gloucester dies. When Lear and Gloucester ignore this natural law, tragedy ensues. Overall, Shakespeare is able to create the perfect tragedy using the theme of breaking bonds because it represents a natural law and because it symbolizes the disintegration of the British