Feminism And Gender Equality In Shakespeare's King Lear

From the earth’s beginnings, till the modern era. Society, as a whole, has been generally been ruled and dominated by men. Feminist theory, is the extension of feminism into theoretical or philosophical discourse, which aims to fulfillingly understand the nature of gender equality which is its primary focus. It in-depth examines women’s social roles, experiences, interests, chores, and feminist politics in a variety of fields. This is evidentially used in William Shakespeare’s greatest play King Lear. A tragedy which is based in pre-Christian Britain, where the elderly King Lear, often referred to as just Lear, ruler of the kingdom, steps down from the throne and gives all of his power to his two evil daughters Goneril and Regan, whom eventually use that power against him which drives Lear into madness. Out of the various themes in the play, feminism and gender equality stand out above all. …show more content…
Firstly, society is heavily outnumbered by men, as the only women who appear in the entire play are Lear’s three daughters. Firstly, the effects of not having a maternal figure to lead and guide the children of Lear and the Earl of Gloucester leads to the corruption of their children. The only source of love, power, and authority is the father figure, an awesome, demanding presence. Additionally, the females in King Lear, especially Lear’s two eldest daughters are frequently stereotyped as demonized or sanctified women. Finally, the examination of the male identity and use of misogynistic tendencies is evident in not just King Lear, but however all of Shakespeare’s play’s.
Shakespeare’s play’s are written in the form of a masculine perspective and depict predominantly conflicts with masculine identity. In the play King Lear, it avidly demonstrates that, if the government and society is predominately ran by only one gender, it can lead to the corruption of society, and the corruption within the citizens of