Mythological Gods
Shakespeare’s King Lear is a tragedy play based on the legend of King Leir of Britain. The play revolves around King Lear and his downfall after the division of his kingdom. Shakespeare uses mythological gods throughout King Lear to support and supplement different characters’ dialogue. In the first scene of King Lear, Lear elects to step down as king and distribute his power to his daughters. Lear divides his kingdom based on how well his three daughters praise and flatter him. After hearing his first two daughters’ (Regan and Goneril) - speech, Lear is content and now very eager to hear how his last daughter Cordelia will top her sisters. Cordelia is Lear’s youngest and most doted upon daughter and Lear has very high …show more content…
While Lear is banishing Kent, Lear says: “Thy banished trunk be found in our dominions, The moment is thy death. Away! By Jupiter, This shall not be revoked” (1.1.180-181). Again, Lear is proclaiming his importance and power. Jupiter is the most powerful Roman god and Lear is emphasizing his authority to banish Kent and take his life away from him. This quote connects with our previous quote, in which the Apollo is the god of the sun (life and power). Shakespeare uses Apollo and Jupiter to portray power and how it leads to arrogance (blindness), betrayal, and madness – three important motifs in King Lear. Lear was too arrogant to see through Goneril and Regan’s lies which leads to their betrayal. Lear was too mad to listen and hear reason from …show more content…
The motif of truthfulness is crucial to the understanding of King Lear because it is what triggers the tragedy of Lear. If what Goneril and Regan said was true - “Sir, I love you more than word can wield the matter” (1.1.56), “…that I profess Myself an enemy to all other joys” (1.1.74-75) - Lear would have never been betrayed. Lear was manipulated by Goneril and Regan’s flattery and believed they were sincere, when they were just lying. The idea of saying things that just aren’t true is deeply rooted inside human nature. Of course, many things people say can be sincere and from the heart, but there are also things people say for personal gain and self-interest. When you tell compliment someone, do you really mean it? Or is your attempted flattery an attempt to gain something from them? When a father tells his son “It’s for your own good”, is it really benefiting the son? Or does the father just not want to deal with the consequences or actions? For example, a father does not allow a son to buy a new computer because he believes it will ruin his education. Is that really the truth? Or does he simply not want to spend money to buy it? That example is a personal one of mine and I wonder why all the time. Of course, it could be both ways, and in King Lear, this motif is at the core of the tragedy. Goneril and Regan proclaims their love for self-interest, for political reasons. They say what they must to achieve what they
Shakespeare’s King Lear is a tragedy play based on the legend of King Leir of Britain. The play revolves around King Lear and his downfall after the division of his kingdom. Shakespeare uses mythological gods throughout King Lear to support and supplement different characters’ dialogue. In the first scene of King Lear, Lear elects to step down as king and distribute his power to his daughters. Lear divides his kingdom based on how well his three daughters praise and flatter him. After hearing his first two daughters’ (Regan and Goneril) - speech, Lear is content and now very eager to hear how his last daughter Cordelia will top her sisters. Cordelia is Lear’s youngest and most doted upon daughter and Lear has very high …show more content…
While Lear is banishing Kent, Lear says: “Thy banished trunk be found in our dominions, The moment is thy death. Away! By Jupiter, This shall not be revoked” (1.1.180-181). Again, Lear is proclaiming his importance and power. Jupiter is the most powerful Roman god and Lear is emphasizing his authority to banish Kent and take his life away from him. This quote connects with our previous quote, in which the Apollo is the god of the sun (life and power). Shakespeare uses Apollo and Jupiter to portray power and how it leads to arrogance (blindness), betrayal, and madness – three important motifs in King Lear. Lear was too arrogant to see through Goneril and Regan’s lies which leads to their betrayal. Lear was too mad to listen and hear reason from …show more content…
The motif of truthfulness is crucial to the understanding of King Lear because it is what triggers the tragedy of Lear. If what Goneril and Regan said was true - “Sir, I love you more than word can wield the matter” (1.1.56), “…that I profess Myself an enemy to all other joys” (1.1.74-75) - Lear would have never been betrayed. Lear was manipulated by Goneril and Regan’s flattery and believed they were sincere, when they were just lying. The idea of saying things that just aren’t true is deeply rooted inside human nature. Of course, many things people say can be sincere and from the heart, but there are also things people say for personal gain and self-interest. When you tell compliment someone, do you really mean it? Or is your attempted flattery an attempt to gain something from them? When a father tells his son “It’s for your own good”, is it really benefiting the son? Or does the father just not want to deal with the consequences or actions? For example, a father does not allow a son to buy a new computer because he believes it will ruin his education. Is that really the truth? Or does he simply not want to spend money to buy it? That example is a personal one of mine and I wonder why all the time. Of course, it could be both ways, and in King Lear, this motif is at the core of the tragedy. Goneril and Regan proclaims their love for self-interest, for political reasons. They say what they must to achieve what they