King Lear Subplot Essay

Improved Essays
In the rivetingly tragic play "King Lear" by Shakespeare, there is a sizable amount of themes that ricochets between the subplot and main plot. In an attempt to universalize the travesties endured by the protagonist and tragic hero, Shakespeare incorporates a significant subplot into King Lear. Although the focus clearly lies on the tragic plight of King Lear, the secondary plot involving Gloucester and his offspring mirrors and dramatizes Lear's hopeless situation. Both Lear and Gloucester misjudge their offspring and respond rashly to inaccurate information; the subsequent rejection of those closest to them leads to a chaotic sequence of irreversible events. The characters that purposefully instigate the inevitable downfall of both Lear and …show more content…
The similarities between the two are obvious: in each, a father is deceived by a child; there is jealousy between siblings; a father disowns one of his children; a father is abandoned and left to fend for himself. King Lear is the only one of Shakespeare’s plays where the sub-plot merely repeats the theme of the main plot. I personally feel that the most obvious themes that the subplot reflected and reinforced were the themes of madness, filial ingratitude and …show more content…
Lear and Gloucester suffer in similar ways and their respective children are either guilty of similar unkindness or victims of sibling rivalry. If, as Bradley claims, it is the case that King Lear is the only play where the main plot and sub-plot mirror each other so closely, presumably it is not just by chance. Many critics, and audiences, refer to the unrelieved sense of cruelty and bleakness that pervades the play. Madmen lead the blind, siblings kill each other and fathers are denied the affections of those they love most. The cruelty inflicted on Lear in the final scene, where he seems to believe that Cordelia may somehow still be alive, is heart-wrenching. It seems as if, by duplicating the events and mood of the main plot, Shakespeare wanted simply to impress on us that, of the various different world views presented in the play, the one he believed in personally was the deeply pessimistic view of Gloucester: ‘as flies to wanton boys are we to the gods – they kill us for their

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    His first foolish decision comes from the fact that he wishes to give away his kingdom. “Lear’s plan to divide his country and retire indicates that his judgement is flawed”4 as “to Shakespeare’s audience, such an announcement – dividing up the country – would have been horrifying, a vivisection of the body politic, a violation of cosmic order, denial of primogeniture, and a certain prelude to civil war. ”5 For Lear to make such a decision clearly shows how foolish he is becoming by his desire to “[abdicate] his responsibility as king, choosing personal comfort over public duty. ”6 Beyond this, Lear’s foolishness is also demonstrated in his decision to banish Kent and his most loving daughter.…

    • 1401 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Shakespeare’s King Lear and Milton’s Paradise Lost are similar, but very different. They have many of the same elements within each story, though the stories are very different. King Lear and Paradise Lost bring deception and betrayal to the table with Adam and Eve eating forbidden fruit and King Lear going through hell just to be treated poorly by who he thought were his best daughters. The first story to be recognized is King Lear. King Lear is king of Britain and he is getting older.…

    • 1025 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Pride In King Lear Essay

    • 444 Words
    • 2 Pages

    This tragedy is undoubtedly the result of King Lear and Gloucester’s pride and blindness. Taking the latter into consideration first, we begin to see King Lear’s pride affecting his judgement in the first scene when he foolishly decides to separate land depending on his daughters’ love for him: “Which of you shall we say doth love us most, that we our largest bounty may extend…” (1.1.56-57) Immediately, we can see his imprudent approach in making such an important decision for Britain’s future. It is at this time that we sense the possibility of Lear’s downfall and subsequently the downfall of the kingdom due to one rash decision made by an aging King. The word “say,” in particular, underlines Lear’s yearning for superficial love to reiterate and strengthen his pride as opposed to favoring Cordelia’s genuine love which cannot be put into words.…

    • 444 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    There is a constant argument between justice and mercy and how those two are interpreted through conversation and actions of the characters. It is also a story of arrogance and humility, breaking of previous perception to an exposure to a *wider* reality. A story about major family problems (both Lear and Gloucester). Conflicts of man vs. man, society, gods, nature and self with many characters. A huge relationship between man and nature.…

    • 327 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Inheritance and Revenge Over the course of time, grudge, revenge, and inheritance have been key elements leading to conflict, and ultimately death. In William Shakespeare’s theatrical play, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Prince Hamlet, Prince Fortinbras, and Laertes have all lost their fathers due to tragic circumstances.…

    • 1789 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Edgar is another major character and represent the virtue of truth and once again impacts King Lear’s actions and perspective, revealing Shakespeare’s message based on the power of truth at the end. Throughout the play, Edgar constantly disguises himself and deceive others in order to escape his brother’s scheming plans. During the scenes when Edgar meets with King Lear, Edgar is portrayed as a low person in society and an outcast. However, in Scene 5 nature describes Edgar returning back to his normal position in society and transforms from a poor beggar to a peasant with better clothes. Edgar is the only character remaining who is mindful and has full awareness of all the situations everyone experienced.…

    • 467 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Demonstrated in Act 1 Scene 1 when his youngest yet sweetest daughter (Cordelia) says: “I cannot heave my heart into my mouth” in response to King Lear’s demand for adoration. As a result, King Lear’s inability to recognise her love chooses to banish her and anyone who opposes his decision, emphasising that his pride has distorted his judgements. On top of this, King Lear’s distorted judgements are reiterated when he imperatively commands his loyal subsidiary to get “Out of my sight!”. This supports the statement that King Lear’s pride has affected his decision-making as he banishes his most loyal subsidiary after warning him to not disown Cordelia. Furthermore, in the sub-plot of “King Lear” scenes of pride are demonstrated when the earl of Lear called Gloucester, is approached by his bastard son with a forged letter supposedly composed by his innocent elder son.…

    • 1003 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    King Lear is played by his own two daughters who plot against him secretly. Gloucester A loyal man to King Lear also has several injustices done to him by his son Edmund. Edmund has a plan to ruin his fathers reputation inheriting his land and power. The driving force of this play is injustice. This leads to the development of the tragic tone of the play and identity of the characters.…

    • 1067 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    King Lear and A Thousand Acres: A Comparison William Shakespeare 's tragedy King Lear, originally performed in 1606, chronicles the downfall of a king. Three hundred-eighty-five years later, Jane Smiley published the novel A Thousand Acres which parallels King Lear,with a few exceptions. Both tragedies present the tale of a father who divides what he owns amongst two of his daughters while rejecting the third, who later comes to the father’s aid. In one story the father is a king and in the other a farmer, but these works of literature differ in more than just superficial aspects; they differ in the type of tragedy they are.…

    • 775 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I believe that in some senses Gloucester is presented by Shakespeare as an equal, or perhaps, a greater tragic figure than his King, although overall I feel as though Shakespeare presents Gloucester as a less tragic figure than King Lear. One reason both Gloucester and his King are seen as tragic figures is because Shakespeare gives both of theses characters is that their eventual downfall is brought about by fatal flaw. One flaw that is identical from both plots is their gullibility being shown through their worship of astrology. Gloucesters sub-plot shows that when finding out that Edgar has ‘betrayed’ him Gloucester blames the event, and other social issues, on the “late eclipses in the sun and moon” showing his belief in the protents of the sky. This belief in astrology is shared by Gloucester’s King, presented to…

    • 916 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Professor Prescott 25 March 2018 Growth through self-knowledge In King Lear, Shakespeare stresses the importance of self-knowledge and forgiveness. King Lear is a character who lacks self knowledge. However, he begins to learn how the quality is important as he endures through hardships. Lear’s life breaks down slowly after banishing the only daughter who loved him dearly. Lear gives most of his kingship to daughters who are disloyal and care less for his wellbeing.…

    • 1441 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The theme of appearance versus reality is reoccurring throughout the play of King Lear by William Shakespeare. There is an evident contrast between reality as opposed to appearance. Reality is the world or the state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to appearance to be an idealistic or notional idea of them. Appearance is an imagination, while reality is an actual existence. In King Lear there are many characters that appear to be, what in reality, they are not.…

    • 862 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Gloucester, contrastingly, suffered a more physical pain, as he had his eyes gouged out by Cornwall. Shakespeare utilises parallel plots to explore the similarities and differences between these two men, the similarities being that both men are fathers, both with one child that truly loves them, and both have children that wish to only use them for the money and power that they possess. The differences are then the different types of suffering that the men endure. In addition, Shakespeare utilises the symbolism of blindness to demonstrate the way that Lear and Gloucester become aware of what is happening to them, which in turn, causes them to develop into different people. Shakespeare also explores the idea that the pain and suffering of Lear, causes him to become a much more compassionate and caring person, although as he realises, it is too late to act upon this.…

    • 975 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This is shown through the use of verse and hyperbole of “I love you more than word can wield the matter” where the greed for land is what drives Goneril to say nice words.. However, the irony of lear failing to differentiate authenticity or deception of love results in misjudging Cordelia for feigned love, instigating social, personal and self-conflicts for both lear, his daughters and the society. This plot drive will not only foreshadow complications but also result in the sacrifice of Cordelia and Gloucester. Shakespeare’s use of epiphany of Lear, is shown by misperceiving Goneril’s love with flattery which is portrayed through Goneril’s plosive language, contrasting the poetic language in verse present in the division of the kingdom, exemplifying Goneril’s greed for land the deceptive love expressed for Lear. This parallels with the double plot of Gloucester…

    • 1010 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Several of Shakespeare’s tragedies depict the theme of betrayal within a family. King Lear is an example of one of Shakespeare’s tragedies that does just that. In the play, there is betrayal within Lear’s family and it takes Lear retiring to bring out the malicious side of everyone. At the beginning of the play, Lear had a sense of home, but not so much when he decides to retire. Lear’s home does not seem so much like a home after all; it is a place, not a home, filled with selfish people who only care about power.…

    • 1285 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays