' King Lear '
' King Lear '
An important idea present in William Shakespeare's ' King
Lear ' is rejection and the role this rejection plays in the experiences
of the involved characters. The important ideas to be considered
here are the causes and effects associated with the act of rejection.
The most important situations to be considered in the story of
' King Lear ' are those that develop between the two fathers, Lear
and Gloucester, and their children, Goneril and Regan, Cordelia,
Edmund, and Edgar. Each case falls on a different plane, but it is
important to consider the similarities between the positions of Lear
and Gloucester.
The rejection of Lear by his two daughters, Goneril and Regan,
can be seen as a type of revenge. Throughout their lives they had
always been far behind Cordelia in the king's eyes. As a result of
this second-hand treatment, Goneril and Regan carried with them
an immense amount of hatred and when Lear divided his kingdom
between them, they both openly rejected his presence in their lives.
English: A cartoon version of King Lear by William...
English: Title page of Shakespeare's King Lear (16...
Cordelia' Some other time for that. - Beloved Regan, she hath tied
sharp-tooth'd unkindness, like a vulture here, - I can speak scarce to
thee ; thou'lt not believe with how depraved quality - O Regan
( King Lear II.iii )! Goneril's response further clarifies this
rejection. ' Good sir, no more ; these are unsightly tricks : return
you to my sister ( King Lear II.iii ). Lear's reaction is pure rage.
He understands that he had not given them too much of his time,
but he had given them their percentage of the kingdom only because
they had made a pledge to him that they would care for him in his
elder years. The bond broken in this situation is...