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King Lear Themes, When Lear gives up his power and Goneril and Reagan…
King Lear Themes
Justice
"As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods; / They kill us for their sport" - Gloucester Act 4 Scene 1, realising it foolish for humankind to assume the natural world works in parallel with socially or morally convenient notions of justice
"the gods are just"- Edgar Act 5 Scene 3, believing that individuals get what they deserve
- the play's succession of terrible events questions whether there is any possibility of justice in the world, or whether the world is fundamentally indifferent or even hostile to humankind
- King Lear does injustice to his daughter, Cordelia, who, despite her intense love for her father, is thrown away, while Reagan and Goneril's deception is bought by King Lear
- The play suggests that the only way there can ever be justice in the world is when humankind behave justly towards one another
- Especially significant, is the existence of divine justice.
- Throughout the play, good people are punished as much as the bad... sometime even more. What does this say about divine justice?
- Natural Justice: Edgar defeats Edmund in trial of goodness over evil
Madness
- The fool is first to recognise the consequences of Lear's misjudgement
- The fool's nonsensical comments contain some of the most sensible advice that Lear receives on his behaviour, Lear gains increasing insight into his situation as he moves from sanity to madness
-Deliberately adopting the mad manner of a begger, Edgar provides a counterpoint to Lear's uncontrollable madness, particularly in the storm scene
"O, let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven! Keep me in temper; I would not be Mad!" - Lear Act 1 Scene 5, Lear recognises he is going made, and begs to himself and the Gods to prevent this from happening further
"Through tattered clothes great vices do appear; Robes and furred gowns hide all. Plate sin with gold... Take that of me, my friend who have the power to seal th'accuser's lips" - Lear Act 4 Scene 6, it's only when Lear has lost his mind that he comprehends the issue with more wisdom and knowledge than before
Causes: Old age (dementia), loss of status and identity, betrayal, betraying the Gods and social order, breakdown in morality of most characters
Sight and Knowledge
Lear: metaphorical blindness to court, children, the needs of his kingdom, consequences of hubris actions
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Gloucester: metaphorical blindness to children seeing truth when blind becomes oxymoron. Literal, blinded by Regan and Cornwall for adultery.
Revelation: new totalitarian state and Regan's true nature, audience see revelation and restoration of morality, Gloucester and Lear 'see' children, Goneril and Regan turn on each other
Nature
- The dominance of the evil characters might lead us to feel that nature is a cruel force in the play
- Edmund suggests that nature is a malevolent goddess who provides him with the bad nature necessary to challenge the status quo, therefore his badness is natural
- We are presented with conflicting views of nature and what is natural
- And yet, at the close of Act V, it is difficult to believe that nature is benevolent or that the natural order has really ‘won’. Cordelia’s death presents a problem for those who wish to see the end of King Lear as a triumph for nature and the hierarchy.
"Unpublished virtues of the earth" - Cordelia Act 4 Scene 4, she calls on them to restore Lear and displays the virtues of a good nature
"Why should a dog, a horse, a rat have life, / And thou no breath at all" - Lear Act 5 Scene 3, Suggest that nature is barbaric when he enters with Cordelia dead in his arms. Questions if her death is a final punishment for Lear's transgression against nature
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Power and Authority
The abuse of power: Lear's misguided understanding of power and authority leads to his downfall. His arbitrary division of the kingdom and subsequent rejection of Cordelia reflects a flawed understanding of the repsonsibilities that com with power.
Political Machinations: The subplot further explores the corrupting influence of power. Edmund's scheming and betrayal illustrate the ruthless pursuit of authority and the consequences of political ambition.
Chaos and DIsorder
"Nothing" - first said by Cordelia, Act 1 Scene 1, the word then reappears constantly throughout in the mouths of multiple characters. The repetition highlights nothingness and the complete lack of meaning that results from nothingness.
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- When Lear gives up his power and Goneril and Reagan turn against him, he falls apart, going mad
- His personal decline parallels a farther-reaching dissolution of order and justice in the British state
Lear's error, based on blindness and misjudgement, doesn't just ruin him personally but leads to a political situation in which there is no order to guarantee justice, despite his repeated appeal to the gods