Monday, February 23, 2009
King Lear
I do not particularly like Shakespeare because of his use of language and I feel like I am studying his works rather than reading and enjoying them. Although I did not take this meaning out of the play originally after readings Kahn’s point of view I can agree. King Lear obviously wants to be shown affection. His desire for his daughters to flatter him with how much they love him makes this apparent. They are bribed by being rewarded with a share of his kingdom for how much they love him. Lear knows that Cordelia cares for him the most but her refusal to partake in the competition angers him. It is not that he doesn’t know she loves him the most it is the fact that she will not tell him what he wants to hear. This seems to show a feminine side to Lear. A side that needs to be loved and shown affection. But yet also shows a childish side. His response to Cordelia’s answer and the actions he takes are very childish. He pouts and is enraged. Although he does show masculine qualities as well. When he is displeased with Cordelia he stands firm in his punishment towards her. He tries to hold back his emotion and disappointment, except in anger. At the conclusion of the play Lear realizes how foolish and childish he was.
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He is shown clearly having both the emotions of a woman and the sentiments of a man. Needing to be loved and fawned over but then once a decision is made, even if it is wrong, he will not back away from it. It does show a sense of childish insecurity on needing to be shown love and then immature stubbornness on not admitting when he is wrong. It seems he has gotten the worst characteristics from both the women and the men to begin with. And then towards the end you see him growing up and adopting the more mature sides of the woman, realizing that what Cordelia has shown is love and being able to show how he loves her. Also a man's maturity is shown when he is able to admit to Cordelia that he has been an old fool and made a dreadful mistake
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on your point that it feels like Shakespeare must be studied as opposed to enjoyed. The diction makes readers constantly aware that they are outsiders peering into a time to which they do not belong. You can never truly be lost in the literary piece and you can never really wholly identify because of that. Still, I do agree that Shakespeare succeeds with depicting Lear's adolescent state of mind and emotion. We share the same views with respect to this. Shakespeare presents Lear in a very youthful way. It is this that leads to his fall.
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