Critical Essay King Lear: Doube Pots

Introduction

King Lear is a tragic play by William Shakespeare. The plot consists of two plots each with its own characters. The main plot of the play involves Lear who is the King of Britain and his daughters Regan, Cordelia and Goneril. Disaster checks in when the king decides to hand over his empire to Regan and Goneril whom he is convinced love him genuinely. In contrast, King Lear throws out his other daughter Cordelia believing she is not devoted to him. In that regard, the King of France sees Cordelia's true worth and takes her in and plans to marry her. King Lear later realizes that he made the wrong decision by handing over his kingdom to Goneril and Regan. He has to live with the fact that his two daughters only used him to gain control of his throne. Annoyed by their unpleasant behavior, Lear rushes out into a fierce storm. Consequently, the anguish he suffers in his daughters' hands and the exposure to natural elements makes him go mad. Similar to King Lear and the circumstances at hand, we are introduced to the Earl of Gloucester who heads another family and is also the center of the subplot. Likewise, to the main plot, the subplot focuses on the parent-child relationship. It revolves around Gloucester and his sons Edgar and Edmund. Edgar is the eldest and legitimate while Edmund is the youngest and his bastard son. Edmund comes up with a ploy misleading both his father and brother in order to inherit his father's property.

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As the play progresses, the two plots merge and become one: In fear of being killed, Edgar disguises himself as a beggar and accompanies King Lear on his heath. In the meantime, Edmund betrays his father and hands him over to Regan and her spouse Cornwall. Regan and her husband subject Gloucester to immense torture by gouging out his eyes rendering him bind. The two send him out into the storm where he is discovered by Edgar who then leads him to Dover. In Dover, Cordelia helps King Lear to regain his sanity. Later a battle breaks out between the British and the French army where the French lose the fight. Consequently, Cordelia and Lear are taken as captives. The tragedy reaches its peak when Edmund is fatally wounded by Edgar; Goneril kills Regan then commits suicide. Eventually, Cordelia also dies due to Edmund's directive (Mabillard). Lear appears and carries his dead daughter in his arms; the strain overwhelms him and he drops dead on top of his daughter's lifeless body. In the end, the noble Edgar becomes the ruler and is left to restore England in order.

Origin of Problems

The origin of King Lear's problems is the decision to step down and divide his empire among his daughters. The King puts them to a test and asks them to describe how much they love him. Regan and Goneril give flattering responses while Cordelia Lear's favorite says she has no words to describe the love she feels for her father. Lear gets furious and disowns Cordelia. She then leaves for France with the king of France without her father's blessing (Shakespeare). Similarly, an elderly man named Gloucester also experiences challenges in his family. Edmund, his bastard son tricks him into believing that his Edgar, his biological son plans to kill him. Fleeing the manhunt set by his father, Edgar masquerades as a beggar calling himself poor Tom. Like Lear, he also goes onto the heath. Gloucester learns of Lear's misfortune and decides to help him regardless of the dangers involved. When Regan and her husband found out that Gloucester was helping Lear, they accused him of treason, gouged out his eyes and left him out to wander in the countryside.

Nature of Suffering

The nature of suffering in the play is intense and violent. Lear and Gloucester are driven almost beyond the limits that they can endure. Lear speaks of Goneril attacking him physically a tells Regan that her sister has struck him and tied unkindness around his heart. He describes his daughters as a disease and a boil in his flesh. The two have wounded him and now eat away his flesh. Lear's heart breaks into pieces to a point that his mind begins to disintegrate. Even when Lear regains his sanity, he still continues to suffer. He has been deeply wounded that he finds it difficult to recover from his daughter's assault. Also, his shame keeps him away from Cordelia that he cannot face her (Shakespeare, King Lear). Additionally, Gloucester and Edgar describe Lear as a ruined piece of nature and a side-piercing site respectively. Gloucester and Lear are overcome by their suffering in spite of efforts to alleviate their afflictions. Out of despair, Gloucester attempts suicide but Edgar saves him. He eventually dies from a broken heart. Lear's moment of agony comes following the death of Cordelia. Seemingly choking to death, he asks for a button to be loosened.

Nature of Reconcilition

Ashamed of his former unkind deeds, King Lear in his best light humbles himself before his youngest daughter Cordelia. He has come to terms with his powerless and diminished status and now considers himself nothing more than Cordelia's father. He focuses all his attention on Cordelia and he gets overwhelmed when his daughter is killed. Lear's love and defense for Cordelia go a long way to redeem him from self-centeredness. Indeed, the has learned the value of emotions and his perception of Cordelia's death shows that his judgment has been reinstated. Gloucester and his son Edgar embody the father-loyal child subplot similar to that of Lear and his daughter Cordelia. Edgar meets his blind father and offers to take him to Dover where Gloucester claims he will need no leading once they get there. A sense of optimism is seen as Gloucester finally reconciles with his son. Moreover, he begins to praise his Edgar to '' poor Tom''. Gloucester finally realizes his past mistakes and apologizes for his wrath. He gains insights on the true worth his son. Edgar who was once depicted as naive also gains insights. First, he masters the language and is able to alter the tone o his voice. He rapidly changes his accent to fit his role as poor Tom. Also, he tricks Gloucester into believing that the gods save his life to free him of any negative thoughts. As a predecessor to the reconcilement of Lear and his daughter, Gloucester and his son finally understand the value of each other.

Deaths

Both Gloucester and Lear are overwhelmed by their suffering in spite of efforts to reduce their misery. Out of despair, Gloucester attempts suicide but Edgar saves him. In the long run, he dies from a broken heart. Lear's moment of distress comes following the death of her daughter Cordelia. Seemingly choking to death, he asks for a button to be undone. The death of Cordelia symbolizes an unfair world because of her kind deeds and loyalty towards King Lear even after mistreatment by him. King Lear throws out his other daughter Cordelia believing she is not devoted to him. Luckily, she gained favor from the King of France who took her in and made plans to marry her. She, however, left for France without her father's blessings. Nothing can justify Cordelia's brutal murder and this proves that no good deed can go unpunished.

Conclusion

Overall, the play is filled with cruelty and meaningless disasters.s such, the terrible turn of events raises a clear question for the characters-whether there is any integrity left in the word or whether the world is simply hostile to mankind. In the end, the reader has left with a startling uncertainty-though the wicked die, good people also ie along with them. This is evident when King Lear holds the lifeless body of his daughter in his arms. There is the noble in the world of the drama, but there are madness and death in the long run. However, it is not easy to predict what will triumph in the end. Additionally, Shakespeare stresses the significance of father-child relationships. As such, the characters go through important developments as the drama comes to a liberating end. Edgar grows to be wiser and becomes the trusted heir. The three rogues, Regan, Edmund, and Goneril l are portrayed as scums. On the other hand, Lear and Gloucester realize the importance of their children and apologize for their wrongdoings. Cordelia selfless act is shown when she sacrifices herself not only for her father but also for the peace in the society.

Works Cited

Mabillard, Amanda. King Lear: Plot Summary. 20 August 2004. <http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/kinglear/kinglearps.html>.

Shakespeare, William. King Lear. Courier Corporation, 2012.

King Lear. Simon and Schuster, 2005.