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CONTRIBUTIONS

Alexandra Rusu:

analysis of Act 1

formatting of commentary onto Tumblr

created introduction

created chart comparing character development

Rogan Anantharajah:

analysis of Act 5

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created conclusion

found pictures

Abdulla Nabulsi:

analysis of Act 2

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found pictures

Pranta Sarkar:

analysis of Act 3

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found pictures

Stephen Sin:

analysis of Act 4

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created MLA citations

#contributions #group

Character development throughout King Lear, a clear convergence of public and private person can be observed in chronological order.

#researchpaper #research

Conclusion

In conclusion, King Lear shows a varying contrast between the public and private life of the characters. At the start of the book, the discrepancy between the public and private person was huge, but as the play progresses, the reader notices that both lives start to overlap each other and come together in order to create the hectic story that follows William Shakespeare's King Lear.

#conclusion #kinglear

Act 1: Liar

As soon as Goneril acquires her wealth from her father, she has no need for flattery any longer and instead begins to express her private thoughts in public to her father. First complaining to Oswald:

“By day and night he wrongs me. Every hour

He flashes into one gross crime or other

That sets us at odds. I’ll not endure it.” (Act 1. Sc.3. Lines 4-6)

And later directly to Lear himself telling him to “disquantity [his] train”, (Act 1.Sc.3. Line 226).

Therefore the difference between her private and public lives clears in Act 1. Lear only then begins to see through Goneril’s falsehood, but much too late.

#alexandra #p4 #act1

Act 1: Edmund vs. Edgar

King Lear, after having disowned Cordelia tells Burgundy that, “her price has fallen”, (Act 1. Sc.1. Line 225) not only objectifying her but also warning his other daughters that if they follow suit, the same fate will befall them as well--encouraging the difference between the private and public lives of his daughters to exist, and again not recognizing the truth in the situation.

While this is occurring, Edmund plots against his half-brother Edwardout of greed and jealousy, similar to Goneril and Regan.

“Legitimate Edgar, I must have your land,”(Act 1. Sc.2. Line 16). He states his devious plans against Edgar, his half-brother, in his monologue beginning in act 2.Wishing to be the legitimate son of Gloucester instead of the base bastard of the family, he schemes against his brother by forging a letter, wishing to demonize him in the eyes of his father. Thus, Gloucester will look kindly on Edmund and make him his heir.

“And my invention thrive, Edmund the base

Shall [top] th’ legitimate. I grow, I prosper.

Now, gods, stand up for bastards!” (Act.1. Sc.1. Line 21-23).

Edmund plans to “top” Edgar, portraying himself as a dominator rather than a person with a gentle manner.

In public however, while with his father, Edmund pretends to hide the letter and tells his father that

“…it is a letter

From my brother that I have not all o’eeread; and

For so much as I have perused, I find it not fit for

Your o’oerlooking.” (Act.1. Sc.2. Lines 38-41).

Edmund feigns timidity and consideration on behalf of his father as well as his brother in public, in contrast to his desire for dominance and power in private.

After reading the forged letter, Gloucester exclaims: “O Villain, Villain!” (Act 1.Sc. 2. Line 79), referring to his son Edgar who believes wants his death. Similar to Lear, Gloucester is manipulated by his greedy child to detest his genuine offspring; Edgar. The blindness on the part of Gloucester and Lear (failure to see through public falsehood) makes them vulnerable to deception. They cannot distinguish between the false and the truth, and see the difference between private person and public person.

When alone, Edmund calls himself “rough and lecherous” (Act 1. Sc. 2. Line 138) however as he meets his brother Edgar, he says “Brother, I advise you to the best”. (Act 1.Sc. 2. Line 180), pretending to care for him he warns him against his father’s wrath which might hurt him. Edgar’s trust in his brother, (blindness in the face of evil), leads him to be oblivious to the difference in Edmund’s private intentions and his public actions/words.

#alexandra #act1 #p3

Act 1: Blindness

Lear that Cordelia’s words do not mean that she loves him least. He states, “nor are Kent warns those empty-hearted whose low sounds reverb no hollowness”(Act 1. Sc.1. Line 171-173), making a reference to the lesson of anAesop’s fable, “Men often applaud an imitation and hiss at the real thing”.

To support Kent’s hypothesis, Goneril and Regan begin to comment on their father’s foolishness in private, Goneril states, “He always loves our sister most, and with what poor judgement he hath now cast her off appears too grossly”. (Act 1.Sc.1. Lines 336-337). In private, the truth and lies of the two scheming daughters are distinguished their private lives therefore differ from their public ones, as their love for their father appears to be false and their motifs advantageous. “We must do something, and i’ th’ heat”. (Act 1.Sc.1 Line 335).

Lear is blind towards this scheming however and deaf towards Kent’s advice and banishes Kent from his Kingdom.

“Thy banished trunk be found in our dominions,

The moment is thy death. Away! By Jupiter,

This shall not be revoked.” (Act 1.Sc.1. Line 201-2003).

Only in scene 4 does Kent return, unchanged in his love for Lear, having stated in scene 1 that “His life he never held but as a pawn”. (Act 1.Sc.1. Line 175). And in scene 4 stating once more “so may it come thy master, whom thou lov’st, shall find thee full of labours”. (Act 1. Sc.4. Line 7-8) Kent is not driven by greed and has no motive for treachery, and remains loyal even after his banishment. He returns in the form of a beggar, his private life differing from his public one through his identity and appearance, rather than through his intentions. His love for Lear in private and public remain the same through Act 1.

#act1 #alexandra #p2

Act 1: Kingdom Divison

Act 1 begins with King Lear deciding to divide his kingdom for his three daughters. He sets one condition: “Which one of you shall we say doth love us most, that we our largest bounty may extend where nature doth with merit challenge.” (Act 1. Sc.1. Lines 56-57).

Lear does not ask which one of you LOVES us most, but which one of you doth SAY she loves us most. He also compares words to nature, causing the reader to make the assumption that words are always true, or natural. This leaves no room for a difference between the characters’ words and thoughts, making it hard forthe viewer to differentiate between what is said and what is actually felt.

Goneril and Regan, upon hearing their father’s request to flatter him in order to gain the largest part of his kingdom, begin to do so, loading words of praise onto him. Spurred by greed, they compete with each other by means of sweet words. Goneril states “Sir, I love you more that word can wield the matter, dearer than eyesight, space, and liberty”. (Act 1.Sc.1. Lines 60-61).While Regan, in an effort to outdo her sister criticizes Goneril for “come[ing] too short” (Act 1. Sc.1. Line 79) and tells her father that she “…alone felt care, in [his] dear Highness’ love”. (Act 1.Sc.1. Lines 83-84).

Cordelia however answers: “Nothing, my lord”. (Act 1.Sc. 1.Line 96).

“Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave

My heart into my mouth, I love you Majesty

According to my bond, no more nor less”(Act 1. Sc.1. Lines 100-102).

Cordelia’s genuine nature is however not rewarded, and although Kent warns Lear that “power is bowing to flattery”, Lear will not be moved and he banishes Cordelia from his Kingdom.

#act1 #alexandra #p1

INTRODUCTION

Through a deep exploration of greed, deception and falsehood, the tragedy of King Lear offers its audience a focused view at the human psyche’s hidden dark emotions, with which we are all too familiar.

King Lear’s descent from Kingship starting in Act one and ending in Act five occurs by means of the difference between the private and public lives of the people around him and the blindness of genuine characters such as Cordelia, Kent, and Edgar in the face of falsehood.

In attempts to achieve personal goals by means of deception, the difference between the private and public lives of the characters in King Lear begins to disappear as each of their goals are accomplished.

#intro #king lear

Act 2: Family Abandonment

The character that shows the most development in terms of the convergence of her private and public nature is Regan, daughter of Lear and spouse of the Duke of Cornwall. She leaves her house and comes to ask Gloucester for assistance, as she does not want to handle the burden of her father staying at her house accompanied by his entourage. Regan’s rhetoric in this excerpt is not consistent with that of her speech to her father in act one where she lavished him with praise and grandiose. She speaks of him in an irritated manner, and laments the fact that he was coming to stay at her house after his fallout with Goneril. Upon his arrival however, she converts her personality once again to convey her desired public image. She says “I am glad to see your highness”, and addresses him as sir, coupled with her lying about sacrifices she claimed to be willing to make for him. Despite these acts a convergence between her alternate figurative forms was clear. Gloucester and others now know of Regan’s dislike of her father and it is therefore not as private and secretive as before. The two very different masks she dons show signs throughout the act of eventually becoming one and the same.

When Goneril arrives at the Gloucester house she refuses to take Lear back to her house with 50 knights due to their burden. This marks the convergence of her two personas as well as she disrespects her father and undermines his position by refusing his requests and treating him much worse than she had vowed initially. This change is crucial to the plot as it marks the point where Goneril no longer had to resort to fake love and caring since she achieved her goals. The final point was when they openly decided to punish their father by abandoning him. “My lord, entreat him by no means to stay” (2.4.342); this command from Goneril to Gloucester is a landmark in the novel, and a paradigm of cruelty. This shows the point where both sisters dual personalities began operating in unison as they had robbed their father of his authority and his possessions and therefore no longer needed to act and deceive him.

Public personalities were originally very different to the characters actual personas in private as they put on various showings of devotion in order to achieve personal goals. As the characters achieved their various goals, they gradually went from having dual personalities to just one, which was filled with their evil intentions and deceitful ways. This brought out the most evil in them and truly makes one realize the scary extent to which greed can control a person.

#p4 #abdulla #act2

Act 2: Kent

Another character that exhibits two separate worlds in terms of personality, albeit in a completely different manner, with completely different goals, is Kent, who in this scene is disguised as Caius, Lear’s messenger. In this act, Kent erupts in a slur of insults to Oswald “a knave, a rascal, an eater of broken meats…. shallow, beggarly… one-trunk inheriting slave” (2.2.14) he exclaims, in sudden heated discontent. This rash outbreak represents Kent’s public image, which is drastically different from his pure, private intentions, which are to save Lear and his family from falling apart and bring justice for Cordelia who was wrongfully shunned by her arrogant father. His situation is significant to the story as he is an opposite of the general trend of the play where character’s private lives are malice ridden and veiled with evil while they seem genial and loving in public. In this act, although briefly, we are offered a stint of his true colors as he shows great loyalty to Lear when he visited him in the stocks. “Hail to thee, noble master” he addressed him, despite the fact that he had been banished by Lear earlier in the work for disagreeing with his treatment of his daughter. This is significant as it juxtaposes the difference between good and evil people. It shows that evil people have many wicked schemes but do not change in terms of appearance, whereas a good person can have countless different forms or disguises and still remain true to their intentions and ties with those they hold dear. The imagery of him being in stocks has a deep meaning behind it as it signifies the position he is in: he is unable to express himself without disguise but needs to do so in order to complete his objectives. Had all the characters been like him in nature, the ensuing tragedies in Shakespeare’s opus may not have happened.

#act2 #p3 #abdulla

Act 2: Edmund

Scene one commences with a monologue, which explicitly portrays the true evils hidden within the confines of Edmund’s soul. In the short speech, he clearly reveals his heartless plot against his brother Edgar. Shakespeare’s shift in tone and rhetoric upon the arrival of Edgar aims to juxtapose both poles of Edmunds personality side by side as he begins by talking about plotting against his brother, and ends his speech with him trying to help Edgar out of the mess. In a public exposé, Edmund coerces his brother into a brief clash of arms, which leads to Edgar’s fleeing from the castle. Edmund exaggerates the event to his father making himself look victimized. He even goes as far as to cut himself in order to increase his credibility. This is overly significant as it portrays the lengths the characters are willing to go to in their public flamboyancy to achieve their private aims. Edmund says, “ Here he stood in the dark, his sharp sword out, mumbling of wicked charms…” (2.1.40) about his brother. This is extremely ironic as this is in fact a metaphorical description of what he has committed against his father’s legitimate child. His diction sends a message of helplessness and vulnerability and unconditional love for Gloucester while speaking to his father, which are the main themes of his desired public persona. He hides his disgust at primogeniture, which is crystal clear when in private. Despite his attempts at deception, and keeping his public guise intact, Act 2 marks the beginning of the gradual convergence of his two polar personalities into one of clear iniquitousness as he reaches a point of no return such that he would have to, from that point, follow through with his machination of his evil and that his true deeds will eventually be unveiled to all .

#abdulla #act2 #p2

Act 2: True Colours

People are never what they seem, especially when it comes to potential gains or benefits one may salvage out of deception and other immoral acts driven by greed. In Act Two of Shakespeare’s King Lear, the individual plots devised by characters such as Edmund, Goneril and Regan begin to come to fruition while slowly bringing both aspects of their personalities into unison. The two sisters begin to exhibit their true colors in terms of their feelings towards their father, with the act ending in the sealing of Gloucester’s house at Regan’s command to keep Lear out. In attempts to achieve personal goals by means of deception, the difference between the private and public lives of the characters in King Lear begin to converge as each of their goals are accomplished; allowing the true nature of their acts to show as treacherous and false.

#act2 #abdulla #p1

Act 3: Realization

Gloucester: Pg. 167 Act III, Scene VII

“O my follies! Then Edgar was abused. Kind gods, forgive me that, and prosper him. ”

In this quote, the audience is witnessing the torment of Gloucester for committing acts of treason. The significance of this quote lies within the time it was said. Gloucester proclaims his love for Edgar, soon after discovering the betrayal by Edmund, the illegitimate son he believed to be his true and faithful son. Even in what is believed to be his dying moments, Gloucester apologizes and attempts to make amends with his son, through a religious prayer. This also reveals a lot about the character of Gloucester. This displays the affection Gloucester feels for his family. Shakespeare continuously mocks the relationship between fathers and their children, and does so cleverly. Shakespeare breaks the relationship possessed by a father and his son with constant betrayal and deception. It is ironic how the characters that do not represent their love for their fathers through words but rather through actions are the ones who are forsaken, and the ones who openly discuss their affections, are rewarded. The sinister and dark diction used by Shakespeare throughout this play really helps to captivate the audience, and allows them to really understand the events and consequences that resulted due to a prominent distinction between the private and public lives of the characters in William Shakespeare’s King Lear.

#pranta #act3 #p5

Act 3: Loyalty

Kent: Pg. 131 Act III, Scene II

“Some friendship will it lend you some ‘gainst the tempest”

With this quote Shakespeare verifies the loyalty that Kent possesses for Lear. Even though Kent was banished by Lear, he chose to remain by the king’s side and aid him in his journey. Although the people Lear believed to be the most trustworthy abandoned him, Kent always remained by his side. This also allows readers to further understand the static character of Kent. Kent’s character is someone who is unwilling to change no matter what, and this bodes well for the king. Kent is one of few characters whom the King can actually trust and Kent proves his loyalty and allegiance to the crown when he remains by the King’s side in disguise following his banishment. Kent acts as a confidante to not only Lear but Cordelia as well. This is a significant element of the play because it can be said that Lear’s mental state, after being exiled by his own daughter, was somewhat contained by Kent, and led to the prevention of any irrational actions possible to have been committed by the King in his ailing mental state.

#act3 #pranta #p4

Act 3: Dramatic Irony

Shakespeare utilizes the literary feature of irony with a high degree of effectiveness. Dramatic irony is present throughout the entire play and it is this form of irony which enables Shakespeare to contrast the private verses the public lives of the characters, thus captivating the audience and enhancing the plotline. The true intentions of each individual are revealed to the audience; however, it is kept undisclosed to the other characters. Through this, Shakespeare simultaneously foreshadows the events to come. It is ironic how the third act began exactly how it ended, with the betrayal of an individual by their own family. With the writing of King Lear, Shakespeare challenges the bond that most people believe to be the strongest of bonds, the family bond.

#act3 #pranta #p3

Act 3: Betrayal and Power

The theme of betrayal has been evident throughout the entire play; however, it is within the third act where betrayal has the greatest effect and consequences on the characters in the story. The third act begins after Lear was deceived by his daughters. Regan and Goneril’s behavior at the beginning of the play compared to the third act differentiates heavily. Both Regan and Goneril played on their father’s emotions, praising and continuously complimenting Lear which led to their increase in power. However, once they obtained the power that they desired they no longer required their father’s presence, which evidently led to Lear’s banishment. Edmund’s betrayal of his father, Gloucester, was a pivotal point within the story. It is at this point where the audience begins to see a shift in power. Although Shakespeare emphasizes the theme of betrayal, the integration of characters, such as Kent and Gloucester, help contrast this recurring theme and introduce themes such as loyalty and friendship. The loyalty both Kent and Gloucester possess for Lear is manifested through their actions. Gloucester risks his life and reputation as a loyal subject to the crown, to locate Lear. Kent, even after being exiled by Lear himself, remains by his side and attempts to assist Lear in his endeavors.

#act4 #pranta #p2

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