For this blog post, choose three or more quotations from acts I-III which deal with a developing motif or idea within the play. You can find some of the best lines in the packet of quotations provided to you in class.
In your post, discuss how Shakespeare is developing, playing with, extending or clarifying an essential concept or idea across the quotations you have chosen. Try close reading: what words are essential to the line(s) and how are they arranged? Principally, you want to communicate what you think is a central conflict or problematic idea within the play by looking at the language.
"Keep thy foot out of brothels, thy hand out of plackets, thy pen from lenders' books, and defy the foul fiend." (3.4.96)
ReplyDelete"Have more than thou showest, speak less than thou knowest, lend less than thou owest." (1.4.230)
"Come not between the dragon and his wrath." (1.1.124)
It is quite ironic reading these quotations of advice from Shakespeare's "King Lear" but knowing that no one follows them. In the tragedy, there is deceit, cunning liars, betrayal, greed, selfishness, and plenty of other poor personality traits. All of these quotes support the concept of people giving advice which they cannot follow, irony at its finest. All the quotations above clarify the idea that, after reading these quotes and reading or watching the characters perform and act the way that they do (with greed, malice, and selfish motives) that with power comes a balance which must be kept in order to keep the peace. No one does that through act three in the play, which is what I've chosen up to for quotes seeing as that is how far we have read. Essential words and phrases in the lines seem mostly to be syntactically arranged for whom they are meant. The first quote and the second one that I have chosen are both in the same fluid format of having breaks in the sentence but continuing either the idea of not getting into trouble for things you should not do, or being humble and scarce when it comes to expecting things in return when giving to others. The third is also about power, using the word "dragon" and "wrath" as if in an old fairy tale. The language conveys the idea of being humble or being the least detected when it comes to doing harm or wrong to others, and keeping the balance of power - or rather, keeping power to yourself.
Come not between the dragon and his wrath. (1.1)
ReplyDeleteI will do such things,-- / What they are, yet I know not: but they shall be / The terrors of the earth. (2.4)
A poor, infirm, weak, and despised old man. (3.2)
In these three quotes, Shakespeare is developing the theme of power and the idea of fearing those in power. The progression of Lear in the play through these quotes shows his continuous loss of power and influence. In Act I, Lear compares himself to a dragon, suggesting that he believes he has power and intends to strike fear into those he is above. Saying this is on the verge of threatening Kent, and his threat at this point in the play can be taken seriously. However in the quote from Act II, Lear is unsure of his ability to cause harm. This is a hint toward his downward progression of power because Lear still believes he has power and is feared, but not knowing what he will do that will be “the terrors of the earth” undermines the threats sincerity. It is more difficult to take him seriously, and at this point of the play, Shakespeare is characterizing Lear as an old man losing influence and becoming less feared and more innocent. Lear’s loss of power continues into Act III, and is illustrated with the third quote, depicting Lear at rock bottom in terms of power and control. By describing himself as “A poor, infirm, weak, and despised old man,” Lear is truly seen as completely powerless. In his own recognition of his current state, the sense of loss is more directly conveyed. Unlike in the second quote, where Lear was losing power and was unsure what to do but still felt he could do something, Lear now feels that he cannot. Shakespeare is stripping the king of all his power, land, and love from his daughters, and throwing him out into the rainy night. In this way, Shakespeare is playing with the idea of who really has power, and how quickly it can be lost.
Lear is compared to a dragon initially, but then is moved down to a “weak, and despised old man.” The choice of saying Lear is a dragon contributes to the idea that he is feared, and that fearing him is reasonable. In none of these quotes is Lear depicted as someone who is loved. In the last quote in Act III, he calls himself “despised” to suggest how no one loves or cares for him, not even his daughters. For the majority of the play Lear is seen as an angry old man, incrementally losing control of his land, power, and fear. Choosing to make Lear indecisive about what he will do in the quote from Act II contributes to undermining his large ego. Stopping his threat short with, “What they are, yet I know not: but they shall be,” makes Lear seem desperate and takes away the effectiveness of his threat. The central conflict of these quotes is the tension between struggling for power and the problems Lear is facing that cause him to lose influence.
“Love is not love
ReplyDeleteWhen its mingled with regards that stand
Aloof from the entire point”
(1.1.241)
“The art of our necessities is strange,
That can make vile things precious”
(3.2.70)
“He’s mad that trusts in the tameness of the wolf, a horse’s health, a boy’s love or a whore’s oath.”
(3.6.20)
All three of these quotes stuck out to me when speaking about life and love throughout the play. In each quote love is tainted by something. In the first quote “regards that stand aloof from the entire point,” in the second quote someone is turning something that we need (like love) and morphing it into something that is not worthy of love. In the final quote it is sad that “He’s mad” to trust a “boy’s love,” meaning not to trust someone when they say they love you. Throughout the play love is twisted into different things. You have Lear’s version of love which includes professing your love to someone in order to get the point across. Then you have the love that is tied in with sadism throughout the play exemplified when Regan shows so much joy in tormenting and mutilating Gloucester. Love throughout the play is twisted into something it is not and the overall meaning of the word ‘love’ is lost to the characters in King Lear. Not only love but happiness and glee are warped by the sadism shown throughout the play. This is present when, as said before, Regan shows her happiness when Gloucester’s eyes are ripped out and the glee shown by Kent’s captures when he is thrown into the stocks. All characters in King Lear seem to have a sadistic side to them and this makes for enticing characters and dramatic scenes that amplify the emotions connected to the characters within the play.
Mend your speech a little,
ReplyDeleteLest it may mar your fortunes (1.1.97)
The art of our necessities is strange,
That can make vile things precious. (3.2.70)
O! Let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven;
Keep me in temper; I would not be mad. (1.5.51)
The book’s theme of dishonesty and deception rings true in these three quotes. In the first, Lear directly suggests that Cordelia “mend her speech” that is to say change her words to reflect her original idea less, for the sake of personal gain. Lear is more or less specifically asking for his daughter to lie to his face. Then, in the third quote, Lear deceives himself in a similar fashion, trying to sugar coat his perception of himself simply to mask the sad truth. Lear would much rather live in denial than face the truth, and as such he charges the people close to him to keep him in his fantasy land. Thus, the second quote’s mention of “necessities” is interesting because Lear’s skewed idea of what is important, such as his propensity towards denial of truths he deems undesirable, directly affects where his “necessities” lie. Thus, the “vile things” be they words, actions, or even physical objects, are being “made precious” for the wrong reason. Not because it is truly necessary, but because it helps keep Lear satisfied, even as the people close to him stab him mercilessly in the back.
O! Let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven;
ReplyDeleteKeep me in temper; I would not be mad!
(1.5)
No, I’ll not weep:
I have full cause of weeping; but this heart
Shall break into a hundred thousand flaws,
Or ere I’ll weep. O fool, I shall go mad!
(3.2)
Oh, that way madness lies; let me shun that.
(3.4)
Throughout these quotations from acts 1-3 of King Lear Shakespeare is developing the crucial motif of madness, and even more closely the motif of emotion. The madness displayed in the play is clearly positioned to show the slow but systematic decline of figures such as King Lear into serious mental distress. The key to this motif is that Shakespeare takes care to advance the actions of Lear to move aside the accusations of his madness. This denial is just as crucial to the action of the play as his madness is.
Some of the techniques used by Shakespeare to gain this effect of denial can be particularly seen in these quotes through careful reading. “Let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven” The references to madness throughout King Lear are often a double meaning if you look closely. Another motif is that of Lear’s temper, which is often being flared. The madness of his temper could also be seen as madness of the mind. The word to Shakespeare is the same, as is the attitude towards Lear from the surrounding figures about both his temper and his ensuing madness. In fact the two are often incredibly closely entangled even in the action of the play, as when Lear storms out on his two daughters and stampedes around in the tempest outside.
The recurring madness in the play also revolves around mention of emotion, as seen in the second quotation. If the connection between temper and insanity is drawn, then connections between all three can be seen in the early acts, as when Cordelia denounces her love for him. Cordelia’s mention of love other than for her father is one scene of the play which highlights the temper of Lear and begins to introduce Lear’s insanity, especially as it affects his family. Another area of the play that can be viewed in my second quote is the avoidance of emotional connection. Rarely in the play is there a intimate or legitimate discussion between to players, and the constant reminder of insanity and madness draws lines between all of the figures around Lear.
Shakespeare makes it clear that Lear is entering a realm of ever increasing insanity, but to closer readers it is also clear that Shakespeare adds a dimension of anger, perhaps over the attempted replacing of Lear’s power. The relation of both kinds of madness, insanity and extreme temper, makes me see the central theme of King Lear as the struggle over losing power and action through aging. Shakespeare uses the motifs visible in his play to enhance the focus on a distraught Lear who cannot handle the pressure of losing his control on who he still sees as his. A man who is afraid of losing everything, but has too much pride to seek help. An issue that has no time period, one of the reasons King Lear is still read, along with other Shakespeare works, and will be for years to come.
Love is not love
ReplyDeleteWhen it is mingled with regards that stand
aloof from the entire point (1.1.241)
Let not women’s weapons, water-drops,
stain my man’s cheeks! (2.4.277)
He’s mad that trusts in the tameness of a wolf, a horse’s health, a boy’s love, or a whore’s oath. (3.6.20)
Shakespeare repeatedly brings up the manner in which our emotions/love interests are toyed with by outside factors. The first quotation is centered around false love; Shakespeare denotes that if one’s love in contingent upon other knowledge, it is not love at all. This is quite logical, as you come to question whether or not the love would exist at all without the influencing factors (status, wealth, advantageous position etc.). Burgundy’s relinquishment of Cordelia’s hand in marriage upon her disenfranchisement is a prime example of this phenomenon. The second quotation addresses the manner in which women may deceive men with tears, continuing the idea of false love. It is rather sexist in suggesting that men cannot cry as women can, but perhaps it is necessary to carry on the motif. The line is spoken as Lear revolts against his daughters’ balking at his demand that they house his knights. The third quotation echoes the sentiment of false love, as it is warned not to trust in a promiscuous woman, or even a youth in love. Emotions and reason are not always the best partner, no matter what one’s intent is. The Fool makes a good point in saying so, but the placement of his quote is rather odd, seeing as it is a hectic scene in which King Lear stages an imaginary trial.
“O! let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven; /Keep me in temper; I would not be mad!” (King Lear, 1.5)
ReplyDelete“No, I’ll not weep: /I have full cause of weeping; but this heart /Shall break into a hundred thousand flaws, /Or ere I’ll weep. O fool, I shall go mad!” (King Lear, 2.4)
“Oh, that way madness lies; let me shun that.” (King Lear 3.4)
Throughout the play “King Lear” there is a motif of madness. Lear struggles with his madness increasing as he ages. As the play goes on you see a rollercoaster of madness pertaining to Lear. In each act his acceptance, or lack thereof, of his imminent madness changes. In act one you see him fighting off the madness, proclaiming “I would not be mad!” (1.5). He pleads to not be mad, he attempts to fight it off. As we get into act two, Lear begins by fighting the madness as he did previously. Shakespeare arranges his plea against madness to make it clear how much he is struggling with it. He begins by stating that “I’ll not weep” but quickly goes on to say that he has “full cause of weeping” making it clear to the audience that Lear is struggling internally. By the end of his dialogue, Lear has accepted that he “shall go mad!” (2.4). Shakespeare set up the dialogue to portray the madness motif and the up-and-down struggle Lear faces with it. However, by act three Lear is again trying to deny his madness, trying to stifle it and move away from it. He decides to “shun that” madness and be free of it, as if he could do so at will. Through Lear’s frequent changing acceptance of madness, you can almost begin to feel the motif within yourself. The motif is played up in Shakespeare’s clever language and in portraying Lear’s back and forth struggle with his madness.
“ Nothing will come of nothing.” (1.1.92)
ReplyDelete“O, sir! You are old;
Nature in you stands on the very verge
Of her confine. “ (2.4)
“Poor naked wretches, whereso’er you are,
That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm,
How shall your houseless heads and unfed sides,
Your looped and windowed raggedness, defend you
From seasons such as these?” (3.4)
The first quote comes from Cordelia when Lear asks her to tell him how much she loves him. This is at the very beginning of the book and it sets up the theme of nothingness and disintegration. The second quote is from Regan, after she has started her scheme with Goneril to reduce Lear’s power to nothing. She is telling him that he is old, and his time has come to let others take care of him. The third quote is from Lear himself in the middle of the storm. By this point in the play Lear has gone completely mad and is finally realizing how he has been reduced to nothing and his kingdom has turned into chaos. These three quotes are all taken at different points in the play and at each one Lear’s journey to madness and disintegration has progressed. The theme of nothingness is closely linked to madness because when Lear goes mad, it is because he has finally felt nothingness. As soon as Lear gives up his kingdom, he starts to disintegrate into chaos, just like his kingdom does. By having a mental motif of nothingness between characters like Lear, the fool, and Kent, it shows a parallel to the physical motif of nothing, as the kingdom slowly disintegrates. All class structure and order in society have been reduced to nothing as Lear begins his descent and the other characters such as Edgar climb into power. Shakespeare develops this idea of disintegration throughout the play, especially by having Regan and Goneril constantly convince Lear he is old and incapable. By telling him he is on the edge of dying and needing care as she did in Act 2 scene 4, Regan implies that Lear’s disintegration is natural and not induced by Goneril and herself. During the storm, Lear is at the epitome of his feelings of nothingness, and as he cries out to all of his kingdom that he has neglected, we can all see how the progression of disintegration has affected him. By tying together the physical meaning of nothing and the mental emotions of having nothing, Shakespeare shows absolute chaos and how that contributes to all of the development of the characters.
Third Servant
ReplyDeleteIf she live long,
And in the end meet the old course of death,
Women will all turn monsters. (3, 7)
King Lear
Now, all the plagues that in the pendulous air
Hang fated o'er men's faults light on thy daughters! (3, 4
King Lear
Darkness and devils!
Saddle my horses; call my train together:
Degenerate bastard! I'll not trouble thee.
Yet have I left a daughter. (2, 4)
King of France
Commit a thing so monstrous, to dismantle
So many folds of favour. Sure, her offence
Must be of such unnatural degree,
That monsters it, or your fore-vouch'd affection
Fall'n into taint: which to believe of her, (1, 1)
A common motif that seems to be rapidly expanding as the play unfolds would be that of the imagery in relation to women. Women, starting off with Cordelia, are depicted as monsters. Yes, they are also depicted as sweet innocent beings when in Lear's favor, but in fact they are not. Women are nasty terrible creatures. Of course this is also a lie as Cordelia is not a monster, yet was treated as one once out of the favor of Lear and thus she was sent away with France. Goneril and Reagan on the other side treated Lear nicely, only to backstab their own father as he ascended into madness. Lear's madness in result brings up the themes of blindness and of truth that connect to the theme of monsters with the sisters. Lear was incapable of deducing Goneril's and Reagan's plan to overrule him only until after his mad descent that in a way unblinded himself to the treachery of his daughters. By the time we reach the end of Act III, Reagan and Goneril thrust out their true colors and reveal the wickedness that had resided within their bones this whole time. What really struck out the most between the quotes above, are not Lear's opinions as he was mentally blinded throughout the first three acts, but was the outsider's quotes. Immediately at Cordelia's banishment France's response was with one of questioning Lear's sanity. France figured that Cordelia couldn't have done something so monstrous, and so he took her away, realizing that her worth was not as Lear proclaimed. Cordelia was no witch. On the other side of the spectrum would be the Third Servant. After watching a fellow lower servant get impaled by Reagan, the servant's remark follows along the lines that if Reagan (and Goneril) live a full life that they will wreck havoc across the nation until the day they die. As both Reagan and Goneril are terrible wicked monsters.
Meantime we shall express our darker purpose (1.1.36)
ReplyDeleteTime shall unfold what plaited cunning hides. (1.1.302)
Take physic, pomp;
Expose thyself to feel what wretches feel. (3.4.33)
Shakespeare addresses the theme of benefitting from deception in these three quotes. Exposing the truth is ultimately to expose oneself in the rawest from. In Act I we see how this affects Cordelia when she tells her father the truth about her love for him. Ultimately Shakespeare is capitalizing on mankind’s greatest fear: to suffer greatly for being true. Being deceitful brings with it a sense of power. When you know something to be true you hold power over the person believing it to be false. Edmund deceives Gloucester into believing Edgar is dishonest and in doing so he becomes intellectually more powerful than his father and Edgar.
Cordelia and Goneril deceive Lear with their lies of love, becoming more powerful in doing so, while Lear begins to lose his sense of power, and ultimately his grip on reality. His loss of power causes a downward spiral into madness. ¨Expose thyself to what wretches feel” can be equated to a loss of power or a loss of reality, in Lears case he experiences both. A wretch is a lower class being and Lear begins to reach this state after the truth behind his daughters’ motives are revealed. Time holds meaning for Lear as well. Truth often is revealed over time and as the truth is slowly made apparent to Lear he begins to lose touch with himself while his daughters prosper. Contradictory to Lears dwindling sense of power through madness, the Fool begins to gain in influence through foolish and perplexing language and behavior. Sometimes it is only through madness that sense can be made, and madness only reached once power has been stripped. There is power in deception but also power in madness.
O, sir! You are old;
ReplyDeleteNature in you stands on the very verge of her confine.
King Lear, 2.4
You see me here, you gods, a poor old man,
as full of grief as age; wretched in both! (2.4.274)
Oh, that way that madness lies; let me shun that. (3.4.21)
One prevalent motif that Shakespeare spends a lot of time developing is madness. As Lear grows older he seemingly becomes more and more mad. Madness is a prevalent motif in the whole book. It's tied directly to age and is seen as a form of weakness. Lear knows he's going mad as he even directly acknowledges it by saying, "Oh, that way that madness lies; let me shun that." He's aware that he's been going mad for the entirety of the book and he's trying to correct it but he really can't help it. He even acknowledges that others can see his madness. He knows it's a detriment to his respectability and name, but there seems to be little that he can do about it. He points out, "you see me here, you gods, a poor old man, as full of grief as age; wretched in both!" He knows the way he's portrayed by his madness but there's little he can do to fix his image at this point. Madness is difficult to cure, and without anything to stop it, it manifests. Others aren't hesitant to point out Lear's madness. It's used as an insult because it's clear to others that age is something that Lear is weary of.
My father compounded with my mother under the dragon’s tail; and my nativity was under Ursa Major; so that it follows, I am rough and lecherous. Tut, I should have been that I am, had the maidenliest star in the firmament twinkled on my bastardizing. (1.2)
ReplyDeleteI will do such things,--
What they are, yet I know not: but they shall be
The terrors of the earth. (2.4)
Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow!
You cataracts and hurricanoes, spout
TIll you have drenched our steeples, drowned the cocks!
You sulphurous and thought-executing fires,
Vaunt-couriers to oak-cleaving thunderbolts,
Singe my white head! And thou, all-shaking thunder,
Strike flat the thick rotundity o, the world!
Crack nature’s moulds, all germens spill at once
That make ingrateful man!(3.2.1)
All three quotes mention a natural terror or catastrophe, a natural force we cannot control. Yet, King Lear is attempting to command them. He is afraid of what he cannot control and he tries to put on a brave face. In the third passage he is trying to control the elements which, eventually bring him down in the form of the storm he is forced out into. He is also trying to control man, he wants the elements to bring down man for him because he fears that man (more specifically his daughters are getting the better of him.) In the first passage Edmund has decided that natural forces have decided his path for him, that what he is doing to set up his brother is the only course. He is not afraid of the forces because he is using them as an excuse for his behavior. Those forces in turn make others like his brother and eventually his father fear him or the things he says. In the second passage Lear is threatening his daughters with the “terrors of the earth” but the terrors of the earth and his daughters are things that Lear never had or no longer has under his control.
These passages are a reflection that things are slipping past Lear, his control over his daughters, his knowledge of what is going on in the kingdom, and his own mind. He could not even threaten his daughters with specific things only “ terrors of the earth” and he has no one telling him that Edgar has run away from his father’s accusations. Powers that are not his , like those of the earth are swallowing him whole.
“Meantime we shall express our darker purpose.” (1.1.36)
ReplyDelete“Let not women’s weapons, water drops,
Stain my man’s cheeks!” (2.4.319)
“The art of our necessities is strange,
That can make vile things precious.” (3.2.74)
Throughout the entire play, the characters are struggling with many conflicts: both internal and external. Out of context, only looking at these three quotes on their own, I notice a common thread of struggling with one’s identity and struggling with the deceit that may come along with trying to protect your identity (both physical identity and identity to oneself). The first quotation is obviously implying that some form of deceit has occurred, due to the fact that the true subject of the meeting Lear has called for has not been derived to his daughters and their husbands yet. The second quotation is that of someone asserting their identity. Lear is fighting with his daughter Regan, and he says this to her in midst of the argument. He is exclaiming how he will not let a woman’s anger or sadness have any emotional effect on him. He is asserting himself as a “man” to his daughter and telling her why what she is doing but not having him in her home is wrong. The last quotation is also a piece that seems to be chipping away at the identity of the human race. Humans make things (that are themselves undesirable) precious due to the fact that they feel they need that thing to live. Such as deceit. Deceit is a vile concept on its own. However, throughout the play, people lie and deceive to get what they want because they feel as though this is the only way to reach their goal, whatever that goal may be. So, in a way, deceit has become precious to them in such a way that it allows them to get what they want without having to go through much trouble for it. Shakespeare has developed all of these things artfully throughout the play, and each are connected purposefully to enhance the darkness of the play.
Act One:
ReplyDelete“Well, my legitimate, if this letter speed
And my invention thrive, Edmund the base
Shall top th' legitimate. I grow, I prosper.
Now, gods, stand up for bastards!”
Act Two:
“O, reason not the need! Our basest beggars
Are in the poorest thing superfluous.
Allow not nature more than nature needs,
Man’s life’s as cheap as beast’s.”
Act Three:
This courtesy, forbid thee, shall the duke
Instantly know, and of that letter too.
This seems a fair deserving, and must draw me
That which my father loses—no less than all.
The younger rises when the old doth fall.
All of these passages deal with the idea of what it means to be a person, and what how the search for power affects the values of poeple. The Earl of Gloucester has two sons, Edmund and Edgar. Edgar is the legitimate son of Gloucester, and Edmund is illegitimate. While Gloucester cares for both of his sons, Edmund feels like he has been slighted because of his legitimacy, and devises a plan to get rid of his brother so he would gain power over the kingdom. He prays for God to stand up for the bastards, because society views him as less of a person for being legitimate.
The passage from Act two shows how all lives are worth the same thing, from a king to an animal. Most people have more than they need, but no matter what the amount of their wealth is, their life is worth no more value compared to anyone elses. That fact that King Lear says this is very important, since he went to being King to having very little. The King was mistaken when he thought that even after dividing up his kingdom he would still have power, because Goneril and Regan began treating him very poorly after they gained power. This has made him realize that the amount of land or power does not define a person.
In the passage from Act three, Edmund states his plans to turn on his father after Gloucester gave him a letter stating that he plans to talk to the King. Edmund’s drive for power is so strong that he is willing to turn in his own father. He understands that when Gloucester is called to be a traitor, he will take his position. The phrase “the younger rises when the old doth fall,” is true of this government, and naturally occurs when the older rulers are no longer capable of ruling. It is interesting in this passage, however, because Edmund the cause of his father’s fall from power.
“O! let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven;
ReplyDeleteKeep me in temper; I would not be mad!”
King Lear, Act 1.5
“I am a man
More sinned against than sinning.”
King Lear, Act 3.2
“Oh, that way that madness lies; let me shun that.”
King Lear, Act 3.5
These three quotations exemplify the motif of madness that is incorporated throughout the play. Specifically, King Lear is a prime purveyor of the madness that is seen scattered throughout the play. The first quote refers to King Lear in Act 1, denying his madness even though it is clear he is being encompassed by it. This occurs after he disowns Cordelia and banishes Kent. The way that these three quotes are presented in this order are interesting as well, because in the second quote, King Lear seems to have accepted his madness and his sins, but tries to reason that he is more sinned against than he has actually sinned. This is simply Lear trying to find an alternate cause for the unfortunate things that are happening to him, such as Goneril banishing some of King Lear’s knights. In reality, King Lear is the one who appointed Goneril and Regan as the rightful owners of his kingdom because he chose to value compliments and fake protests of love rather than giving Cordelia (his only truly loving daughter) what he now realizes was the kingdom she deserved. In the last quote, it seems as if King Lear has finally realized his madness that he was driven to, and is now in the denial stage. He would rather shun his denial than acknowledge it and come to terms with the fact he screwed up.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHave more than thou showest,
ReplyDeleteSpeak less than thou knowest,
Lend less than thou owest, (1.4.132)
O, reason not the need: our basest beggars
Are in the poorest thing superfluous:
Allow not nature more than nature needs,
Man's life's as cheap as beast's (2.4.264)
close pent-up guilts,
Rive your concealing continents, and cry
These dreadful summoners grace. I am a man
More sinn'd against than sinning. (3.2.57)
King Lear is full of riddles from the Fool, and other characters,telling like each other to contemplate what they have going on in their life. In the first quote, the Fool gets his point across through rhyme. The full quote essentially has the Fool making fun of Lear and calling him a fool himself, for giving away all that he had in life. Central to all three quotes is keeping a little of what you have for yourself. Do not speak of everything that you know. Do not share everything that you have ever learned. Do not give nature too much, because it only needs so much “love”. The third quote draws in all that King Lear has learned about such topics. He then advises people against what he has done, because he realized what he did was stupid, he gave all of his treasures to his daughters and now it is biting him in the butt. His misfortunes coming back at him come through the line, “I am a man more sinned against than sinning”. The entire tragedy is a large moral, too late for Lear, in which he learns not to give everything away, because when you have nothing, the something that you had could be turned against you by somebody that you loved.
Mend your speech a little,
ReplyDeleteLest it may mar your fortunes. (1.1.97)
Love is not love
When it is mingled with regards that stand
Aloof from the entire point. (1.1.241)
Ingratitude, thou marble-hearted fiend,
More hideous, when thou show'st thee in a child,
Than the sea-monster. (1.1.283)
All the quote above have to do with false love, a recurrent theme in King Lear. It all started with King Lear asking his daughters to tell him how much they loved him so he could decide on an amount of land to give them. When Cordelia fails to comply with his demands by staying true to herself, he uses the first quote above to warn Cordelia of her doings. By saying so, he is saying that her love will get her fortunes which is not the purpose of love at all. The second quote ties in perfectly with this because Paris says just that about Cordelia, how she truly loves people because real love does not have anything to do with outside matters like power and state. The third quote comes in to play when King Lear finally learns what the play teaches to its readers, that what he thoughts was true love was actually false love powered by greed. He learns that the daughter he thought loved him so much actually did not. He calls Goneril ungrateful because he has given her his all and now she treats him coldly which refers to "marble-hearted fiend". The quotes show that false love is strongly present in the play and it plays a big part in the deceit of the characters to gain power.
Mend your speech a little,
ReplyDeleteLest it may mar your fortunes. (1.1.97)
Love is not love
When it is mingled with regards that stand
Aloof from the entire point. (1.1.241)
Ingratitude, thou marble-hearted fiend,
More hideous, when thou show'st thee in a child,
Than the sea-monster. (1.1.283)
All the quote above have to do with false love, a recurrent theme in King Lear. It all started with King Lear asking his daughters to tell him how much they loved him so he could decide on an amount of land to give them. When Cordelia fails to comply with his demands by staying true to herself, he uses the first quote above to warn Cordelia of her doings. By saying so, he is saying that her love will get her fortunes which is not the purpose of love at all. The second quote ties in perfectly with this because Paris says just that about Cordelia, how she truly loves people because real love does not have anything to do with outside matters like power and state. The third quote comes in to play when King Lear finally learns what the play teaches to its readers, that what he thoughts was true love was actually false love powered by greed. He learns that the daughter he thought loved him so much actually did not. He calls Goneril ungrateful because he has given her his all and now she treats him coldly which refers to "marble-hearted fiend". The quotes show that false love is strongly present in the play and it plays a big part in the deceit of the characters to gain power.