Daughters Of King Lear example essay topic

Select one idea or issue that you feel is particularly relevant for contemporary society and discuss how Shakespeare explores this in the play. Shakespeare's play, 'King Lear', anticipates the corruption of people through their inability to control their greed, a contemporary issue rarely discussed but displayed so regularly. Shakespeare shows this quality of greed through various forms and characters including Goneril and Regan, daughters of King Lear himself. In the first scenes King Lear announces to impart most of his land to the daughter who profess the most love for him.

In this petty act to flatter, Goneril and Regan feign about their love for Lear. They display commendable examples of their 'ever-growing' love for their father. The expected treatment through family members is assumed as being honest to each other. However through the greed that is embodied, both daughters lie to their own father and deceive his good intentions for their own benefit. This causes problems within the proper functions of the family, hence relating to a dysfunctional family. Today, it is still possible for an individual to deceive their kin for such purposes.

Despite this, Cordelia (youngest daughter of Lear) is the only to show resilience against the greed out of the three sisters. By expressing this in her character, Shakespeare shows that it is possible to disallow greed to weave the path of corruption. In her innocence, Cordelia refuses to embellish her love and shows dignity in her actions, even after she is given a chance to annul punishment. Through Cordelia, Shakespeare explores the type of characteristics an individual must possess in order to dignify themselves from greed, characteristics such as honesty, integrity and honour. Another character, which demonstrates this feature, is the illegitimate son of Gloucester; Edmond. Edmond's role shows a man that is so determined to gain power that he deceives both his father and brother.

His scheme begins with the forging of a letter addressed to himself revealing a plot against Gloucester. Edmond in secret brings this letter to Gloucester saying the sender is Edgar (Gloucester's legitimate son). Easy-to-anger Gloucester jumps to multiple conclusions and tells Edmond to seek out Edgar. In his soliloquy, Edmond says; "Well, my legitimate, if this letter speed and my intention thrive, Edmond the base shall to th " legitimate. I grow. I prosper; now gods, stand up for bars tads!" The first half of this sentence is directed at Edgar, where Edmond aspires to overcome the position of the legitimate son.

He expresses his desire and determination to fulfill this task in the rest of his sentence. His greed fuels his willpower. However Edmond does not stop at this one scheme, his further achievements include the luring of both Goneril and Regan. His need for power arouses his ways of corruption, which ultimately leads to murders that which follow. By drawing both the sisters, Edmund provokes jealousy between the two.

It is this that causes Goneril to cook up a poison for her own sister in sake of another man. Through this, Shakespeare expresses the immoral decisions, which individuals will go through just to get what they want. Edmund is so corrupted in his will to succeed that he also sends out people to assonate Lear and Cordelia. Seen as obstacles, Edmund aims on eliminating them. There are minor characters in "King Lear" that continues this trend of greed. One of which include the duke of Burgundy, which disapproves of Cordelia's hand in marriage due to fact that she carries no dowry.

This implies that he was only interested in the self-benefit gained if he were to wed a well-prized princess. Here in Act I, Scene I Burgundy asks with pride to wed Cordelia, but in finding that she is worthless he instantly rejects her. Burgundy: Royal King, give but that portion which yourself proposed. And here I take Cordelia by the hand, Duchess of Burgundy. Lear: Nothing, I have sworn; I am firm. Burgundy: I am sorry then, you have so lost a father, that you must lose a husband.

Back in the time of Shakespeare individuals who held high positions in society who commonly more selfish and greedy. They preyed on others fortunes and would reject those who refused them that. In this case the duke of Burgundy displays such an example. However ironic as it is, the King of France admires Cordelia for who she is and not of her dowry.

If Cordelia hadn't been so blunt to Lear she would have had her piece of land, and the duke of Burgundy would have chanced in her engagement. But her innocence won the heart of a King, well better placed than a position of being duke. Chronologically Shakespeare conclusively displays the consequences of events which occur in relevance to decisions the individual makes. More or less greed has something to do with some of the decisions made in "King Lear", tragedies are brought on after the actions of some people. Harmony would only be brought back when the greed is recognized but by then things would have been too late and what had been done would not be able to repair.