King Lear A Man More Sinned Against Than Sinning example essay topic

King Lear - A Man More Sinned Against Than Sinning? A King is supposed to have all that he needs without having to worry about anything in his late years. Yet King Lear, in Act 3, Scene 2, cried out in pitifully: 'I am a man / More sinned against than sinning. ' ; Although Lear has made a huge mistake in the first scene of the play in dividing up his kingdom and banishing his two dearest people, the sins his two other ungrateful daughters have done him is far greater than the extent of Lear's wrongs.

After dividing the kingdom, Lear gave everything to his two daughters on the condition that he would keep his title as King, keep his entourage and that he would stay with each daughter for a certain amount of time. Goneril, annoyed with her father's impulsive temper, refuses to put up with him and orders Oswald and all other servants to provoke Lear so she would have a chance to rid of him: 'Put on what weary negligence you please, You and your fellows. I'd have it come to question. ' ; (I, , 13-14) Goneril's act demonstrates her impatience and her revengeful nature as she wanted Lear to suffer from whatever she had to put up with him before.

In Act 1, Scene 4, Goneril complains about Lear's impulsive behaviour and constant mood swing: '... and put away These dispositions which of late transport you From what you rightly are. ' ; (I, , 217-219) Telling her father what he ought to do is thought of as disgracing her father during those times. A child is supposed to demonstrate strict obedience towards his parents. In addition, Goneril criticizes her father's entourage vehemently: '... this your all-licensed fool, But other of your insolent retinue Do hourly carp and quarrel, breaking forth In rank and not-to-be endured riots. ' ; (I, iv, 197-200) The King's knights represented his status as king and criticizing them is an insult to Lear's ego.

On top of the criticism, Goneril also asks that Lear reduces his number of knights: 'A little to dis quantity your train, And the reminders that shall still depend To be such men as may be sort your age, Which know themselves and you. ' ; (I, iv, 245-249) All that is left of Lear is his knights, and yet Goneril decides to strips his away from him as well. This is like stripping away his title as king. Without his entourage, Lear would have nothing left. Goneril's lack of compassion is also shown. Lear, broken-hearted, turns to his other daughter Regan for shelter instead.

Yet he is in for another disappointment. Regan, having received the letter from Goneril, departed for Gloucester's castle, cruelly deciding not to be at home when Lear came to visit: 'Our father he hath writ, so hath our sister, Of differences, which I best thought it fit To answer from our home. ' ; (I, iv, 22-24) Regan is extremely cruel in not wanting to welcome her father. Her father had loved her and nurtured her since childhood and all he asked for was to visit her occasionally and she runs away from it. When Lear finally arrived at Regan's, he was shocked to see that Kent was placed in stocks, being held responsible for provoking a fight with Oswald. Even Gloucester is disturbed by how Kent is mistreated: '...

The King must take it ill That he, so slightly valued in his messenger, Should have him thus restrained. ' ; (II, ii, 141-143) Kent is one of Lear's most trusted servants. Instead of trying to insult Kent, Cornwall and Regan's main purpose was to challenge the king's authority. They didn't bother to pay the slightest hint of respect to the King. Goneril and Regan have paired up with one another to rebel against his own father, which is opposite to the tradition belief that children should comply with their parents with complete obedience. The final straw came when Lear found out about Kent's imprisonment and was enraged.

Regan had told him to return to Goneril and beg for her forgiveness for being impudent. Lear, being tossed around like a ball by his two daughters, becomes even more mad when Goneril arrives at Regan's castle and embraces Regan in the King's presence. Together they question why Lear would need so many knights when their knights would be sufficient to accommodate his needs. Lear enraged said: 'O, reason not the need! Our basest beggars Are in the poorest thing superfluous. Allow not nature more than nature needs, Man's life is cheap as beasts.

' ; (II, iv, 264-267) A king should be able to have everything he wants in his possession. The King has given up everything to Goneril and Regan, yet their search of seizure of power have turned them into greedy and ungrateful beasts who refuses to give their father the only two things he asks for: his pride and honour. Lear, angry and hurt, leaves Regan's castle in a stormy night, and Regan is cruel enough to command the soldiers to shut the doors on him: 'Shut up your doors. He is attended with a desperate train, And what they may incense him to, being apt To have his ear abused, wisdom bids fear. ' ; (II, iv, 304-307) Regan knew extremely well that there was a storm outside and that her father is an old man who cannot stand the coldness and rain, yet Regan still commands to bar the gates so Lear would be shut out and she wouldn't have to bother with him anymore. At this point, Regan totally deserves what Lear calls her as a 'degenerate bastard'; .

The final straw came when Lear, hurt and torn, maddened from Goneril and Regan's ingratitude and cruelty, hears from Gloucester than they have came to seek for his death: 'I have o'er heard a plot of death upon him. ' ; ( , vi, 88) The act of patricide is the most horrendous thing that could ever happen. The thought of killing someone who have given everything he possess, loved and nurtured their child is inhuman. What further showed Regan's bestiality is when Regan plucked out Gloucester's eyes when he was discovered to be helping Lear, leaving Gloucester completely blind. Like Kent, Gloucester represented Lear figural ly, the act of torturing him is like torturing the King himself.

One might argue that Goneril might be justified for feeling mad when Lear strike Oswald: 'Did my father strike my gentleman for chiding of his fool?' ; (I, , 1) Oswald oversees the estates for Goneril and is responsible for all servants, and striking him would be an insult to Goneril. Goneril also had every right to ask his knights to behave themselves: his knights might really have been disordered and being the owner of the castle, she had every right to request for good behaviour from them and she certainly didn't deserve her father's curse of sterility at that point: 'Suspend thy purpose, if thou didst intend To make this creature fruitful. Into her womb convey sterility; Dry up in her organs of increase; And from her derogate body never spring A babe to honour her!' ; (I, iv, 273-278) However, Regan's plot to murder her father was enough to make up for the other sins that Lear has committed. Lear is an old retired king who certainly doesn't deserve to treated in the manner his two ungrateful daughters have done so. Lear might have lacked personal insight in banishing his two most beloved people around him, and lacked self-control and discipline in controlling his temper, but there could be no reason to justify the immoral actions that Goneril and Regan had caste d upon them.

They dejected, abandoned, hurt ed and even wanted to kill their own father. To Lear, maybe the thing that hurts him the most is the fact that his two evil daughters are his own flesh and blood. Not only has he been stripped of love, pride and honour, he has also been driven crazy by them. Lear might not have been sinless, yet the faults caste d upon him is far greater than what he had wronged.