Hi Everyone: Please respond to the passage you have chosen in class (Tuesday, April 1) in the comment
section below. See the previous motif assignment for directions or
clarification. Only one passage is necessary for both acts. Thanks, Mr. Telles.
Kirsten L. Salo Act IV, vi, 44-78 Motifs: eyes, kindness vs cruelty
Currently, Gloucester’s eyes have been gauged out and he wants to commit suicide. Edgar devices a plan that allows Gloucester to think he is jumping off of a cliff, but he is actually only going to fall on his face. While Edgar is leading Gloucester to the “cliff,” he has to keep dismissing Gloucester’s weak suspicions of where he actually is. When they arrive at the cliff, Edgar lets Gloucester fall onto his face. For a moment Edgar thinks he might be dead, although Gloucester comes through. Edgar pretends to be somebody else and says to Gloucester that the gods have spared him and that his life is a miracle. Since Gloucester is a blind man, he is easily deceived and Edgar’s plan worked.
Two motifs I noticed in this passage were eyes and kindness vs cruelty. Gloucester has recently been blinded and therefore he has a lack of eyes. His blindness symbolizes his despair, the reason for wanting to commit suicide. He cannot see anything; a reason to die. Although the motif of eyes is also prevalent in that Gloucester was always deceived by his two sons, Edgar and Edmund, and not once truly knew the truth about either one of them. Now that he is really blind, he will never know. I thought that kindness and cruelty was in this passage because of Edgar. He is doing such a kind thing by letting his father live, although it is more of selfish act. He doesn't want his father to die, at least not yet, and therefore he devises a plan to let him think he is going to die. That also has a cruel side because Gloucester wants to commit suicide. He begs and pleads in this passage to let him die, but alas, he doesn't.
KENT: (III,i,17-44) This passage, spoken at the beginning of the first scene of Act III, is directed from Kent, towards the Gentleman. Kent mentions how he trusts the Gentleman enough to tell him about the secret argument between Albany and Cornwall. They have French spies posing as servants. They noticed that both Albany and Cornwall are against the King of France, and the king is planning to have troops go into their divided kingdoms. Kent reiterates his loyalty and nobleness, and talks of the Gentleman’s trustworthiness as he explains the situation to the Gentleman. This quote encompasses several motifs. One being the importance of loyalty, and another being the importance of identity and image. This quote concerns loyalty because Kent, who is the only truly loyal characters in the play, is trusting the Gentleman with this information. Throughout the entire play, there has been numerous issues with loyalty; from Edmund’s lying and deceitfulness displaying disloyalty, to Cordelia displaying loyalty by her respect to her father. This passage reminds the reader of Kent’s good intentions and how he is one of the few loyal characters in the play. He is telling the Gentleman this information in hopes that he can use it to help the others. The other motif I see is importance of identity and reputation. Identity is a key factor in this passage because Kent is only sharing this classified information with the Gentleman because he has a solid reputation, causing Kent to trust him. Kent also has a good reputation and identity, which allowed him to have this knowledge. The theme of identity is prevalent throughout the entire play and is very important in all relationships and interactions. I found this passage important because the most loyal character in the play, Kent, is sharing secret information with the Gentleman, and the themes of trust, identity, reputation, and loyalty come out.
Once Edgar begins to speak as Poor Tom, everything he says has several meanings. Take the very first line; “a serving-man, proud in heart and mind, that curled my hair,” could indicate several opinions. He could be speaking about himself; a literal servant bound in loyalty to his father and family and proud and good in life. “Curled my hair” could mean that he has always kept his hair clean and brushed, a sort of idiom like “keeping behind your ears clean”, representing how Edgar has followed the rules all of his life and never wished ill will on anyone. However, it could also be that he is comparing himself to a player; a man who serves love to all of the ladies, who has sinned with many and shows no respect for their or anyone else’s sense of piety and respect. Someone who curled their hair in show, like a man who is too conscious about his looks and uses the =m to get his own way, or perhaps, even worse for this time period-a homosexual, a man who really might “curl” his hair. This may be the worst option of them all, for it means not only is his way of life a sin, but he is alienated by society. A playboy is frowned upon but at the same time, shown respect for it shows some degree of power. However, underneath all of these different examples of sin is another meaning, which states that all of these examples of sin figuratively curl his hair. Sin is not like him. Edgar’s innocence is further exampled when he uses the term “did the act of darkness” to imply sex instead of any of the other bawdier terms that Shakespeare uses in his works. The fact that the term that Edgar employs is subtler and softer than most references about sex infers that its not something that Edgar is comfortable with or familiar with; like when we were in middle schools, and we all had codes for the “forbidden” words. Edgar’s entire monologue goes on to list different sins; swearing, cursing heaven, lust, and of symbols that match his inhuman-like state. Edgar could be acting like this for several reasons. The most obvious reason is that he is pretending to be mad in order to stay close to his father, who has banished him.However, it could be that he is honestly raging about the sins that all people commit and how unfair it is that he, a conservative man, is being punished compared to everyone else. Or even worse, perhaps he is slightly mad. Deranged by being abandoned and cut off from his family; he questions himself, unsure of even his own morals. Perhaps he is wondering out loud; what could I have done to cause this uproar? It must have been something horrible. Maybe he is adding these sins to himself, because he no longer can look at himself with a pure heart, thinking about everything he has done wrong. Maybe the sins he lists are exaggerations of normal human acts that he has committed but now see as filthy in his eyes, with nothing else to blame for this incident; perhaps he at one point loved a woman or perhaps he has felt vain in the past. But now, no more: “Let not the creaking of shoes nor the rustling of silks betray thy poor heart to woman”, no longer look at women or reveal to them your love. “Defy the foul fiend”; either whoever made his life become this ruin, or his own guilty, wanton desires.
Act IV, Scene xi, 12-61 Motifs: Deception, Motivation
In this scene Edgar, who is in disguise, is guiding Gloucester, who no longer has eyes, to a cliff so that he can commit suicide. Edgar isn’t bringing him to a large cliff, but rather a small drop so that Gloucester believes he attempts suicide, but survives. At the bottom Edgar, now pretending to be someone else, approaches Gloucester and tells him that he witnessed him fall and survive. This gives Gloucester the will to live on.
This is another example of deceit in the play. Except this is one of the first instances where deception is not backed by malicious intentions. Edgar wants his father to have a will to live, and believes this is the only way to do it. This is also one of the few examples of deceit in the play where it is not just helping the person doing the deceiving, but also the person being deceived. Edgar is perhaps the most successful con-man in the play, convincing everyone that he is multiple different people. Although most of this was to protect himself, this was the first time he was helping someone else. Which brings up the other theme: motivation. Almost everybody’s motivation in this play is for their own personal gain. Here, we finally see somebody motivated to help someone else, not just themselves. Gloucester’s lack of eyesight is a symbol of all the muddled motivation, and deception. Since he cannot see what is going on he does not know what is really happening, just like how not everyone can truly see why someone is doing what they are doing or acting the way they are acting.
GLOUCESTER: A poor unfortunate beggar. EDGAR: As I stood here below, methought his eyes were two full moons; he had a thousand noses, horns whelked and waved like the enraged sea. It was some fiend. Therefore, thou happy father, think that the clearest gods, who make them honors of men's impossibilities, have preserved thee. GLOUCESTER: I do remember now. Henceforth I'll bear affliction till it do cry out itself "Enough, enough!" and die. That thing you speak of, I took it for a man. Often 'twould say "The fiend, the fiend!" He led me to that place. EDGAR: Bear free and patient thoughts.
Themes: Kindness/Cruelty Parents and Children
I believe my last post was about how kindness and cruelty can often lead to one another, and this is something that has occurred numerous times throughout this tragedy. I feel empathy for Gloucester, and this part of the play actually got to me. From what I can see, Gloucester is terribly depressed and unmotivated to participate in life any longer. Edgar, his son, hears Gloucester say how he wishes he could touch Edgar again, and it would make all of his problems better. However, Edgar never reveals his identity to Gloucester, and to me, it is almost cruel. I question whether or not Edgar was trying to ultimately be kind by staying hidden. If he had revealed himself to his father, he wouldn't have been able to convince Gloucester to get back at life and endure, but there is a possibility that if he had revealed himself, Gloucester's depression would have ceased at that moment, and he would no longer be suicidal. Typically, lying is considered a cruel action in our culture, but Edgar thinks quickly, and formulates a believable lie that ultimately helps Gloucester. I don't support Edgar's choice to lie about his identity, but I do agree with the fact that he told Gloucester he did fall off the cliff, and that he survived it. It was a convincing way for Edgar to help Gloucester realize that he should continue to live.
I was baffled by the fact that Gloucester, blind or not, couldn't recognize his own son. Even if a person tries to disguise their voice, one can usually recognize the sound. Gloucester's senses would be heightened since his lack of sight, and therefore he could recognize Edgar through touch or sound. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like I could recognize my mother without having to see her. This makes me question the bond between children and their parents, not only in this scene, but also in the entire play. We see Lear and Cordelia have family issues, and Edmund as well. The relationships have love and connection that doesn't seem to be recognized at times when it should. Shakespeare is probably noting how people, in this tragedy and in life, often allow other issues, thoughts, events, and selfishness influence and interfere with their family connections. We know that Gloucester loves his son, and craves to see him, but if he loved him that much, wouldn't he be able to recognize Edgar in the first place? Edgar seems to have made the right decision because he knows his father well enough. Cordelia knows King Lear inside and out, but it seems that the parents lack the reflection of this action. The offspring of the play know their fathers well enough to deceit them or aid them, depending on their motives, but the fathers can't seem to get it right with their kids.
In this passage you can clearly see that both the plot of the entire play and the characters are moving towards chaos and the amount of craziness that occurs in each moment building. In the passage we have Poor Tom (Edgar) who is completely naked, and seemingly mad, Gloucester who has just had his eyes gouged out and is begging to be led to his death at the Cliffs of Dover, and an Old Man who seems to be only the eyes of Gloucester. Gloucester asked Poor Tom to lead him to Dover so that he may fall to his death and he agrees, however the Old Man seems to think nothing of the situation, and completely disregards the conversation unfolding in front of him. This leads to the increased and unstoppable chaos of the situation, the Old Man, who is the only one in the right state of mind, does nothing to stop the craziness that is about to happen. The nonchalantness of the whole passage leaves the reader unsettled with an eery feeling that something strange and al together crazy is about to happen. Without anyone stopping the “madmen leading the blind” as it is put by shakespeare himself, there is nothing that the audience can do except watch as the stupidity of an easily preventable situation unfold before them.
Christina Sargent 3.2.12-26 Motifs: nature, betrayal
FOOL O nuncle, court holy water in a dry house is better than this rainwater out o’ door. Good nuncle, in. Ask thy daughters’ blessing. Here’s a night pities neither wise men nor fools.
LEAR Rumble thy bellyful! Spit, fire! Spout, rain! Nor rain, wind, thunder, fire are my daughters. I tax not you, you elements, with unkindness. I never gave you kingdom, called you children; You owe me no subscription. Then let fall Your horrible pleasure. Here I stand your slave, A poor, infirm, weak, and despised old man. But yet I call you servile ministers, That will with two pernicious daughters join Your high-engendered battles ’gainst a head So old and white as this. O, ho, ‘tis foul!
While in Gloucester’s castle, King Lear’s daughters, Goneril and Regan, refuse to let him live with either of them unless he gives up all of his servants. He refuses to, so embarrassed and angry, he runs out into the storm. The fool is trying to convince King Lear to go back inside and beg his daughters for forgiveness since the storm is very bad. Lear instead yells at the storm, telling it to do its worst. He doesn’t care how bad the storm is, since he will never forgive Goneril and Regan for what they have done to him.
Nature has been a recurring motif in King Lear so far. It symbolizes what is natural and right in the world, despite sometimes being harsh or cruel. Lear would rather face the storm than his daughters who have pretended to love and respect him. The second motif in this passage is betrayal. King Lear thought that he could trust Goneril and Regan to take care of him. Instead they have taken his kingdom and cast him out into the storm, as he sees it. When addressing the storm, Lear basically says that no matter how terrible the storm gets, it will never be as bad as what his daughters have done to him.
Katie Manning 3.7.111-126 Motifs: Forgiveness, Life Lessons
EDGAR When we our betters see bearing our woes, We scarcely think our miseries our foes. Who alone suffers, suffers most i' th' mind, Leaving free things and happy shows behind. But then the mind much sufferance doth o'erskip When grief hath mates and bearing fellowship. How light and portable my pain seems now When that which makes me bend makes the king bow. He childed as I fathered. Tom, away! Mark the high noises and thyself bewray When false opinion, whose wrong thought defiles thee, In thy just proof repeals and reconciles thee. What will hap more tonight, safe ’scape the king! Lurk, lurk.
Previously, Edgar had a mental breakdown. He was in the rain screaming and shouting, pulling off his clothes while rubbing dirt all over himself. He was mad and upset by the fact his father wanted him gone. His brother Edmund tricked him into thinking he was at fault. The idea of feeling alone and unloved caused Edgar to express himself in unexpected ways. Some time after, the king also went down the same road at Edgar. Upset and hurt by his daughters and situations around him cause him too to let go and become mad. It’s not that both Edgar and the King were crying and sad, it was the fact they blew everything out of proportion and basically went crazy for the time being. They both felt alone and betrayed, leaving their hearts and minds unaware of what to do.
There are a couple motifs that I have found to be quite noticeable and intriguing. As the play has progressed, I myself, the reader, have noticed patterns and key points/messages hidden within the words. It seems that everyone in the play is losing their mind, becoming way too over dramatic for every little situation. At this point in the play, Edgar is alone and speaking to yet only himself, talking through what is going on in his head. He is beginning to realize that he is not the only one going through a rough patch, he is not the only one upset. Edgar is beginning to forgive himself, realizing it’s okay to be this way. This is where the motif forgiveness comes into play, as well as the motif life. Edgars words speak to many, as he begins to understand that a person is never alone, there is always someone out there feeling the same pain as you do. For both the king and Edgar, the idea of pain and guilt gets to them, causing their feelings to rupture, only causing hatred toward themselves. The point of this scene was to connect the outside world with inner battles, relieving stress and getting rid of pain. The begin to forgive what is going on, realizing it is only part of life.
EDGAR Give me your hand: you are now within a foot Of the extreme verge: for all beneath the moon Would I not leap upright. GLOUCESTER Let go my hand. Here, friend, 's another purse; in it a jewel Well worth a poor man's taking: fairies and gods Prosper it with thee! Go thou farther off; Bid me farewell, and let me hear thee going. EDGAR Now fare you well, good sir. GLOUCESTER With all my heart. EDGAR Why I do trifle thus with his despair Is done to cure it. GLOUCESTER [Kneeling] O you mighty gods! This world I do renounce, and, in your sights, Shake patiently my great affliction off: If I could bear it longer, and not fall To quarrel with your great opposeless wills, My snuff and loathed part of nature should Burn itself out. If Edgar live, O, bless him! Now, fellow, fare thee well. He falls forward
This passage depicts the attempted suicide of Gloucester. Edgar, disguised as Poor Tom, helps lead Gloucester to the cliff at Dover to fall to his death after his eyes have been gouged out by Cornwall. Shakespeare uses irony to heighten the motif of loyalty and faithfulness. Edgar had physically disguised himself as Poor Tom to fool the others so that he could infiltrate into the kingdom once he was exiled. Shakespeare has made it very apparent throughout the play that it is our eyes that tend to deceive us, hence the several disguised characters that have had success in staying unknown. However, when helping Gloucester to his death, Gloucester’s eyesight is gone. And yet, Gloucester is still unable to perceive that it is his son. With a disguised Edgar helping his father, Gloucester even calls out to his banished son. This is all quite unbelievable that his own father is painfully aware of the remembrance of his son, yet was not able to recognize the man helping him, indicating Shakespeare’s use of irony.
The situation as a whole also conveys more irony to further embellish the loyalty of Edgar. Gloucester had banished Edgar for believing that he was planning to kill his own father. And now, Edgar disguised, is the one leading his father to his own suicide. Except by doing this, Edgar is actually saving his father from his death. Shakespeare is clearly working very hard to make the point of loyalty and faithfulness. By throwing all of this irony at the reader in a very short amount of time, we cannot help but feel the loyalty of son to father.
The significance in this lies at looking into other characters with this in our mind. With this emphasis, everything done by Edmund, Goneril, etc. to their own fathers appears even more-so deceitful. As the play begins to end, their actions are continuing to spiral in the hateful direction, while Shakespeare uses Edgar and Gloucester to remind the reader of the of what is good against all of the bad.
Edgar. Come on, sir; here's the place. Stand still. How fearful And dizzy 'tis to cast one's eyes so low! The crows and choughs that wing the midway air Show scarce so gross as beetles. Halfway down Hangs one that gathers sampire- dreadful trade! Methinks he seems no bigger than his head. The fishermen that walk upon the beach Appear like mice; and yond tall anchoring bark, Diminish'd to her cock; her cock, a buoy Almost too small for sight. The murmuring surge That on th' unnumb'red idle pebble chafes Cannot be heard so high. I'll look no more, Lest my brain turn, and the deficient sight Topple down headlong. Gloucester. Set me where you stand. Edgar. Give me your hand. You are now within a foot Of th' extreme verge. For all beneath the moon Would I not leap upright. Gloucester. Let go my hand. Here, friend, is another purse; in it a jewel Well worth a poor man's taking. Fairies and gods Prosper it with thee! Go thou further off; Bid me farewell, and let me hear thee going. Edgar. Now fare ye well, good sir. Gloucester. With all my heart. Edgar. [aside]. Why I do trifle thus with his despair Is done to cure it. Gloucester. O you mighty gods! He kneels. This world I do renounce, and, in your sights, Shake patiently my great affliction off. If I could bear it longer and not fall To quarrel with your great opposeless wills, My snuff and loathed part of nature should Burn itself out. If Edgar live, O, bless him! Now, fellow, fare thee well. (He falls)
Motifs: Sight and Truth
Throughout the play, there is a constant battle between believing what things appear to be and believing what is actually the truth. These two themes are present in this passage. Here, Edgar is pretending to lead his father, Gloucester, to a steep cliff so that he can fall off and kill himself. He manages to convince Gloucester, who is now blind, that they are climbing a steep hill, despite the fact that Gloucester cannot feel the incline. Throughout the entire play, Gloucester has been naive, believing much of what people tell him. In the very beginning of the play, he turns against his son Edgar when Edmund tells him that Edgar is scheming to kill Gloucester. Gloucester immediately turns on Edgar, who has to flee or risk being killed himself. And here, Gloucester is just as naive, believing Edgar despite the fact that his senses and reasoning tell him otherwise. It is here that Gloucester also laments the fact that he had been tricked by Edmund and that he has betrayed Edgar.
There is a juxtaposition between two motifs: sight and truth. When Gloucester had his sight, he was clouded from the truth. Only now that he can no longer see does he realize his mistake. This is a theme that is constant throughout the play: people are rarely what they appear to be. Both Reagan and Goneril sang King Lear’s praises in the very first act of the play, and yet they turned against him the moment they received their land. And Edgar, who had appeared to many characters to be a traitor to his father, ends up being the most loyal son of all. Here, despite his father’s previous actions, he is tender towards his father. Even when Edgar has the perfect opportunity to kill his father, he does not do so.
This illustrates a strong relation between Edgar and Cordelia. In the very first scene of the play, Cordelia is banished by her father for her honesty, but she ultimately is the only one who spoke the truth to him. She is by far the most loyal of Lear’s daughter, and yet is thought the be the least. The same is with Edgar. Because of Edmund’s schemes, Gloucester believes that he has been betrayed by Edgar, when, in reality, he is his only loyal son. It is only when he can no longer see, however, that he realizes this. It seems that the only way that Gloucester believes the truth is when he can no longer be fooled by his sight.
Osw. Wherefore, bold peasant, Dar’st thou support a publish’d traitor? Hence; Lest that infection of his fortune take Like hold on thee. Let go his arm.
Edg. Chill not let go, zur, without vurther ’casion.
Osw. Let go, slave, or thou diest.
Edg. Good gentleman, go your gait, and let poor volk pass. An chud ha’ bin zwaggered out of my life, ’twould not ha’ bin zo long as ’tis by a vortnight. Nay, come not near th’ old man; keep out, che vor ye, or ise try whether your costard or my ballow be the harder. Chill be plain with you.
Osw. Out, dunghill!
Edg. Chill pick your teeth, zur. Come; no matter vor your foins. [They fight and EDGAR knocks him down.]
Osw. Slave, thou hast slain me. Villain, take my purse. If ever thou wilt thrive, bury my body; And give the letters which thou find’st about me To Edmund Earl of Gloucester; seek him out Upon the English party: O! untimely death. [Dies.]
Act 4 Sc. 6 of King Lear
One of my favorite parts in the play, where Oswald (sneaky doge) randomly appears and gets flopped by a peasant. It is also fairly reminiscent of Kent rolling out his spiel on poor Oswald. Can I also mention how Oswald insults him, calling him a steaming pile of dump and a slave then he gets defeated 1v1 and he’s like “good job! take my money” as if it’s pokemon or something. And the dying dude goes on to request a formal burial and asks for him to carry out his mail deliverance. Oh, and Gloucester thinks it’s perfectly normal for someone to alternate dialects in preparation for a duel.
Anyways, a major theme in this play is reversal of roles which can be hierarchical usurping, betrayal and so on. This particular passage hinges on the former. I am, of course, referring to the admirable efforts of Edgar to impersonate a beggar (or folksperson at this point?) that he’s even got the slang down. He was up there in terms of class but circumstances have forced him to assume a subservient position. Now this slave, if you will, kills a semi-nobleman in a duel. This act of disorder ties into the age debate that’s been going on since the beginning. If it is right for old people to get out of the way and forfeit what they’ve accumulated over to the youthful. In this sense, Edgar’s victory over Oswal can be taken to be a double meaning i.e.-youth over age & poor over wealthy. Finally, the idea of getting fresh wine for new wineskins, so to speak, can be applied to religion/astrology/religious-star-reading insofar as the fate aspect of it that peeves Edmund so. Maybe the younger generation should trash ideas of predestination, especially if they happen to have the title of Bastard.
And the creature run from the cur? There thou mightst behold the great image of authority: a dog’s obeyed in office.
Thou rascal beadle, hold thy bloody hand.
Why dost thou lash that whore? Strip thine own back.
Thou hotly lust’st to use her in that kind
For which thou whipp’st her. The usurer hangs the cozener.
Through tattered clothes great vices do appear;
Robes and furred gowns hide all. Plate sin with gold,
And the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks.
Arm it in rags, a pigmy’s straw does pierce it.
None does offend—none, I say, none. I’ll able 'em.
Take that of me, my friend, who have the power
To seal th' accuser’s lips. Get thee glass eyes,
And like a scurvy politician seem
To see the things thou dost not. Now, now, now, now,
Pull off my boots. Harder, harder. So.
The two prominent motifs in this passage are authority and the idea of nothingness. Lear is addressing that no matter of one's status, everyone makes mistakes. However, some judge the mistakes of others and yet make the same ones themselves. One could call these types of people hypocrites. Lear is one of those people. He made the mistake of giving his authority out too early to his daughters, causing an uprise in jealousy and pride. Lear's decision to cast out land to each of his daughters has brought nothing but chaos to his life. He is disappointed at the state of each of his daughters, as they each start to branch away from their father.
Lear also points out that people are often forgiven based on how much money they have, which is an unjustifiable reality. The idea that nothing can be done about the injustice in the world is another broad topic that is brought up throughout the book. The characters in the book question whether humankind has any possibility to have justice or whether humans are just indifferent and hostile. This realization also comes about when Lear goes mad in the woods in a storm with the Fool. Nothing can come from nothing. This statement is a prominent motif throughout the novel.
Lear's failure ultimately leads him to madness. This madness leads to utter tragedy throughout the play. In this particular passage, Lear is shown to be a man of many mistakes and much self confidence. He is the kind of man who will use his power endlessly. Also, the importance of nothingness comes up again in this passage. The idea of having nothing is fearsome to most of the characters in the play. The use of power and the existence of nothingness are two prominent motifs in this passage and throughout King Lear.
Hannah Ellis Motifs: Insanity and forgiveness Act IV Scene IV Lines 1-22 CORDELIA Alack, 'tis he: why, he was met even now As mad as the vex'd sea; singing aloud; Crown'd with rank fumiter and furrow-weeds, With bur-docks, hemlock, nettles, cuckoo-flowers, Darnel, and all the idle weeds that grow In our sustaining corn. A century send forth; Search every acre in the high-grown field, And bring him to our eye. Exit an Officer What can man's wisdom In the restoring his bereaved sense? He that helps him take all my outward worth. Doctor There is means, madam: Our foster-nurse of nature is repose, The which he lacks; that to provoke in him, Are many simples operative, whose power Will close the eye of anguish. CORDELIA All blest secrets, All you unpublish'd virtues of the earth, Spring with my tears! be aidant and remediate In the good man's distress! Seek, seek for him; Lest his ungovern'd rage dissolve the life That wants the means to lead it.
Cordelia has learned of King Lear’s madness and that he is missing. Even though the King banished her, she still says that she would give all of her money to help find him and make him better. She sends out hundreds of soldiers to look for him. The Doctor told Cordelia that he would just need herbs to help Lear rest once he is found and Cordelia said that she would water the herbs with her tears to make them grow. This passage displays the motif of forgiveness which only shows up a few times throughout the play and also the motif of madness. Even though Cordelia was betrayed by her father she still loves him, unlike her sisters who never loved him but he gave them everything. Edgar, like Cordelia, was hunted by his father making him go into hiding, but when his father was blinded and roaming aimlessly Edgar helped him. Cordelia and Edgar both love their fathers, even though they were betrayed by them, and end up forgiving them and helping them in the end. Once again the motif of craziness arises with talk of King Lear. Cordelia and the Doctor discuss how to save King Lear’s mind and make him normal again. King Lear’s madness comes up often, Kent, in disguise, also tries to save the King from himself and tries to stay with him to keep it from getting worse. Kent also was banished by Lear, but still remained around to try to keep him safe.
EDGAR Come on, sir; here's the place: stand still. How fearful And dizzy 'tis, to cast one's eyes so low! The crows and choughs that wing the midway air Show scarce so gross as beetles: half way down Hangs one that gathers samphire, dreadful trade! Methinks he seems no bigger than his head: The fishermen, that walk upon the beach, Appear like mice; and yond tall anchoring bark, Diminish'd to her cock; her cock, a buoy Almost too small for sight: the murmuring surge, That on the unnumber'd idle pebbles chafes, Cannot be heard so high. I'll look no more; Lest my brain turn, and the deficient sight Topple down headlong. GLOUCESTER Set me where you stand. EDGAR Give me your hand: you are now within a foot Of the extreme verge: for all beneath the moon Would I not leap upright. GLOUCESTER Let go my hand. Here, friend, 's another purse; in it a jewel Well worth a poor man's taking: fairies and gods Prosper it with thee! Go thou farther off; Bid me farewell, and let me hear thee going. EDGAR Now fare you well, good sir. GLOUCESTER With all my heart. EDGAR Why I do trifle thus with his despair Is done to cure it.
Themes: Truth, sight
In this scene, Edgar is pretending to lead the now blind Gloucester to the cliffs of Dover so he may commit suicide. In actuality, they are simply standing in a field, as Edgar is attempting to restore his father’s will to live. Gloucester is skeptical at first, since he feel’s himself walking on flat ground, but Edgar convinces by describing a scene for him. Gloucester then asks Edgar to leave him before he “jumps”, which he only pretends to do.
Without sight, one is naturally unable to witness many events, therefore often being unaware of the current situation. Gloucester’s blindness is a metaphor for his dependence on others for the truth. Gloucester has a habit of listening to the word of others, believing them blindly.
Throughout the play, the one’s measure of level of deception and their success in their endeavors is directly related to their motivations. Both Edgar and Edmund lie to Gloucester, Edgar to cure his father of his despair, Edmund to advance his social standing and power. This mimics the idea of “the ends [justifying] the means”, as Edgar is portrayed as a just character despite deceiving his father. In the case of Cordelia, who was both truthful well intentioned, things ended disastrously for her in the long run. From this, we see that those who are not willing to deceive to protect themselves will ultimately fail, despite the fact they are more virtuous than most.
“When we our betters see bearing our woes, We scarcely think our miseries our foes. Who alone suffers, suffers most i' th' mind, Leaving free things and happy shows behind. But then the mind much sufferance doth o'erskip When grief hath mates and bearing fellowship. How light and portable my pain seems now When that which makes me bend makes the king bow. He childed as I fathered. Tom, away! Mark the high noises and thyself bewray When false opinion, whose wrong thought defiles thee, In thy just proof repeals and reconciles thee. What will hap more tonight, safe ’scape the king! Lurk, lurk.” Act 3 Scene 6 Page 157
This passage is the clincher right before scene 7 begins within Act 3. In scene 6, Lear has put on a mock trial with his two daughters, Edgar and Kent present. In the mean time, Gloucester is out granting Lear’s requests for provisions. When he returns, Gloucester informs Kent that he has heard of a plot to kill Lear. This leads to Gloucester persuading Kent to bring Lear to Dover where allies will attend to his needs. Before the scene has ended, Edgar then recites the quote above. In my own words, I have deciphered that Edgar is really expressing that he no longer feels as much grief as he had, because he sees the pain and suffering that King Lear is going through. It makes him feel that he can’t have as much self pity because Lear’s situation is worse. He says, “Who alone suffers, suffers most i' th' mind,” meaning that because King Lear has no true companions to share his grief with, he is experiencing the pain by himself which is far worse than the hardship he is experiencing. Edgar also compares himself to Lear because he at one point experienced the same pain from his father. The pain that Lear is experiencing through his daughters.
Within this passage I have taken two major motifs from it: Parents versus Children and Loyalty and Betrayal. I believe both of these motifs truly demonstrate what is going on within the scene. Of course, Lear is betrayed by his children. Both of his daughters are against him due to their own evil acts. Regan tells Lear that he is old and confused and should simply hand over the thrown. His daughters restrict him of soldiers along with servants. They strip him of his services and throw him out of their house for him to suffer in the brewing storm. Their acts are selfish and thoughtless, which creates the tension created between the three. Just like what is stated above, Edgar announces his pity for Lear because he does not have a relationship with his daughters, which makes it harder for him to suffer. He has no companion to share his sorrows with. This also shows how Edgar is loyal to Lear. How his sympathy speaks out about his feelings for the King, and that he pitys that he must go through it alone. The motifs are displayed throughout the acts, because it appears that no one has a set relationship with family members due to betrayal.
Arly Macario Betrayal and unfaithfulness Parents and children Storms and calms
3.4.6-23
Lear
Thou think’st ’tis much that this contentious storm Invades us to the skin. So ’tis to thee. But where the greater malady is fixed The lesser is scarce felt. Thou’dst shun a bear, But if thy flight lay toward the raging sea Thou’dst meet the bear i' th' mouth. When the mind’s free, The body’s delicate. The tempest in my mind Doth from my senses take all feeling else Save what beats there—filial ingratitude. Is it not as this mouth should tear this hand For lifting food to ’t? But I will punish home. No, I will weep no more. In such a night To shut me out! Pour on, I will endure. In such a night as this! O Regan, Goneril, Your old kind father, whose frank heart gave all— Oh, that way madness lies. Let me shun that. No more of that.
King Lear states the following quote; he reveals his feelings towards his daughters and his current situation. This was after he was banished from his own home. King Lear basically is expressing a sense of loss and betrayal. He believed that both Goneril and Regan were honest and loving daughters, although as a result it was the contrary. Both daughters revolted against him. Now his only companions are the Fool and Kent. The Fool tries to lighten his mood through jokes and Kent encourages him to overcome his melancholy. Nonetheless, even though the Fool and Kent are helping him, King Lear still considers them lowly.
King Lear finally realizes that Goneril and Regan betrayed him. Initially, he considered them the greatest daughters compared to poor Cordelia, which is why they received the inheritance that should have belonged to Cordelia. He wishes to avenge his daughters and shows his anger through imagery. While he is says this quote, a storm is taking place. However, he uses the storm as a form of reflecting his emotional state. In other words, the storm represents his furious sentiments. Moreover, he expresses that when a mind is calm, a body is delicate, thus his mind has finally realized the truth and now his body wishes to avenge his daughters. Therefore, there is also a storm taking place in his mind.
These motifs are found consistently throughout the play. Everyone is betraying each other, while making it seem that they are being loyal. Edmund is considered loyal to his father, Gloucester, which is not true. Cordelia is considered to be a rebel by her father, which is also not true and now finally King Lear realizes that the people who he believed to be loyal are the true unfaithful ones. There are also unbalanced relationships between parents and children. At times, children are loyal and throughout a period of time hey simply show their real feelings by betraying their parents.
Tigers, not daughters, what have you perform'd? 45
A father, and a gracious aged man,
Whose reverence even the head-lugg'd bear would lick,
Most barbarous, most degenerate! have you madded.
Could my good brother suffer you to do it?
A man, a prince, by him so benefited! 50
If that the heavens do not their visible spirits
Send quickly down to tame these vile offences,
It will come,
Humanity must perforce prey on itself,
Like monsters of the deep.
This passage caught my attention because of the obvious disdain that Albany shows here for his own wife. Before this passage, I had not really caught on to the fact that Albany and Goneril did not see eye to eye, so for me it was a surprising twist that Albany would be so much more merciful than Goneril. The passage starts out with Goneril telling Albany that she is “worth the whistle,” seeming to state that she is important. She seems to almost be mocking Albany, but this is not completely clear. He responds by telling her that she is not even worth dust, which goes along the lines of the motif of nothing. The biggest tragedy and insult in this play seems to be to compare someone to nothing, to make them feel like they have no control and do not matter. Feeling like nothing is what drove King Lear mad, and now Albany is using it to inse goes on to use a metaphor to describe her destruction. He compares her to a branch that tears itself away from the tree and hurts both itself and the tree. In this scenario it is suggested that King Lear is the tree that Goneril tore herself away from. Albany goes on to compare Goneril and her sister to tigers in the way that they have treated their father. He brings up the motif of wisdom, which is something that King Lear at the beginning of the play seemed to be so sure that he had, but by the end he admits that he has been a fool. Albany states that wisdom “to the vile seem[s] vile” which seems to suggest that Goneril is an enemy of wisdom. She acts on pure greed and is incredibly impulsive. Her nature is in no way wise. The passage ends with Albany making a sort of prophecy. He states that is the powers above do not intervene soon with Goneril’s evil plans, “humanity must perforce prey on itself, like monsters of the deep.” Having finished the book, we know that no heavenly powers come to aid those with good intentions in this play, and Albany’s prediction is proven true when Goneril poisons her sister after they both try and win over Edmund. Overall, I thought this passage was highly unique and revealing. It not only foreshadowed future events in the play, but also revealed some interesting information about a previously fairly vague character.
KING LEAR Pray, do not mock me: I am a very foolish fond old man, Fourscore and upward, not an hour more nor less; And, to deal plainly, I fear I am not in my perfect mind. Methinks I should know you, and know this man; Yet I am doubtful for I am mainly ignorant What place this is; and all the skill I have Remembers not these garments; nor I know not Where I did lodge last night. Do not laugh at me; For, as I am a man, I think this lady To be my child Cordelia. CORDELIA And so I am, I am. KING LEAR Be your tears wet? yes, 'faith. I pray, weep not: If you have poison for me, I will drink it. I know you do not love me; for your sisters Have, as I do remember, done me wrong: You have some cause, they have not. CORDELIA No cause, no cause
At this point in the play King Lear is reunited with Cordelia. At first King Lear this he is dreaming because he thought he would never see Cordelia let alone see her with her happy and kind to her after what her sisters were doing to him. These motifs are Father and Daughter, and loyalty and betrayal. This comes from how Cordelia is finally reunited with her father, and both Lear and Cordelia are happy to see each other. Here Lear also thinks that Cordelia wishes some ill will on him because her sisters have betrayed him without any reason more than their own greed where he exiled Cordelia and she was now with him, so he could only think of what she had in stored for him and then she didn't showing her loyalty and love for him where her sisters only were greedy and betrayed him. This connects to the rest of the story because it shows you how much the two sisters have broken Lear down and how much Cordelia loves him.
James King Motifs: Sight/Blindness, Loyalty/Betrayal Act III Scene VII Lines 100-112
CORNWALL Lest it see more, prevent it.—Out, vile jelly! (plucks out GLOUCESTER’s other eye) Where is thy luster now? GLOUCESTER All dark and comfortless. Where’s my son Edmund? Edmund, enkindle all the sparks of nature To quit this horrid act. REGAN Out, treacherous villain! Thou call’st on him that hates thee. It was he That made the overture of thy treasons to us, Who is too good to pity thee. GLOUCESTER O my follies! Then Edgar was abused. Kind gods, forgive me that, and prosper him!
In this scene Gloucester is getting his eyes removed by Regan and Cornwall for betraying England and allying with France. Gloucester up until this scene believed that his legitimate son Edgar had betrayed and that Edmund was the one who was truly loyal. Gloucester had been blind to the truth of the world and it is only through losing his physical sight that he is able to see the truth about his sons. Gloucester is kind, loyal, and brave his character is intended to emphasize the good aspects of humanity. While Gloucester stood for all that was right he was manipulated and was manipulated, betrayed, blinded and killed off. Shakespeare intends to send a message that while many people get what is coming to them those who are blind to the reality of the world will share a similar fate. Gloucester next to Lear is one of the most easily manipulated characters in the play. Edmund convicted Gloucester of Edgars “betrayal” with relative ease and when Cornwall stated that Edmund was the one who betrayed Gloucester accepted this without hesitation. Gloucester’s trusting nature was what ultimately leads to his demise. Like Lear he knew he was growing old and hoped to leave his land in the hands of his children but because he trusted Edmund with power he was blindsided and lost everything. Even after Gloucester’s learned the truth his blindness continued even when faced with his own son. Through this Shakespeare is suggesting that Gloucester, and Lear, was doomed from the start.
Come on, sir. Here’s the place. Stand still. How fearful And dizzy ’tis to cast one’s eyes so low! The crows and choughs that wing the midway air Show scarce so gross as beetles. Halfway down Hangs one that gathers samphire—dreadful trade! Methinks he seems no bigger than his head. The fishermen that walk upon the beach Appear like mice. And yon tall anchoring bark, Diminished to her cock, her cock a buoy Almost too small for sight. The murmuring surge That on th' unnumbered idle pebbles chafes Cannot be heard so high. I’ll look no more Lest my brain turn and the deficient sight Topple down headlong.
Motifs: suicide/trust and perspective
Previously to this passage, Gloucester had just got his eyes plucked out of his head because he assisted in Lear’s escape from Dover. In this scene Edgar is leading his father, Gloucester, to the “edge of the cliff” so he can step off willingly and die. Edgar is still in disguise as Tom and Gloucester is unaware that it is his own son. Although it is a planned fake suicide that Edgar has orchestrated, Gloucester believes it to be true and cannot physically see otherwise. Gloucester seems to want to die, he tells Edgar to let go of his hand and let him step off the edge. Gloucester doesn’t want to suffer and wants to be put of his misery and believes suicide is the best option. Shakespeare’s plays all encounter death at some point because tragedy is a significant theme in his writing. The way people die are varied throughout each story, but suicide is common. In many of Shakespeare’s plays suicide is a main tragedy within the plot line. The way it is presented usually makes it seem like a normal and natural thing to do. But in King Lear it is played with a bit more. Edgar almost forces Gloucester into taking his own life. There are some human social behaviors being tested in this scene. How can one trust someone so much that they are willing to lead them to commit suicide? Shakespeare takes a tragic idea and creates a disturbing scene; a son leading his newly blind father to the edge of an imaginary cliff and letting him walk off, while still speaking with him. This passage shows the lengths people will go in order to put an end to their eternal misery. Shakespeare has shown this in other plays as well, such as Romeo and Juliet. It is a theme that helps to get his point across about trust, love and misery. This passage compares two unlike things to show perspective. Perspective in this particular section is like a painting, an abstract idea that Edgar is talking about; the fishermen that look like mice because they are so far away. Even though Shakespeare is speaking of sight, it also could refer to perspectives as an intangible thing. Perspective in any story is needed but especially in a play where there are so many different things going on at once, its important to step back and look at it from a different view.
4.7.31-35 In this passage Cordelia is giving her father forgiveness for banishing her and rekindling their relationship.This passage, by Cordelia, touches upon the motif of parents and children, and also the motif of authority. Although Cordelia, in the beginning is reluctant to Lear, she now wants to better him with her love. She wants to help him by kissing him and giving kind words. By doing so, at this part she also is very blunt and honest by saying it is her sister’s fault that he is going through this distress. By Cordelia kissing her father it shows the relationship between father and daughter and also her responding to authority in a different way. Since she responded so negatively to her father’s authority in the beginning of the play, the fact that she is responding positively to her authority figure stands out and is even a little ironic. Even though we are now seeing a different relationship between Lear and Cordelia it still resembles the motif of parents and children. I see this mending of their relationship as a sense of foreshadowing. Maybe Cordelia would like to mend her relationship with her father before it is too late.
Albany: O Goneril, You are not worth the dust which the rude wind Blows in your face. I fear your disposition. That nature which contemns its origin Cannot be bordered certain in itself. From her material sap perforce must wither And come to deadly use. Goneril: No more. The text is foolish. Albany: Wisdom and goodness to the vile seem vile. Filths savor but themselves. What have you done? Tigers, not daughters, what have you performed? A father, and gracious aged man, Whose reverence even the head-lugged bear would lick, Most barbarous, most degenerate, have you madded. Could my good brother suffer you to do it? A man, a prince, by him so benefited! If that the heavens do not their visible spirits Send quickly down to tame these vile offenses, It will come: Humanity must perforce prey on itself, Like monsters of the deep.
Prior to this scene, Goneril and Edmund are speaking to each other upon arriving back at Albany’s castle. Goneril kisses Edmund, and Edmund leaves to return to Cornwall. Albany enters and rebukes Goneril fiercely, in the monologue above, for her callous treatment of Lear as he declares Lear to be a wonderful man. Afterwards, a messenger arrives and informs the two of them of the blinding of Gloucester and the death of the duke of Cornwall.
The unnatural motif is in use with Shakespeare having Albany emphasize how unusual Gonerils behavior is. He declares her to be “barbarous” and a “degenerate”, and that she must have been mad to treat her father the way she treated him. Albany views her harsh and undermining actions to her father as those that a proper daughter would never do. Making her an unnatural person. Monstrosity also comes into play when Albany says that “Humanity” needs to kill parts of itself in a sort of evolution way, “Like monsters of the deep”. Once again comparing, not only Goneri but also, himself to monsters. Wisdom and foolishness is also prevalent as a motif also in Albanys view of Goneril. It ties in with the unnatural motif because after Goneril tells Albany to be quiet he says that, “wisdom and goodness to the vile seem vile”. Essentially, “any of the natural wisdom I tell you will only seem vile to you because of your own vileness”.
Kirsten L. Salo
ReplyDeleteAct IV, vi, 44-78
Motifs: eyes, kindness vs cruelty
Currently, Gloucester’s eyes have been gauged out and he wants to commit suicide. Edgar devices a plan that allows Gloucester to think he is jumping off of a cliff, but he is actually only going to fall on his face. While Edgar is leading Gloucester to the “cliff,” he has to keep dismissing Gloucester’s weak suspicions of where he actually is. When they arrive at the cliff, Edgar lets Gloucester fall onto his face. For a moment Edgar thinks he might be dead, although Gloucester comes through. Edgar pretends to be somebody else and says to Gloucester that the gods have spared him and that his life is a miracle. Since Gloucester is a blind man, he is easily deceived and Edgar’s plan worked.
Two motifs I noticed in this passage were eyes and kindness vs cruelty. Gloucester has recently been blinded and therefore he has a lack of eyes. His blindness symbolizes his despair, the reason for wanting to commit suicide. He cannot see anything; a reason to die. Although the motif of eyes is also prevalent in that Gloucester was always deceived by his two sons, Edgar and Edmund, and not once truly knew the truth about either one of them. Now that he is really blind, he will never know. I thought that kindness and cruelty was in this passage because of Edgar. He is doing such a kind thing by letting his father live, although it is more of selfish act. He doesn't want his father to die, at least not yet, and therefore he devises a plan to let him think he is going to die. That also has a cruel side because Gloucester wants to commit suicide. He begs and pleads in this passage to let him die, but alas, he doesn't.
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ReplyDeleteKENT: (III,i,17-44)
ReplyDeleteThis passage, spoken at the beginning of the first scene of Act III, is directed from Kent, towards the Gentleman. Kent mentions how he trusts the Gentleman enough to tell him about the secret argument between Albany and Cornwall. They have French spies posing as servants. They noticed that both Albany and Cornwall are against the King of France, and the king is planning to have troops go into their divided kingdoms. Kent reiterates his loyalty and nobleness, and talks of the Gentleman’s trustworthiness as he explains the situation to the Gentleman.
This quote encompasses several motifs. One being the importance of loyalty, and another being the importance of identity and image. This quote concerns loyalty because Kent, who is the only truly loyal characters in the play, is trusting the Gentleman with this information. Throughout the entire play, there has been numerous issues with loyalty; from Edmund’s lying and deceitfulness displaying disloyalty, to Cordelia displaying loyalty by her respect to her father. This passage reminds the reader of Kent’s good intentions and how he is one of the few loyal characters in the play. He is telling the Gentleman this information in hopes that he can use it to help the others. The other motif I see is importance of identity and reputation. Identity is a key factor in this passage because Kent is only sharing this classified information with the Gentleman because he has a solid reputation, causing Kent to trust him. Kent also has a good reputation and identity, which allowed him to have this knowledge. The theme of identity is prevalent throughout the entire play and is very important in all relationships and interactions. I found this passage important because the most loyal character in the play, Kent, is sharing secret information with the Gentleman, and the themes of trust, identity, reputation, and loyalty come out.
Edgar, 3.4.91-107
ReplyDeleteOnce Edgar begins to speak as Poor Tom, everything he says has several meanings. Take the very first line; “a serving-man, proud in heart and mind, that curled my hair,” could indicate several opinions. He could be speaking about himself; a literal servant bound in loyalty to his father and family and proud and good in life. “Curled my hair” could mean that he has always kept his hair clean and brushed, a sort of idiom like “keeping behind your ears clean”, representing how Edgar has followed the rules all of his life and never wished ill will on anyone. However, it could also be that he is comparing himself to a player; a man who serves love to all of the ladies, who has sinned with many and shows no respect for their or anyone else’s sense of piety and respect. Someone who curled their hair in show, like a man who is too conscious about his looks and uses the =m to get his own way, or perhaps, even worse for this time period-a homosexual, a man who really might “curl” his hair. This may be the worst option of them all, for it means not only is his way of life a sin, but he is alienated by society. A playboy is frowned upon but at the same time, shown respect for it shows some degree of power. However, underneath all of these different examples of sin is another meaning, which states that all of these examples of sin figuratively curl his hair. Sin is not like him.
Edgar’s innocence is further exampled when he uses the term “did the act of darkness” to imply sex instead of any of the other bawdier terms that Shakespeare uses in his works. The fact that the term that Edgar employs is subtler and softer than most references about sex infers that its not something that Edgar is comfortable with or familiar with; like when we were in middle schools, and we all had codes for the “forbidden” words.
Edgar’s entire monologue goes on to list different sins; swearing, cursing heaven, lust, and of symbols that match his inhuman-like state. Edgar could be acting like this for several reasons. The most obvious reason is that he is pretending to be mad in order to stay close to his father, who has banished him.However, it could be that he is honestly raging about the sins that all people commit and how unfair it is that he, a conservative man, is being punished compared to everyone else. Or even worse, perhaps he is slightly mad. Deranged by being abandoned and cut off from his family; he questions himself, unsure of even his own morals. Perhaps he is wondering out loud; what could I have done to cause this uproar? It must have been something horrible. Maybe he is adding these sins to himself, because he no longer can look at himself with a pure heart, thinking about everything he has done wrong. Maybe the sins he lists are exaggerations of normal human acts that he has committed but now see as filthy in his eyes, with nothing else to blame for this incident; perhaps he at one point loved a woman or perhaps he has felt vain in the past. But now, no more: “Let not the creaking of shoes nor the rustling of
silks betray thy poor heart to woman”, no longer look at women or reveal to them your love. “Defy the foul fiend”; either whoever made his life become this ruin, or his own guilty, wanton desires.
Act IV, Scene xi, 12-61
ReplyDeleteMotifs: Deception, Motivation
In this scene Edgar, who is in disguise, is guiding Gloucester, who no longer has eyes, to a cliff so that he can commit suicide. Edgar isn’t bringing him to a large cliff, but rather a small drop so that Gloucester believes he attempts suicide, but survives. At the bottom Edgar, now pretending to be someone else, approaches Gloucester and tells him that he witnessed him fall and survive. This gives Gloucester the will to live on.
This is another example of deceit in the play. Except this is one of the first instances where deception is not backed by malicious intentions. Edgar wants his father to have a will to live, and believes this is the only way to do it. This is also one of the few examples of deceit in the play where it is not just helping the person doing the deceiving, but also the person being deceived. Edgar is perhaps the most successful con-man in the play, convincing everyone that he is multiple different people. Although most of this was to protect himself, this was the first time he was helping someone else. Which brings up the other theme: motivation. Almost everybody’s motivation in this play is for their own personal gain. Here, we finally see somebody motivated to help someone else, not just themselves. Gloucester’s lack of eyesight is a symbol of all the muddled motivation, and deception. Since he cannot see what is going on he does not know what is really happening, just like how not everyone can truly see why someone is doing what they are doing or acting the way they are acting.
Act 4, Scene 6, Lines 85-98
ReplyDeleteGLOUCESTER: A poor unfortunate beggar.
EDGAR: As I stood here below, methought his eyes were two full moons; he had a thousand noses, horns whelked and waved like the enraged sea. It was some fiend. Therefore, thou happy father, think that the clearest gods, who make them honors of men's impossibilities, have preserved thee.
GLOUCESTER: I do remember now. Henceforth I'll bear affliction till it do cry out itself "Enough, enough!" and die. That thing you speak of, I took it for a man. Often 'twould say "The fiend, the fiend!" He led me to that place.
EDGAR: Bear free and patient thoughts.
Themes: Kindness/Cruelty
Parents and Children
I believe my last post was about how kindness and cruelty can often lead to one another, and this is something that has occurred numerous times throughout this tragedy. I feel empathy for Gloucester, and this part of the play actually got to me. From what I can see, Gloucester is terribly depressed and unmotivated to participate in life any longer. Edgar, his son, hears Gloucester say how he wishes he could touch Edgar again, and it would make all of his problems better. However, Edgar never reveals his identity to Gloucester, and to me, it is almost cruel. I question whether or not Edgar was trying to ultimately be kind by staying hidden. If he had revealed himself to his father, he wouldn't have been able to convince Gloucester to get back at life and endure, but there is a possibility that if he had revealed himself, Gloucester's depression would have ceased at that moment, and he would no longer be suicidal. Typically, lying is considered a cruel action in our culture, but Edgar thinks quickly, and formulates a believable lie that ultimately helps Gloucester. I don't support Edgar's choice to lie about his identity, but I do agree with the fact that he told Gloucester he did fall off the cliff, and that he survived it. It was a convincing way for Edgar to help Gloucester realize that he should continue to live.
I was baffled by the fact that Gloucester, blind or not, couldn't recognize his own son. Even if a person tries to disguise their voice, one can usually recognize the sound. Gloucester's senses would be heightened since his lack of sight, and therefore he could recognize Edgar through touch or sound. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like I could recognize my mother without having to see her. This makes me question the bond between children and their parents, not only in this scene, but also in the entire play. We see Lear and Cordelia have family issues, and Edmund as well. The relationships have love and connection that doesn't seem to be recognized at times when it should. Shakespeare is probably noting how people, in this tragedy and in life, often allow other issues, thoughts, events, and selfishness influence and interfere with their family connections. We know that Gloucester loves his son, and craves to see him, but if he loved him that much, wouldn't he be able to recognize Edgar in the first place? Edgar seems to have made the right decision because he knows his father well enough. Cordelia knows King Lear inside and out, but it seems that the parents lack the reflection of this action. The offspring of the play know their fathers well enough to deceit them or aid them, depending on their motives, but the fathers can't seem to get it right with their kids.
passage 4.1.35-72
ReplyDeleteIn this passage you can clearly see that both the plot of the entire play and the characters are moving towards chaos and the amount of craziness that occurs in each moment building. In the passage we have Poor Tom (Edgar) who is completely naked, and seemingly mad, Gloucester who has just had his eyes gouged out and is begging to be led to his death at the Cliffs of Dover, and an Old Man who seems to be only the eyes of Gloucester. Gloucester asked Poor Tom to lead him to Dover so that he may fall to his death and he agrees, however the Old Man seems to think nothing of the situation, and completely disregards the conversation unfolding in front of him. This leads to the increased and unstoppable chaos of the situation, the Old Man, who is the only one in the right state of mind, does nothing to stop the craziness that is about to happen. The nonchalantness of the whole passage leaves the reader unsettled with an eery feeling that something strange and al together crazy is about to happen. Without anyone stopping the “madmen leading the blind” as it is put by shakespeare himself, there is nothing that the audience can do except watch as the stupidity of an easily preventable situation unfold before them.
Christina Sargent
ReplyDelete3.2.12-26
Motifs: nature, betrayal
FOOL
O nuncle, court holy water in a dry house is
better than this rainwater out o’ door. Good
nuncle, in. Ask thy daughters’ blessing. Here’s a night
pities neither wise men nor fools.
LEAR
Rumble thy bellyful! Spit, fire! Spout, rain!
Nor rain, wind, thunder, fire are my daughters.
I tax not you, you elements, with unkindness.
I never gave you kingdom, called you children;
You owe me no subscription. Then let fall
Your horrible pleasure. Here I stand your slave,
A poor, infirm, weak, and despised old man.
But yet I call you servile ministers,
That will with two pernicious daughters join
Your high-engendered battles ’gainst a head
So old and white as this. O, ho, ‘tis foul!
While in Gloucester’s castle, King Lear’s daughters, Goneril and Regan, refuse to let him live with either of them unless he gives up all of his servants. He refuses to, so embarrassed and angry, he runs out into the storm. The fool is trying to convince King Lear to go back inside and beg his daughters for forgiveness since the storm is very bad. Lear instead yells at the storm, telling it to do its worst. He doesn’t care how bad the storm is, since he will never forgive Goneril and Regan for what they have done to him.
Nature has been a recurring motif in King Lear so far. It symbolizes what is natural and right in the world, despite sometimes being harsh or cruel. Lear would rather face the storm than his daughters who have pretended to love and respect him. The second motif in this passage is betrayal. King Lear thought that he could trust Goneril and Regan to take care of him. Instead they have taken his kingdom and cast him out into the storm, as he sees it. When addressing the storm, Lear basically says that no matter how terrible the storm gets, it will never be as bad as what his daughters have done to him.
Katie Manning
ReplyDelete3.7.111-126
Motifs: Forgiveness, Life Lessons
EDGAR
When we our betters see bearing our woes,
We scarcely think our miseries our foes.
Who alone suffers, suffers most i' th' mind,
Leaving free things and happy shows behind.
But then the mind much sufferance doth o'erskip
When grief hath mates and bearing fellowship.
How light and portable my pain seems now
When that which makes me bend makes the king bow.
He childed as I fathered. Tom, away!
Mark the high noises and thyself bewray
When false opinion, whose wrong thought defiles thee,
In thy just proof repeals and reconciles thee.
What will hap more tonight, safe ’scape the king!
Lurk, lurk.
Previously, Edgar had a mental breakdown. He was in the rain screaming and shouting, pulling off his clothes while rubbing dirt all over himself. He was mad and upset by the fact his father wanted him gone. His brother Edmund tricked him into thinking he was at fault. The idea of feeling alone and unloved caused Edgar to express himself in unexpected ways. Some time after, the king also went down the same road at Edgar. Upset and hurt by his daughters and situations around him cause him too to let go and become mad. It’s not that both Edgar and the King were crying and sad, it was the fact they blew everything out of proportion and basically went crazy for the time being. They both felt alone and betrayed, leaving their hearts and minds unaware of what to do.
There are a couple motifs that I have found to be quite noticeable and intriguing. As the play has progressed, I myself, the reader, have noticed patterns and key points/messages hidden within the words. It seems that everyone in the play is losing their mind, becoming way too over dramatic for every little situation. At this point in the play, Edgar is alone and speaking to yet only himself, talking through what is going on in his head. He is beginning to realize that he is not the only one going through a rough patch, he is not the only one upset. Edgar is beginning to forgive himself, realizing it’s okay to be this way. This is where the motif forgiveness comes into play, as well as the motif life. Edgars words speak to many, as he begins to understand that a person is never alone, there is always someone out there feeling the same pain as you do. For both the king and Edgar, the idea of pain and guilt gets to them, causing their feelings to rupture, only causing hatred toward themselves. The point of this scene was to connect the outside world with inner battles, relieving stress and getting rid of pain. The begin to forgive what is going on, realizing it is only part of life.
Morgan Taylor
ReplyDeleteMotifs:
loyalty/faithfulness
parents/children
eyes
IV.vi.31-78
EDGAR
Give me your hand: you are now within a foot
Of the extreme verge: for all beneath the moon
Would I not leap upright.
GLOUCESTER
Let go my hand.
Here, friend, 's another purse; in it a jewel
Well worth a poor man's taking: fairies and gods
Prosper it with thee! Go thou farther off;
Bid me farewell, and let me hear thee going.
EDGAR
Now fare you well, good sir.
GLOUCESTER
With all my heart.
EDGAR
Why I do trifle thus with his despair
Is done to cure it.
GLOUCESTER
[Kneeling] O you mighty gods!
This world I do renounce, and, in your sights,
Shake patiently my great affliction off:
If I could bear it longer, and not fall
To quarrel with your great opposeless wills,
My snuff and loathed part of nature should
Burn itself out. If Edgar live, O, bless him!
Now, fellow, fare thee well.
He falls forward
This passage depicts the attempted suicide of Gloucester. Edgar, disguised as Poor Tom, helps lead Gloucester to the cliff at Dover to fall to his death after his eyes have been gouged out by Cornwall. Shakespeare uses irony to heighten the motif of loyalty and faithfulness. Edgar had physically disguised himself as Poor Tom to fool the others so that he could infiltrate into the kingdom once he was exiled. Shakespeare has made it very apparent throughout the play that it is our eyes that tend to deceive us, hence the several disguised characters that have had success in staying unknown. However, when helping Gloucester to his death, Gloucester’s eyesight is gone. And yet, Gloucester is still unable to perceive that it is his son. With a disguised Edgar helping his father, Gloucester even calls out to his banished son. This is all quite unbelievable that his own father is painfully aware of the remembrance of his son, yet was not able to recognize the man helping him, indicating Shakespeare’s use of irony.
The situation as a whole also conveys more irony to further embellish the loyalty of Edgar. Gloucester had banished Edgar for believing that he was planning to kill his own father. And now, Edgar disguised, is the one leading his father to his own suicide. Except by doing this, Edgar is actually saving his father from his death. Shakespeare is clearly working very hard to make the point of loyalty and faithfulness. By throwing all of this irony at the reader in a very short amount of time, we cannot help but feel the loyalty of son to father.
The significance in this lies at looking into other characters with this in our mind. With this emphasis, everything done by Edmund, Goneril, etc. to their own fathers appears even more-so deceitful. As the play begins to end, their actions are continuing to spiral in the hateful direction, while Shakespeare uses Edgar and Gloucester to remind the reader of the of what is good against all of the bad.
Edgar. Come on, sir; here's the place. Stand still. How fearful
ReplyDeleteAnd dizzy 'tis to cast one's eyes so low!
The crows and choughs that wing the midway air
Show scarce so gross as beetles. Halfway down
Hangs one that gathers sampire- dreadful trade!
Methinks he seems no bigger than his head.
The fishermen that walk upon the beach
Appear like mice; and yond tall anchoring bark,
Diminish'd to her cock; her cock, a buoy
Almost too small for sight. The murmuring surge
That on th' unnumb'red idle pebble chafes
Cannot be heard so high. I'll look no more,
Lest my brain turn, and the deficient sight
Topple down headlong.
Gloucester. Set me where you stand.
Edgar. Give me your hand. You are now within a foot
Of th' extreme verge. For all beneath the moon
Would I not leap upright.
Gloucester. Let go my hand.
Here, friend, is another purse; in it a jewel
Well worth a poor man's taking. Fairies and gods
Prosper it with thee! Go thou further off;
Bid me farewell, and let me hear thee going.
Edgar. Now fare ye well, good sir.
Gloucester. With all my heart.
Edgar. [aside]. Why I do trifle thus with his despair
Is done to cure it.
Gloucester. O you mighty gods! He kneels.
This world I do renounce, and, in your sights,
Shake patiently my great affliction off.
If I could bear it longer and not fall
To quarrel with your great opposeless wills,
My snuff and loathed part of nature should
Burn itself out. If Edgar live, O, bless him!
Now, fellow, fare thee well.
(He falls)
Motifs: Sight and Truth
Throughout the play, there is a constant battle between believing what things appear to be and believing what is actually the truth. These two themes are present in this passage. Here, Edgar is pretending to lead his father, Gloucester, to a steep cliff so that he can fall off and kill himself. He manages to convince Gloucester, who is now blind, that they are climbing a steep hill, despite the fact that Gloucester cannot feel the incline. Throughout the entire play, Gloucester has been naive, believing much of what people tell him. In the very beginning of the play, he turns against his son Edgar when Edmund tells him that Edgar is scheming to kill Gloucester. Gloucester immediately turns on Edgar, who has to flee or risk being killed himself. And here, Gloucester is just as naive, believing Edgar despite the fact that his senses and reasoning tell him otherwise. It is here that Gloucester also laments the fact that he had been tricked by Edmund and that he has betrayed Edgar.
There is a juxtaposition between two motifs: sight and truth. When Gloucester had his sight, he was clouded from the truth. Only now that he can no longer see does he realize his mistake. This is a theme that is constant throughout the play: people are rarely what they appear to be. Both Reagan and Goneril sang King Lear’s praises in the very first act of the play, and yet they turned against him the moment they received their land. And Edgar, who had appeared to many characters to be a traitor to his father, ends up being the most loyal son of all. Here, despite his father’s previous actions, he is tender towards his father. Even when Edgar has the perfect opportunity to kill his father, he does not do so.
This illustrates a strong relation between Edgar and Cordelia. In the very first scene of the play, Cordelia is banished by her father for her honesty, but she ultimately is the only one who spoke the truth to him. She is by far the most loyal of Lear’s daughter, and yet is thought the be the least. The same is with Edgar. Because of Edmund’s schemes, Gloucester believes that he has been betrayed by Edgar, when, in reality, he is his only loyal son. It is only when he can no longer see, however, that he realizes this. It seems that the only way that Gloucester believes the truth is when he can no longer be fooled by his sight.
Osw. Wherefore, bold peasant,
ReplyDeleteDar’st thou support a publish’d traitor? Hence;
Lest that infection of his fortune take
Like hold on thee. Let go his arm.
Edg. Chill not let go, zur, without vurther ’casion.
Osw. Let go, slave, or thou diest.
Edg. Good gentleman, go your gait, and let poor volk pass. An chud ha’ bin zwaggered out of my life, ’twould not ha’ bin zo long as ’tis by a vortnight. Nay, come not near th’ old man; keep out, che vor ye, or ise try whether your costard or my ballow be the harder. Chill be plain with you.
Osw. Out, dunghill!
Edg. Chill pick your teeth, zur. Come; no matter vor your foins. [They fight and EDGAR knocks him down.]
Osw. Slave, thou hast slain me. Villain, take my purse.
If ever thou wilt thrive, bury my body;
And give the letters which thou find’st about me
To Edmund Earl of Gloucester; seek him out
Upon the English party: O! untimely death. [Dies.]
Act 4 Sc. 6 of King Lear
One of my favorite parts in the play, where Oswald (sneaky doge) randomly appears and gets flopped by a peasant. It is also fairly reminiscent of Kent rolling out his spiel on poor Oswald. Can I also mention how Oswald insults him, calling him a steaming pile of dump and a slave then he gets defeated 1v1 and he’s like “good job! take my money” as if it’s pokemon or something. And the dying dude goes on to request a formal burial and asks for him to carry out his mail deliverance. Oh, and Gloucester thinks it’s perfectly normal for someone to alternate dialects in preparation for a duel.
Anyways, a major theme in this play is reversal of roles which can be hierarchical usurping, betrayal and so on. This particular passage hinges on the former. I am, of course, referring to the admirable efforts of Edgar to impersonate a beggar (or folksperson at this point?) that he’s even got the slang down. He was up there in terms of class but circumstances have forced him to assume a subservient position. Now this slave, if you will, kills a semi-nobleman in a duel. This act of disorder ties into the age debate that’s been going on since the beginning. If it is right for old people to get out of the way and forfeit what they’ve accumulated over to the youthful. In this sense, Edgar’s victory over Oswal can be taken to be a double meaning i.e.-youth over age & poor over wealthy. Finally, the idea of getting fresh wine for new wineskins, so to speak, can be applied to religion/astrology/religious-star-reading insofar as the fate aspect of it that peeves Edmund so. Maybe the younger generation should trash ideas of predestination, especially if they happen to have the title of Bastard.
King Lear Act 4 Scene 6 Lines 171 - 191
ReplyDeleteAnd the creature run from the cur? There thou mightst behold the great image of authority: a dog’s obeyed in office.
Thou rascal beadle, hold thy bloody hand.
Why dost thou lash that whore? Strip thine own back.
Thou hotly lust’st to use her in that kind
For which thou whipp’st her. The usurer hangs the cozener.
Through tattered clothes great vices do appear;
Robes and furred gowns hide all. Plate sin with gold,
And the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks.
Arm it in rags, a pigmy’s straw does pierce it.
None does offend—none, I say, none. I’ll able 'em.
Take that of me, my friend, who have the power
To seal th' accuser’s lips. Get thee glass eyes,
And like a scurvy politician seem
To see the things thou dost not. Now, now, now, now,
Pull off my boots. Harder, harder. So.
The two prominent motifs in this passage are authority and the idea of nothingness. Lear is addressing that no matter of one's status, everyone makes mistakes. However, some judge the mistakes of others and yet make the same ones themselves. One could call these types of people hypocrites. Lear is one of those people. He made the mistake of giving his authority out too early to his daughters, causing an uprise in jealousy and pride. Lear's decision to cast out land to each of his daughters has brought nothing but chaos to his life. He is disappointed at the state of each of his daughters, as they each start to branch away from their father.
Lear also points out that people are often forgiven based on how much money they have, which is an unjustifiable reality. The idea that nothing can be done about the injustice in the world is another broad topic that is brought up throughout the book. The characters in the book question whether humankind has any possibility to have justice or whether humans are just indifferent and hostile. This realization also comes about when Lear goes mad in the woods in a storm with the Fool. Nothing can come from nothing. This statement is a prominent motif throughout the novel.
Lear's failure ultimately leads him to madness. This madness leads to utter tragedy throughout the play. In this particular passage, Lear is shown to be a man of many mistakes and much self confidence. He is the kind of man who will use his power endlessly. Also, the importance of nothingness comes up again in this passage. The idea of having nothing is fearsome to most of the characters in the play. The use of power and the existence of nothingness are two prominent motifs in this passage and throughout King Lear.
Hannah Ellis
ReplyDeleteMotifs: Insanity and forgiveness
Act IV Scene IV Lines 1-22
CORDELIA
Alack, 'tis he: why, he was met even now
As mad as the vex'd sea; singing aloud;
Crown'd with rank fumiter and furrow-weeds,
With bur-docks, hemlock, nettles, cuckoo-flowers,
Darnel, and all the idle weeds that grow
In our sustaining corn. A century send forth;
Search every acre in the high-grown field,
And bring him to our eye.
Exit an Officer
What can man's wisdom
In the restoring his bereaved sense?
He that helps him take all my outward worth.
Doctor
There is means, madam:
Our foster-nurse of nature is repose,
The which he lacks; that to provoke in him,
Are many simples operative, whose power
Will close the eye of anguish.
CORDELIA
All blest secrets,
All you unpublish'd virtues of the earth,
Spring with my tears! be aidant and remediate
In the good man's distress! Seek, seek for him;
Lest his ungovern'd rage dissolve the life
That wants the means to lead it.
Cordelia has learned of King Lear’s madness and that he is missing. Even though the King banished her, she still says that she would give all of her money to help find him and make him better. She sends out hundreds of soldiers to look for him. The Doctor told Cordelia that he would just need herbs to help Lear rest once he is found and Cordelia said that she would water the herbs with her tears to make them grow. This passage displays the motif of forgiveness which only shows up a few times throughout the play and also the motif of madness. Even though Cordelia was betrayed by her father she still loves him, unlike her sisters who never loved him but he gave them everything. Edgar, like Cordelia, was hunted by his father making him go into hiding, but when his father was blinded and roaming aimlessly Edgar helped him. Cordelia and Edgar both love their fathers, even though they were betrayed by them, and end up forgiving them and helping them in the end. Once again the motif of craziness arises with talk of King Lear. Cordelia and the Doctor discuss how to save King Lear’s mind and make him normal again. King Lear’s madness comes up often, Kent, in disguise, also tries to save the King from himself and tries to stay with him to keep it from getting worse. Kent also was banished by Lear, but still remained around to try to keep him safe.
EDGAR
ReplyDeleteCome on, sir; here's the place: stand still. How fearful
And dizzy 'tis, to cast one's eyes so low!
The crows and choughs that wing the midway air
Show scarce so gross as beetles: half way down
Hangs one that gathers samphire, dreadful trade!
Methinks he seems no bigger than his head:
The fishermen, that walk upon the beach,
Appear like mice; and yond tall anchoring bark,
Diminish'd to her cock; her cock, a buoy
Almost too small for sight: the murmuring surge,
That on the unnumber'd idle pebbles chafes,
Cannot be heard so high. I'll look no more;
Lest my brain turn, and the deficient sight
Topple down headlong.
GLOUCESTER
Set me where you stand.
EDGAR
Give me your hand: you are now within a foot
Of the extreme verge: for all beneath the moon
Would I not leap upright.
GLOUCESTER
Let go my hand.
Here, friend, 's another purse; in it a jewel
Well worth a poor man's taking: fairies and gods
Prosper it with thee! Go thou farther off;
Bid me farewell, and let me hear thee going.
EDGAR
Now fare you well, good sir.
GLOUCESTER
With all my heart.
EDGAR
Why I do trifle thus with his despair
Is done to cure it.
Themes: Truth, sight
In this scene, Edgar is pretending to lead the now blind Gloucester to the cliffs of Dover so he may commit suicide. In actuality, they are simply standing in a field, as Edgar is attempting to restore his father’s will to live. Gloucester is skeptical at first, since he feel’s himself walking on flat ground, but Edgar convinces by describing a scene for him. Gloucester then asks Edgar to leave him before he “jumps”, which he only pretends to do.
Without sight, one is naturally unable to witness many events, therefore often being unaware of the current situation. Gloucester’s blindness is a metaphor for his dependence on others for the truth. Gloucester has a habit of listening to the word of others, believing them blindly.
Throughout the play, the one’s measure of level of deception and their success in their endeavors is directly related to their motivations. Both Edgar and Edmund lie to Gloucester, Edgar to cure his father of his despair, Edmund to advance his social standing and power. This mimics the idea of “the ends [justifying] the means”, as Edgar is portrayed as a just character despite deceiving his father. In the case of Cordelia, who was both truthful well intentioned, things ended disastrously for her in the long run. From this, we see that those who are not willing to deceive to protect themselves will ultimately fail, despite the fact they are more virtuous than most.
“When we our betters see bearing our woes,
ReplyDeleteWe scarcely think our miseries our foes.
Who alone suffers, suffers most i' th' mind,
Leaving free things and happy shows behind.
But then the mind much sufferance doth o'erskip
When grief hath mates and bearing fellowship.
How light and portable my pain seems now
When that which makes me bend makes the king bow.
He childed as I fathered. Tom, away!
Mark the high noises and thyself bewray
When false opinion, whose wrong thought defiles thee,
In thy just proof repeals and reconciles thee.
What will hap more tonight, safe ’scape the king!
Lurk, lurk.” Act 3 Scene 6 Page 157
This passage is the clincher right before scene 7 begins within Act 3. In scene 6, Lear has put on a mock trial with his two daughters, Edgar and Kent present. In the mean time, Gloucester is out granting Lear’s requests for provisions. When he returns, Gloucester informs Kent that he has heard of a plot to kill Lear. This leads to Gloucester persuading Kent to bring Lear to Dover where allies will attend to his needs. Before the scene has ended, Edgar then recites the quote above. In my own words, I have deciphered that Edgar is really expressing that he no longer feels as much grief as he had, because he sees the pain and suffering that King Lear is going through. It makes him feel that he can’t have as much self pity because Lear’s situation is worse. He says, “Who alone suffers, suffers most i' th' mind,” meaning that because King Lear has no true companions to share his grief with, he is experiencing the pain by himself which is far worse than the hardship he is experiencing. Edgar also compares himself to Lear because he at one point experienced the same pain from his father. The pain that Lear is experiencing through his daughters.
Within this passage I have taken two major motifs from it: Parents versus Children and Loyalty and Betrayal. I believe both of these motifs truly demonstrate what is going on within the scene. Of course, Lear is betrayed by his children. Both of his daughters are against him due to their own evil acts. Regan tells Lear that he is old and confused and should simply hand over the thrown. His daughters restrict him of soldiers along with servants. They strip him of his services and throw him out of their house for him to suffer in the brewing storm. Their acts are selfish and thoughtless, which creates the tension created between the three. Just like what is stated above, Edgar announces his pity for Lear because he does not have a relationship with his daughters, which makes it harder for him to suffer. He has no companion to share his sorrows with. This also shows how Edgar is loyal to Lear. How his sympathy speaks out about his feelings for the King, and that he pitys that he must go through it alone. The motifs are displayed throughout the acts, because it appears that no one has a set relationship with family members due to betrayal.
Arly Macario
ReplyDeleteBetrayal and unfaithfulness
Parents and children
Storms and calms
3.4.6-23
Lear
Thou think’st ’tis much that this contentious storm
Invades us to the skin. So ’tis to thee.
But where the greater malady is fixed
The lesser is scarce felt. Thou’dst shun a bear,
But if thy flight lay toward the raging sea
Thou’dst meet the bear i' th' mouth. When the mind’s free,
The body’s delicate. The tempest in my mind
Doth from my senses take all feeling else
Save what beats there—filial ingratitude.
Is it not as this mouth should tear this hand
For lifting food to ’t? But I will punish home.
No, I will weep no more. In such a night
To shut me out! Pour on, I will endure.
In such a night as this! O Regan, Goneril,
Your old kind father, whose frank heart gave all—
Oh, that way madness lies. Let me shun that.
No more of that.
King Lear states the following quote; he reveals his feelings towards his daughters and his current situation. This was after he was banished from his own home. King Lear basically is expressing a sense of loss and betrayal. He believed that both Goneril and Regan were honest and loving daughters, although as a result it was the contrary. Both daughters revolted against him. Now his only companions are the Fool and Kent. The Fool tries to lighten his mood through jokes and Kent encourages him to overcome his melancholy. Nonetheless, even though the Fool and Kent are helping him, King Lear still considers them lowly.
King Lear finally realizes that Goneril and Regan betrayed him. Initially, he considered them the greatest daughters compared to poor Cordelia, which is why they received the inheritance that should have belonged to Cordelia. He wishes to avenge his daughters and shows his anger through imagery. While he is says this quote, a storm is taking place. However, he uses the storm as a form of reflecting his emotional state. In other words, the storm represents his furious sentiments. Moreover, he expresses that when a mind is calm, a body is delicate, thus his mind has finally realized the truth and now his body wishes to avenge his daughters. Therefore, there is also a storm taking place in his mind.
These motifs are found consistently throughout the play. Everyone is betraying each other, while making it seem that they are being loyal. Edmund is considered loyal to his father, Gloucester, which is not true. Cordelia is considered to be a rebel by her father, which is also not true and now finally King Lear realizes that the people who he believed to be loyal are the true unfaithful ones. There are also unbalanced relationships between parents and children. At times, children are loyal and throughout a period of time hey simply show their real feelings by betraying their parents.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGONERIL
ReplyDeleteI have been worth the whistle.
ALBANY
O Goneril!
You are not worth the dust which the rude wind35
Blows in your face. I fear your disposition:
That nature, which contemns its origin,
Cannot be border'd certain in itself;
She that herself will sliver and disbranch
From her material sap, perforce must wither 40
And come to deadly use.
GONERIL
No more; the text is foolish.
ALBANY
Wisdom and goodness to the vile seem vile:
Filths savour but themselves. What have you done?
Tigers, not daughters, what have you perform'd? 45
A father, and a gracious aged man,
Whose reverence even the head-lugg'd bear would lick,
Most barbarous, most degenerate! have you madded.
Could my good brother suffer you to do it?
A man, a prince, by him so benefited! 50
If that the heavens do not their visible spirits
Send quickly down to tame these vile offences,
It will come,
Humanity must perforce prey on itself,
Like monsters of the deep.
This passage caught my attention because of the obvious disdain that Albany shows here for his own wife. Before this passage, I had not really caught on to the fact that Albany and Goneril did not see eye to eye, so for me it was a surprising twist that Albany would be so much more merciful than Goneril. The passage starts out with Goneril telling Albany that she is “worth the whistle,” seeming to state that she is important. She seems to almost be mocking Albany, but this is not completely clear. He responds by telling her that she is not even worth dust, which goes along the lines of the motif of nothing. The biggest tragedy and insult in this play seems to be to compare someone to nothing, to make them feel like they have no control and do not matter. Feeling like nothing is what drove King Lear mad, and now Albany is using it to inse goes on to use a metaphor to describe her destruction. He compares her to a branch that tears itself away from the tree and hurts both itself and the tree. In this scenario it is suggested that King Lear is the tree that Goneril tore herself away from. Albany goes on to compare Goneril and her sister to tigers in the way that they have treated their father. He brings up the motif of wisdom, which is something that King Lear at the beginning of the play seemed to be so sure that he had, but by the end he admits that he has been a fool. Albany states that wisdom “to the vile seem[s] vile” which seems to suggest that Goneril is an enemy of wisdom. She acts on pure greed and is incredibly impulsive. Her nature is in no way wise. The passage ends with Albany making a sort of prophecy. He states that is the powers above do not intervene soon with Goneril’s evil plans, “humanity must perforce prey on itself, like monsters of the deep.” Having finished the book, we know that no heavenly powers come to aid those with good intentions in this play, and Albany’s prediction is proven true when Goneril poisons her sister after they both try and win over Edmund. Overall, I thought this passage was highly unique and revealing. It not only foreshadowed future events in the play, but also revealed some interesting information about a previously fairly vague character.
KING LEAR
ReplyDeletePray, do not mock me:
I am a very foolish fond old man,
Fourscore and upward, not an hour more nor less;
And, to deal plainly,
I fear I am not in my perfect mind.
Methinks I should know you, and know this man;
Yet I am doubtful for I am mainly ignorant
What place this is; and all the skill I have
Remembers not these garments; nor I know not
Where I did lodge last night. Do not laugh at me;
For, as I am a man, I think this lady
To be my child Cordelia.
CORDELIA
And so I am, I am.
KING LEAR
Be your tears wet? yes, 'faith. I pray, weep not:
If you have poison for me, I will drink it.
I know you do not love me; for your sisters
Have, as I do remember, done me wrong:
You have some cause, they have not.
CORDELIA
No cause, no cause
At this point in the play King Lear is reunited with Cordelia. At first King Lear this he is dreaming because he thought he would never see Cordelia let alone see her with her happy and kind to her after what her sisters were doing to him. These motifs are Father and Daughter, and loyalty and betrayal. This comes from how Cordelia is finally reunited with her father, and both Lear and Cordelia are happy to see each other. Here Lear also thinks that Cordelia wishes some ill will on him because her sisters have betrayed him without any reason more than their own greed where he exiled Cordelia and she was now with him, so he could only think of what she had in stored for him and then she didn't showing her loyalty and love for him where her sisters only were greedy and betrayed him. This connects to the rest of the story because it shows you how much the two sisters have broken Lear down and how much Cordelia loves him.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJames King
ReplyDeleteMotifs: Sight/Blindness, Loyalty/Betrayal
Act III Scene VII Lines 100-112
CORNWALL
Lest it see more, prevent it.—Out, vile jelly!
(plucks out GLOUCESTER’s other eye)
Where is thy luster now?
GLOUCESTER
All dark and comfortless. Where’s my son Edmund?
Edmund, enkindle all the sparks of nature
To quit this horrid act.
REGAN
Out, treacherous villain!
Thou call’st on him that hates thee. It was he
That made the overture of thy treasons to us,
Who is too good to pity thee.
GLOUCESTER
O my follies! Then Edgar was abused.
Kind gods, forgive me that, and prosper him!
In this scene Gloucester is getting his eyes removed by Regan and Cornwall for betraying England and allying with France. Gloucester up until this scene believed that his legitimate son Edgar had betrayed and that Edmund was the one who was truly loyal. Gloucester had been blind to the truth of the world and it is only through losing his physical sight that he is able to see the truth about his sons.
Gloucester is kind, loyal, and brave his character is intended to emphasize the good aspects of humanity. While Gloucester stood for all that was right he was manipulated and was manipulated, betrayed, blinded and killed off. Shakespeare intends to send a message that while many people get what is coming to them those who are blind to the reality of the world will share a similar fate.
Gloucester next to Lear is one of the most easily manipulated characters in the play. Edmund convicted Gloucester of Edgars “betrayal” with relative ease and when Cornwall stated that Edmund was the one who betrayed Gloucester accepted this without hesitation. Gloucester’s trusting nature was what ultimately leads to his demise. Like Lear he knew he was growing old and hoped to leave his land in the hands of his children but because he trusted Edmund with power he was blindsided and lost everything.
Even after Gloucester’s learned the truth his blindness continued even when faced with his own son. Through this Shakespeare is suggesting that Gloucester, and Lear, was doomed from the start.
ReplyDeleteAnna Gray
ACT 4 SCENE 6 LINES 44-5
Come on, sir. Here’s the place. Stand still. How fearful
And dizzy ’tis to cast one’s eyes so low!
The crows and choughs that wing the midway air
Show scarce so gross as beetles. Halfway down
Hangs one that gathers samphire—dreadful trade!
Methinks he seems no bigger than his head.
The fishermen that walk upon the beach
Appear like mice. And yon tall anchoring bark,
Diminished to her cock, her cock a buoy
Almost too small for sight. The murmuring surge
That on th' unnumbered idle pebbles chafes
Cannot be heard so high. I’ll look no more
Lest my brain turn and the deficient sight
Topple down headlong.
Motifs: suicide/trust and perspective
Previously to this passage, Gloucester had just got his eyes plucked out of his head because he assisted in Lear’s escape from Dover. In this scene Edgar is leading his father, Gloucester, to the “edge of the cliff” so he can step off willingly and die. Edgar is still in disguise as Tom and Gloucester is unaware that it is his own son. Although it is a planned fake suicide that Edgar has orchestrated, Gloucester believes it to be true and cannot physically see otherwise. Gloucester seems to want to die, he tells Edgar to let go of his hand and let him step off the edge. Gloucester doesn’t want to suffer and wants to be put of his misery and believes suicide is the best option. Shakespeare’s plays all encounter death at some point because tragedy is a significant theme in his writing. The way people die are varied throughout each story, but suicide is common.
In many of Shakespeare’s plays suicide is a main tragedy within the plot line. The way it is presented usually makes it seem like a normal and natural thing to do. But in King Lear it is played with a bit more. Edgar almost forces Gloucester into taking his own life. There are some human social behaviors being tested in this scene. How can one trust someone so much that they are willing to lead them to commit suicide? Shakespeare takes a tragic idea and creates a disturbing scene; a son leading his newly blind father to the edge of an imaginary cliff and letting him walk off, while still speaking with him. This passage shows the lengths people will go in order to put an end to their eternal misery. Shakespeare has shown this in other plays as well, such as Romeo and Juliet. It is a theme that helps to get his point across about trust, love and misery.
This passage compares two unlike things to show perspective. Perspective in this particular section is like a painting, an abstract idea that Edgar is talking about; the fishermen that look like mice because they are so far away. Even though Shakespeare is speaking of sight, it also could refer to perspectives as an intangible thing. Perspective in any story is needed but especially in a play where there are so many different things going on at once, its important to step back and look at it from a different view.
4.7.31-35
ReplyDeleteIn this passage Cordelia is giving her father forgiveness for banishing her and rekindling their relationship.This passage, by Cordelia, touches upon the motif of parents and children, and also the motif of authority. Although Cordelia, in the beginning is reluctant to Lear, she now wants to better him with her love. She wants to help him by kissing him and giving kind words. By doing so, at this part she also is very blunt and honest by saying it is her sister’s fault that he is going through this distress. By Cordelia kissing her father it shows the relationship between father and daughter and also her responding to authority in a different way. Since she responded so negatively to her father’s authority in the beginning of the play, the fact that she is responding positively to her authority figure stands out and is even a little ironic. Even though we are now seeing a different relationship between Lear and Cordelia it still resembles the motif of parents and children. I see this mending of their relationship as a sense of foreshadowing. Maybe Cordelia would like to mend her relationship with her father before it is too late.
4.2.38-61
ReplyDeleteMotifs: Unnatural, Wisdom/Foolishness
Albany: O Goneril,
You are not worth the dust which the rude wind
Blows in your face. I fear your disposition.
That nature which contemns its origin
Cannot be bordered certain in itself.
From her material sap perforce must wither
And come to deadly use.
Goneril: No more. The text is foolish.
Albany: Wisdom and goodness to the vile seem vile.
Filths savor but themselves. What have you done?
Tigers, not daughters, what have you performed?
A father, and gracious aged man,
Whose reverence even the head-lugged bear would lick,
Most barbarous, most degenerate, have you madded.
Could my good brother suffer you to do it?
A man, a prince, by him so benefited!
If that the heavens do not their visible spirits
Send quickly down to tame these vile offenses,
It will come:
Humanity must perforce prey on itself,
Like monsters of the deep.
Prior to this scene, Goneril and Edmund are speaking to each other upon arriving back at Albany’s castle. Goneril kisses Edmund, and Edmund leaves to return to Cornwall. Albany enters and rebukes Goneril fiercely, in the monologue above, for her callous treatment of Lear as he declares Lear to be a wonderful man. Afterwards, a messenger arrives and informs the two of them of the blinding of Gloucester and the death of the duke of Cornwall.
The unnatural motif is in use with Shakespeare having Albany emphasize how unusual Gonerils behavior is. He declares her to be “barbarous” and a “degenerate”, and that she must have been mad to treat her father the way she treated him. Albany views her harsh and undermining actions to her father as those that a proper daughter would never do. Making her an unnatural person. Monstrosity also comes into play when Albany says that “Humanity” needs to kill parts of itself in a sort of evolution way, “Like monsters of the deep”. Once again comparing, not only Goneri but also, himself to monsters. Wisdom and foolishness is also prevalent as a motif also in Albanys view of Goneril. It ties in with the unnatural motif because after Goneril tells Albany to be quiet he says that, “wisdom and goodness to the vile seem vile”. Essentially, “any of the natural wisdom I tell you will only seem vile to you because of your own vileness”.