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    Loyalty and disloyalty are clearly major themes in King Lear, but it leaves some questioning whether loyalty and disloyalty are two sides of the same coin. The strong sense that Lear is a good man, and that Edgar’s actions are motivated solely by greed and desire for power suggests that Lear’s “loyaRead more

    Loyalty and disloyalty are clearly major themes in King Lear, but it leaves some questioning whether loyalty and disloyalty are two sides of the same coin. The strong sense that Lear is a good man, and that Edgar’s actions are motivated solely by greed and desire for power suggests that Lear’s “loyalty” to Edgar should be viewed as different from his “disloyalty” to Gloucester. However, Shakespeare makes it clear that both Gloucester and Lear feel betrayed by Edgar, and that Gloucester’s sense of betrayal is more challenged by his moral sense of duty than Lear’s. Edgar’s primary concern is with personal greed and political power, while Gloucester has a strong sense of duty and responsibility, in which loyalty is inextricably linked. Furthermore, Lear’s relationship with Cordelia is so intertwined with his sense of self-worth that it seems plausible that his “loyalty” to her is a necessary condition for him to be able to survive.

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  1. Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    King Lear is a story that is full of tragic events and ends. Cordelia is banished by his father and dies before any reconciliation. Lear is betrayed by his daughters and dies after learning about his misjudgment regarding Cordelia. Gloucester banishes his loving son Edgar and loses her vision. EdgarRead more

    King Lear is a story that is full of tragic events and ends. Cordelia is banished by his father and dies before any reconciliation. Lear is betrayed by his daughters and dies after learning about his misjudgment regarding Cordelia.

    Gloucester banishes his loving son Edgar and loses her vision. Edgar is forced to abdicate his home by his own brother who wants to kill him. Kent is dismissed for his insistence on loyalty over flattery.

    Albany learns about his wife’s infidelity and plans to murder him. All these story curves bring to life a true Aristotelian tragedy but with Shakespearean twists.

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  1. Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    King Lear has a unique portrayal of madness through its three characters specifically; Poor Tom (Edgar), The Fool and King Lear himself. The natural eccentricity of the court Fool of Lear, the pretended madness of Poor Tom and the ageing mind of Lear himself bring an interesting analysis of human coRead more

    King Lear has a unique portrayal of madness through its three characters specifically; Poor Tom (Edgar), The Fool and King Lear himself.

    The natural eccentricity of the court Fool of Lear, the pretended madness of Poor Tom and the ageing mind of Lear himself bring an interesting analysis of human condition of madness and insanity.

    Through the three characters, Shakespeare is able to provide greater understanding of the complexity of human emotion and thought, from its best to its worst.

    These flaws in thoughts, perception of reality etc are so powerful in exposing the social ignorance of madness itself. This also critics he treatment of people with such issues. Instead of helping them and understanding their struggles with real and false, the society often relegated them as unworthy and unfit.

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  1. Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    Feminism in King Lear explores two different strands of womanhood. On one hand is Cordelia, caring and compassionate and adhering to the popular image of womanly behaviour. On the flip side are Goneril and Regina who are barbaric and ambitious. They are devoid of emotions and are even more lustful aRead more

    Feminism in King Lear explores two different strands of womanhood. On one hand is Cordelia, caring and compassionate and adhering to the popular image of womanly behaviour.

    On the flip side are Goneril and Regina who are barbaric and ambitious. They are devoid of emotions and are even more lustful and aggressive than their husbands. the seemingly despondent reaction of Lear when he learns about his dependence on his daughters may also point at the unacceptability of women as wise and just rulers.

    This creates a rather masculine portrayal of the female gender and a dismissal of them as worthy leaders in society.

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  1. Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    Power of the king and father is portrayed through an ageing and struggling Lear. He struggles to retain his authority in regards to his ambitious daughters. The same is depicted through the betrayal of Gloucester by his bastard son Edmund. Lear’s inability to sustain the power he commanded as  a kinRead more

    Power of the king and father is portrayed through an ageing and struggling Lear. He struggles to retain his authority in regards to his ambitious daughters. The same is depicted through the betrayal of Gloucester by his bastard son Edmund.

    Lear’s inability to sustain the power he commanded as  a king led to his loss of power as the family patriarch, causing him to lose his mind, life and his one daughter who truly cared for him, Cordelia.

    The lust of power drives Cordelia and Goneril to destroy their father’s life as well ruin their own marriages.They end up becoming objects of mutual hatred ending with their deaths. Similarly, Edmund meets his tragic end at the sword of Edgar, the step brother he tried to murder.

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  1. Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    Redemption occurs in King Lear as the King realises his mistake and owns up to it. The maltreatment of Cordelia, the only daughter who truly loved him started a terrible chain of events which completely breaks Lear’s trust in people and he goes insane. In the climax he realises his mistake and accepRead more

    Redemption occurs in King Lear as the King realises his mistake and owns up to it. The maltreatment of Cordelia, the only daughter who truly loved him started a terrible chain of events which completely breaks Lear’s trust in people and he goes insane.

    In the climax he realises his mistake and accepts that Cordelia deserved her legacy. Similarly, Gloucester disowns Edgar and has to accept in the end that Edgar was his true heir and not Edmund.

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  1. Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    Nothing is a pervasive in King Lear. ‘Nothing will come of nothing’ is Lear’s advise to Cordelia, asking her to plead her case for inheritance by waxing lyrical about him. She does nothing of the sorts and gets nothing in return. On the other hand the praise of Goneril and Regan for their father, inRead more

    Nothing is a pervasive in King Lear. ‘Nothing will come of nothing’ is Lear’s advise to Cordelia, asking her to plead her case for inheritance by waxing lyrical about him. She does nothing of the sorts and gets nothing in return.

    On the other hand the praise of Goneril and Regan for their father, in reality, is nothing. Their plan to usurp power ends in nothing. Lear is told by his fool that he is nothing without his crown.

    After Cordelia’s death, Lear realises the nothingness of existence. Gloucester’s blindness exposes him to a dark world of nothingness. Therefore, even after schemes of greed and acts of goodness, the entire sum comes out to be nothing or a whole lot of empty.

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  1. Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    The fool in King Lear is the guardian of Lear in the absence of Cordelia. He acts as his conscience and judges his intentions and actions. He also provides protection to the King and offers him advice. His fate is linked directly with Lear’s and he fills the void left by Cordelia in Lear’s life.

    The fool in King Lear is the guardian of Lear in the absence of Cordelia. He acts as his conscience and judges his intentions and actions. He also provides protection to the King and offers him advice. His fate is linked directly with Lear’s and he fills the void left by Cordelia in Lear’s life.

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  1. Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    The fool fills the void left by Cordelia in King Lear’s life as his guardian and well wisher.He is able to criticise the King and get away with it. Bu there is no mention of the fool after Act III apart form Lear informing the audience that his fool was hanged. Since, Cordelia is hanged just beforeRead more

    The fool fills the void left by Cordelia in King Lear’s life as his guardian and well wisher.He is able to criticise the King and get away with it. Bu there is no mention of the fool after Act III apart form Lear informing the audience that his fool was hanged.

    Since, Cordelia is hanged just before the comments, he could have meant it for her as well. However, most believe this suggest that either Edmund was able to kill him or he committed suicide.

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  1. Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    King Lear is a text full of moments of true pathos. The dismissal of Cordelia is described by the fool in words full of pathos. The downfall of once mighty King to a homeless wanderer in the shape of Lear is also full of pathos. The scene where blind Gloucester is helped to an astounding and cathartRead more

    King Lear is a text full of moments of true pathos. The dismissal of Cordelia is described by the fool in words full of pathos. The downfall of once mighty King to a homeless wanderer in the shape of Lear is also full of pathos.

    The scene where blind Gloucester is helped to an astounding and cathartic deception is another powerful and emotionally moving piece of pathos. Also, the loyalty of the fool for his master even in challenging conditions of rain and exclusion invites a flood f emotions in the fixated audiences.

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