Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Question for October 14: King Lear, Act III
It could be argued that Lear's command, "Saddle my horses," near the end of Act I summarizes Lear's discoveries in Act I. By the end of the first act, Lear has an inkling that he has made a big mistake by trusting in the love of Goneril and rejecting Cordelia. He must ride away from the daughter he earlier believed would take care of him. In the same way, the commands of Regan and Cornwall to "Shut the doors," and lock Lear out, at the end of Act II, summarize what happens in that act. Lear is shut out not only from the warmth of Regan's castle, but also from the possibility of any warmth in the hearts of his two oldest daughters. What lines do you nominate from Act III that serve a similar summarizing function? Explain your answer.
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I think the lines that best summarize Act III are in scene 4, when Gloucester says to Lear, "Our flesh and blood, my lord, is grown so vile that is doth hate what gets it." Gloucester has just discovered Lear hiding in the shelter, disowned by his daughters, and has invited him to come stay at his house. Throughout Scene III, we see how evil Goneril and Regan (as well as Edmund) have become. We are reminded of their mistreatment of their father every time anyone describes the storm that Lear is forced to spend the night in. His daughters have so completely lost their moral compass, that they have absolutely no sympathy for their father who is forced to brave the elements as a result of their actions. We see later in the Act how merciless they have become when Regan encourages her husband to gouge out Gloucester's eyes and then throw him out of the house. Gloucester's son, Edmund is just as evil as Regan and Goneril when he betrays his father and frames him for treason. Gloucester and Lear both have children who crave power and will do anything- even sacrifice their relationship with their fathers- to obtain it. The entire Act is one example after another of how terrible these people are treating their parents- parents who treated them well and loved them their whole lives. Gloucester sums it all up very nicely when he states that their children "have grown so vile."
ReplyDeleteIn Act III of King Lear we see much family struggle, and many family members turn against each other. Innisfree talks about the quote, “Our flesh and blood, my lord, is grown so vile that is doth hate what gets it” perfectly describing their family and it does for many reasons. This quote talks about how two of King Lear’s three daughters sweet talk their father so they can have a larger inheritance. I agree with Innisfree about how that quote perfectly sums up the play so far. It accurately mentions how his own daughters have become full of hatred and act in deceiving manners. The sister’s actions become more brutal as the play goes on especially when Regan promotes the violence of gauging out Gloucester's eyes. The daughters become so power hungry that they disregard their relationship with their father but rather do everything in their power to undermine and harm their relatives. An example of a scenario when King Lear’s daughters mistreated their father was when the storm came. This whole act is a story about how despite the love King Lear’s children were given; he has created such power hungry daughters that they have become violent to get their way. Another quote that summarizes Act III is used to explain his relationship with his daughters and how they act. King Lear describes his daughter’s actions as, “filial ingratitude.” Growing up Kind Lear took care of his daughters, but through Act III we can see that they do not seem to return the favor.
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