Choose a
particular monologue or passage of dialogue to analyze. (1) In your analysis
demonstrate an understanding of the passage's meaning within its context. (2)
Also, identify and discuss the significance of (at least two) motifs within the
passage. What does the use of the motifs reveal, particularly about characters,
conflicts, and themes? (3) Finally, discuss the relationship between how the
motifs are presented in the passage and how the motifs are presented elsewhere
in the play. Post your response below. At the beginning of your post include
your name, name the motifs, and quote the passages (include act.scene.line).
This post is due on Wednesday, February 27th.
The passage chosen is from Act I, scene iv, lines 1021 to 109, spoken by the Fool.
ReplyDelete"Why, for taking one's part that's out of favour:
nay, an thou canst not smile as the wind sits,
thou'lt catch cold shortly: there, take my coxcomb:
why, this fellow has banished two on's daughters,
and did the third a blessing against his will; if
thou follow him, thou must needs wear my coxcomb.
How now, nuncle! Would I had two coxcombs and two daughters!"
The motifs are coxcombs and daughters.
The passage comes right after Lear has hired sir Kent, disguised. The fool offers Kent his coxcomb, Kent asks why, and the fool replies with the above passage. The passage basically says that Lear was an old fool for banishing Cordelia and if Kent follows Lear than he will also be a fool, thus offering Kent his coxcomb so that Kent looks the part. The coxcomb, or Fool's hat, is also a symbol for idiots and stupidity. By putting the coxcomb alongside Kent and Lear- even going as far as to suggest one of them to wear it- they are acting so stupidly that they should be fools themselves. The repeated reference to daughters is a reference to previous events, however the Fool twists things around so that it seems like Lear punished two but unintentionally rewarded the third. By merging the reference of daughters to the coxcomb (particularly the line "Would I have two coxcombs/and two daughters?)it is meant to mean that the actions towards the daughters was so dumb that it made Lear a fool. Throughout this scene the Fool makes it very clear to Lear that what he did was...
Danielle Pomeroy
ReplyDeleteMotifs: God, honor, contempt
Act 1 Scene 4
Lear:
Hear, Nature, hear, dear goddess, hear!
Suspend thy purpose if thou didst intend
To make this creature fruitful.
Into her womb convery sterility.
Dry up in her the organs of increase,
And from her derogate body never spring
A babe to honor her. If she must teem,
Create he child of spleen, that it may live
And be a thwart disnatured torment to her.
Let it stamp wrinkles in her brow of youth,
With cadent tears fret channels in her cheeks,
Turn all her mother’s pains and benefits
To laughter and contempt, that she may feel
How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is
To have a thankless child.-Away, away!
Shakespeare often incorporates emotion into his work, as can be seen by the previous passage. One of his greatest qualities is the fact that he is a very versatile poet, and is able to captivate a reader through usage of various arrays of emotion. The passage I have chosen comes at a point when King Lear feels utterly betrayed, and by nonetheless than his own daughter. His daughter, Goneril, has gone against her word and refuses to allow him to keep many of his servants, as discussed previously. She even then goes a step further as to strip him of his title, and try to belittle him in front of her own servants. He feels as if she is ungrateful, and deserves to suffer for her actions. Family feuds are often complicated, and like this one, many things are spoken based on emotion rather than thought. Within this passage, King Lear not only wishes sterility onto his daughter, but also beckons that if she does have a child that it is more of a monster than a blessing. When King Lear says “Suspend thy purpose if thou didst intend
To make this creature fruitful.
Into her womb convey sterility.
Dry up in her the organs of increase,
And from her derogate body never spring
A babe to honor her”, he is basically wishing that she is never able to become a mother. Some may believe this to be a hurtful wish, but back in those days it was so much more. If a woman was unable to bear children, then she was barely a woman at all. Back then, child bearing was seen as the primary purpose of women, and those who were sterile were often chastised for it, or in some cases even put to death. By wishing Goneril sterile, King Lear is cursing her and hoping for a life filled with misery. If his prophecy is unfulfilled, he then says, “If she must teem,
Create he child of spleen, that it may live
And be a thwart disnatured torment to her.
Let it stamp wrinkles in her brow of youth,
With cadent tears fret channels in her cheeks,
Turn all her mother’s pains and benefits
To laughter and contempt, that she may feel
How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is
To have a thankless child”. This passage speaks for itself, and it is clear that King Lear hopes for any source of torment to become upon his daughter.
Continued:
ReplyDeleteWithin this passage, Shakespeare makes use of three primary motifs. God, honor, and contempt are all seen during King Lear’s rant. God is illustrating King Lear’s sense of religion, and the fact that no deed is accidental. It is not nature that would make Goneril sterile, but rather the God’s intentions. This sense of disillusioned religion will most likely be referred to in other aspects of the novel, although it does not a source primarily revolved around. In this time, one achieved honor primarily through their offspring. A person can have honor based on their actions, but it could all be taken away if their child is a miscreant. Honor is based on family, and if one is dishonorable so are the rest. The only true way Goneril could achieve honor is through the honorable actions of one of her sons, but King Lear hopes she never gets this chance. I believe honor will also pose a large source of significance throughout the play. Honor is the reason King Lear cast off Cordelia after her disobeying actions, and is also the reason King Lear left his two other conniving daughters. King Lear is a proud man, and one that will not forge his honor, which will most likely make for some interesting plots throughout the play. Contempt has already shown throughout the beginning of this play. It is almost always in direct relation with King Lear, as seen in this explosive passage. Contempt is a fiery emotion, and in the future I predict that it will cause him to act in ways unthinkable.
(Continued)
ReplyDelete...very stupid, foolish, and something that he will most likely regret later on. However Lear does not catch on until he is treated coldly by Goneril and Oswald, but still, as a foolish old man, does not realize nor regret his mistake yet. Through the fool Shakespeare uses these passages, such as the one above, to try and show how much of an idiot Lear was in Act I scene i, and as foreshadowing to future events (such as both Goneril and Regan's rejection of him) that lead to his regret. But the combination of the motifs of coxcombs and daughters is mostly there to show and tell the obvious- that Lear acted like an idiot at the beginning of the play.
Pauline Cruz
ReplyDeleteBlindness and Flattery vs. Truth
1.1.60- 67, 76-84, 96-140
Goneril
Not only, sir, this your all-licens'd fool,
But other of your insolent retinue
Do hourly carp and quarrel, breaking forth
In rank and not-to-be-endured riots. Sir,
I had thought, by making this well known unto you,
To have found a safe redress, but now grow fearful,
By what yourself, too, late have spoke and done,
That you protect this course, and put it on
By your allowance; which if you should, the fault
Would not scape censure, nor the redresses sleep,
Which, in the tender of a wholesome weal,
Might in their working do you that offence
Which else were shame, that then necessity
Must call discreet proceeding.
Regan
Sir, I am made
Of the self-same metal that my sister is,
And prize me at her worth. In my true heart
I find she names my very deed of love;
Only she comes too short: that I profess
Myself an enemy to all other joys,
Which the most precious square of sense possesses;
And find I am alone felicitate
In your dear highness' love.
Cordelia
Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave
My heart into my mouth. I love your Majesty
According to my bond; no more nor less. Good my lord,
You have begot me, bred me, lov'd me; I
Return those duties back as are right fit,
Obey you, love you, and most honour you.
Why have my sisters husbands, if they say
They love you all? Haply, when I shall wed,
That lord whose hand must take my plight shall carry
Half my love with him, half my care and duty.
Sure I shall never marry like my sisters,
To love my father all.
The passage in 1.1.60- 67, 76-84, 96-115 marks Lear’s distribution of his land between his three daughters. Here, he gives the amount of land to each of his daughters depending on how much they saw they love him. Goneril and Regan, who hate him and want the kingdom for themselves, go on lavishly on how much they love him, flattering him beyond belief. However, Cordelia, who really does love him, says little and tells him that she loves him as much a child should love her father, no more, no less. Because of this, Lear disowns Cordelia and gives her portion of the kingdom to Goneril and Regan. Here, we see the motif of flattery versus truth. The flattering responses Goneril and Regan give to Lear hide their true motivation for giving these responses, to overthrow him and take his power over Britain. Cordelia does not bother with extravagant compliments. Instead, she remains silent, saying that words cannot express how much she loves her father. Unfortunately, because of this silence, Lear disowns her while rewarding her other hateful sisters with his kingdom. This scene ultimately leads to Lear’s demise as the daughters he thought loved him so dearly betray him and try to seize power over the kingdom. This scene also coincides to the Fool’s warnings to Lear in 1.4.186-193. While he is calling Lear a fool for punishing his loving daughter while rewarding his hateful daughters, he also mentions how he has been whipped for lying, telling the truth, and even for staying silent, which coincides with flattery versus truth. The monologues at the beginning also allude to the motif of blindness. Blindness is a recurring motif throughout the play and it starts appearing during these monologues. Lear’s arrogance and pride and Goneril and Regan’s flattery metaphorically blind him from their actual hatred for him. Also, Lear is blinded from seeing Cordelia’s love for him, due to her lack of extravagant complimenting in her monologue. In the end, this very pride leads Lear to his ultimate demise, causing him to lose his kingdom forever to hatred and betrayal.
The passage I am analyzing takes place in 1.1.60-115. In this scene, King Lear’s three daughters are telling him how great their love is for him. Based on how convincing their speeches are to their father, they will receive certain amounts his kingdom. The entirety of the passage is filled with motifs such as betrayal, contempt, and the price of love.
ReplyDeleteThe whole passage takes place between King Lear, Goneril, Cordelia, and Regan. King Lear wants to divide land up between his daughters. The more they show their love for him, the more land he will give them. Both Goneril and Cordelia go all out, telling about how much he means to them, even though in reality they despise him and merely want his entire kingdom for themselves. Regan truly does love him, but does not care about gaining the kingdom.
“Sir, I love you more than word can wield the matter/ Dearer than eyesight, space, and liberty…” (1.1.60-63).These lines are the beginning of the passage, and right away the exaggerated manner of speech can be noticed. The speaker, Goneril, greatly romanticizes her speech in order to gain her father’s appreciation. The way she describes her love towards her father goes above and beyond what people normally say to or about their loved ones. The fact that she feels the need to talk in this manner shows that King Lear has a price for love. The more affection and appreciation his daughter will show him, the more rewards she will receive. He does not realize that her words are all meaningless and that she feels the opposite towards him than what she just proclaimed. The same exact thing is seen with the next daughter, Cordelia. “… Only she comes to short, that I profess/ Myself an enemy to all other joys/ Which the most precious square of sense (possess,)/ And find I am alone felicitate/ In your dear Highness’ love.” (1.1.79-84). Cordelia feels the need to exaggerate even farther than her older sister in an attempt to also win her father’s gratitude, and thus more land. King Lear falls for her false words as well.
Throughout the speeches of the first two daughters, it is proven that King Lear has a high price for his love and inheritance. Both Goneril and Cordelia show that they have fallen for this price and will try to get the rewards. However, once Regan begins her speech, it immediately has a different tone to it. With the phrase, “I love your Majesty according to my bond, no more nor less.” (1.1.101-102) it is shown that she is not going to deliver a fancy, romanticized speech in order to gain her father’s happiness and land. “…You have begot me, bred me, loved me. I return those duties back as are right fit: Obey you, love you, and most honor you. Why have my sisters husbands if they say they love you all?” (1.1.104-110). The motif of contempt is seen here. Regan makes it clear that she does not support how her sisters went about receiving their inheritances. She is honest with her father and tells him that there should be no need to confess their love for him. It should be known that they love him as daughters should love their fathers, and it is unnecessary to compete with each other.
The passage I have chosen to analyze takes place in 1.2.0-23 and contains a monologue by Edmund. He seems obsessed with the terms bastard and baseness because he is considered less than his legitimate brother. He is annoyed by the fact that he is considered illegitimate and is set on getting back at his father while destroying his brother in the process. While Edgar has done nothing against Edmund he has chosen to target him with his rage as a way to get back at his father. Edmund will eventually attempt to steal all of his brother’s land without actually stealing it. Instead of showing aggression towards his father he will instead destroy him by turning his legitimate son against him through a clever trap. This idea of false versus true connects to the scene in act one when Lear asks his daughters to proclaim their love in exchange for land. They use words to get what they want and Lear is blind to their actual intent. This event is contrasted with how Cordelia responds when she is asked to voice her love as she is punished for being true and not using words to get what she wants. While Edmund is considered false or illegitimate he uses words to get what he wants and destroy Edgar who is legitimate and does not use deception to gain anything. This passage deals with blindness and deception, both common motifs used throughout the book.
ReplyDeleteI chose the conversation between Regan and Goneril when they first decide that they need to work their father out of power in Act 1:1 Lines 329-355. The motifs of the passage are conspiring and betrayal. In the passage Goneril and Regan come to the conclusion that their father should no longer be allowed to rule and the two of them should work together to ensure that he gives up ruling sooner rather than later. They come to think this even after they just flattered the king because they knew of his massive ego and wanted a large share of the kingdom. But when his favorite daughter said she wouldn’t just kiss up he flew into a rage and disowned her. The other sisters realize that his wavering and erratic behavior may find themselves on the other end soon so they decide to work together to protect themselves and get him out of power. This is obviously part of both motifs because it is strict treason what they are thinking of doing to their own father.
ReplyDeleteIt shows the characters in an interesting light. The two sisters were fine sucking up earlier but when Cordelia gets thrown out of the family they decide enough is enough. It should be noted that while their goals seem morally corrupt, they almost seem to be doing it out of love for their sister and not just for selfish reasons. They also legitimately feel that their father is a danger, and this is not just some power hungry grab. They are sorry for their father in his old age and fear he is losing his mind and will cause far more damage if he continues to rule. In terms of those motifs showing up elsewhere, you don’t have to look far. Edmund in already working to betray his brother and take his birthright, and Kent certainly has his own agenda he is trying to make sure pulls through.
Nathan Frontiero
ReplyDeleteMotifs: anger, betrayal/mistrust, control
(Part I)
Primary passage:
“You heavens, give me that patience, patience I need! / You see me here, you gods, a poor old man / As full of grief as age, wretched in both. / If it be you that stirs these daughters’ hearts / Against their father, fool me not so much / To bear it tamely. Touch me with noble anger, / And let not women’s weapons, water drops, / Stain my man’s cheeks. —No, you unnatural hags, / I will have such revenges on you both / That all the world shall—I will do such things— / What they are yet I know not, but they shall be / The terrors of the earth! You think I’ll weep. / No, I’ll not weep. / I have full cause of weeping, but this heart / Shall break into a hundred thousand flaws / Or ere I’ll weep.—O Fool, I shall go mad!” (2.4.331-328)
Other appearances of these motifs:
“...Love cools, / friendship falls off, brothers divide; in cities, muti- / nies; in countries, discord; in palaces, treason; and / the bond cracked ‘twixt son and father. [This villain / of mine comes under the prediction: there’s son / against father. The King falls from bias of nature: / there’s father against child. We have seen the best of our time. Machinations, hollowness, treachery, and / all ruinous disorders follow us disquietly to our / graves.]” (1.2.112-121)
“Detested kite, thou liest. / My train are men of choice and rarest parts, / That in all particulars of duty know / And in the most exact regard support / the worships of their name. O most small fault, / How ugly didst thou in Cordelia show, / Which, which like an engine, wrenched my frame of nature / From the fixed place, drew from my heart all love / And added to the gall! O Lear, Lear, Lear! / Beat at this gate that let thy folly in / and thy dear judgment out.” (1.4.274-285)
Julia Verga
ReplyDeleteStatus/rank and relationships between parents and their children
Act 1 Scene 2
This passage introduces the character and reveals his conflict and distaste for the situation. Within his soliloquy, Edmund wonders why he is ranked as inferior when he is no different than a person born to a married couple. “Why “bastard”? Wherefore “base”?/ When my dimensions are as well compact,/ My mind as generous, and my shape as true/ As honest madam’s issue?” (1.2. 5-9) He questions why he should be oppressed by the “plague of custom” and why he should allow rules to prevent him from getting what is rightfully his.
This soliloquy features the motif of status/rank and family relationships. Edmund describes his status and in society and explains how he is treated as a result. He doesn’t respond by feeling ashamed of his identity, instead he knows that he is equal to everyone else. He does not let society’s view of him shape his opinion of himself, rather he disagrees and uses this to take action. His opinions on his status are significant because they’re the driving force behind the actions he is to take. Also, this particular reveals that he is plotting, Edmund is not going to stand back and allow himself to receive less than his legitimate brother. He makes the claim that “Edmund the base/Shall top th’ legitimate.” (2.1. 21-22) It also includes the motif of relationships between parents and their children. His father’s love is for both the bastard and the legitimate son. Because of this, he deserves the land—which is another recurring theme. Offspring are greedy and eager to claim their parents’ possessions.
EDMUND
Thou, nature, art my goddess. To thy law
My services are bound. Wherefore should I
Stand in the plague of custom and permit
The curiosity of nations to deprive me
For that I am some twelve or fourteen moonshines
Lag of a brother? Why “bastard”? Wherefore “base”?
When my dimensions are as well compact,
My mind as generous, and my shape as true
As honest madam’s issue? Why brand they us
With “base,” with “baseness,” “bastardy,” “base,” “base”—
Who in the lusty stealth of nature take
More composition and fierce quality
Than doth within a dull, stale, tirèd bed
Go to th' creating a whole tribe of fops
Got ’tween a sleep and wake? Well then,
Legitimate Edgar, I must have your land.
Our father’s love is to the bastard Edmund
As to the legitimate.—Fine word, “legitimate”!—
Well, my legitimate, if this letter speed
And my invention thrive, Edmund the base
Shall top th' legitimate. I grow, I prosper.
Now, gods, stand up for bastards! (2.1. 1-23)
The passage I have chosen is found in act 2 scene 1 line 114- 138. This passage includes a dialogue between Regan, Cornwall, Edmund, and Gloucester. The characters discuss their future plans concerning King Lear and many different motifs appear including loyalty and conspiracy. Throughout the play the dialogues have been insinuating some sort of overthrow and this passage brings forth the many points of view concerning the situation.
ReplyDeleteThe quotation touches upon the past actions of King Lear and how successful the group's attempts have been concerning fooling the King. Edmund has succeeded in tricking the King into trusting him and while being weary about the others around him. Regan has been working with her sisters to thwart her father while Cornwall and Gloucester have worked along with them.
Regan
"No marvel, then, though he were ill affected/ 'Tis they have put him on the old man's death,/ to have th' expense and waste of his revenues./ I have this present evening from my sister/ Been well informed of them, and with such cautions/ That if they come to sojourn at my house/ I'll not be there."
Cornwall
"Nor I, assure thee, Regan.-/ Edmund, I hear that you have shown your father a childlike office."
Edmund
"It was my duty, sir."
These lines illustrate the motif of conspiracy which continues to appear in the work. Cornwall refers to Edmund's work as a "childlike office" which accurately labels his actions. Edmund had previously summoned his acting skills to fool his father with a letter, a vital part of the conspiracy against King Lear. Edmund has constantly been labeled as the King's "bastard son" making it easy for Edmund to see his father's true values and have no trouble working against him.
Gloucester
"He did bewray hi practice, and received/ This hurt you see striving to apprehend him."
Cornwall
"Is he pursued?"
Gloucester
"Ay my good lord."
Cornwall
"If he be taken, he shall never more/ Be feared of doing harm. Make your own purpose,/ How in my strength you please.- For you, Edmund,/ Whose virtue and obedience doth this instant/ So much commend itself, you shall be ours./ Natures of such deep trust we shall much need./ You we first seize on."
Edmund
"I shall serve you, sir,/ Truly however else."
Gloucester
"For him I thank you Grace."
The second half of the passage brings forth the motif of loyalty. The King's children have turned their loyalty away from their father and instead toward a new way of ruling. They do not want to see their father in power any longer and have instead turned to others. The loyalty between the conspiring groups have outgrown the loyalty found in the family. The King however values loyalty very much and because of this, must have no idea what Edmund, Regan, Gloucester, and Cornwall are planning.
RaChEl MeRcHaNt
ReplyDeleteMoTiFs: Treachery, Evilness, Astronomy
PaSsAgE: Page 37 Act 1 Scene 2 Lines 125-140
SpEaKeR: Edmund
This is the scene right after Gloucester leaves Edmund. Edmund just showed Gloucester a letter written by Edmunds brother talking about his evil thoughts about Gloucester. At this point, to me it seemed like Edmund is just trying to set Edgar up so that Gloucester is distracted and mad at him. THis is where the treachery comes in. Edmund is playing with everyones emotions. He has no respect for anyone but himself. Edmund is not being honest with anyone, he is sneaking around and lying to everyone. This is where the evilness comes in a well. He goes on to make a lot of references to astronomy. He talks about constellations and the sun, moon and stars. He makes a reference to the fact that when the stars are aligned, it controls ones life for the moment. It is treacherous because Edmunds plan is to steal his fathers land, He is going to turn his father against his father so that he will by default, gain all of the land. It i such an evil plan, and it has already started to work this early in the book. Edmund is not worried about anything besides getting the land and is planning to do anything to get it. Edgar and the father are both oblivious as to what Edmund is doing and they fall right into his evil trap. I can only imagine how the rest of the story pans out.
1.1.37-59
ReplyDeleteMotifs: love as a tool used for forging useful ties; Lear’s inability to see beyond his own goals (blindness); naivety
Meantime we shall express our darker purpose. - Give me the map there.
Now that we have divided
In three our kingdom, and ‘tis our fast intent
To shake all cares and business from our age,
Conferring them on younger strengths, (while we unburdened crawl toward death. Our Son of Cornwall
And you, our no less loving son of Albany,
We have this hour a constant will to publish
Our daughters’ several dowers, that future strife,
May be prevented now.)
The two great princes, France and Burgundy,
Great rivals in our youngest daughter’s love,
Long in our court have made their amorous sojourn
And here are to be answered. Tell me, my daughters -
(Since now we will divest both of rule,
Interest of territory, cares of state - )
Which of you will we say doth love us most,
That we our largest bounty may extend
Where nature doth with merit challenge. Goneril,
Our eldest born, speak first.
This passage, which comes near the beginning of the first scene, marks Lear’s readiness to divvy up his kingdom amongst those that “love him best”. His short speech reveals a few things about the light in which Lear views his domain, his daughters’ and what he initially thinks of as his total control over his lands. The clearest motif in this excerpt is Lear’s naivety. He trusts his daughters to faithfully reveal the extent of their love for him in order to obtain a chunk of his kingdom proportionate to what they profess to be the scope of that love. It seems that in no way does Lear suspect any exaggerations or mistruths on the part of his daughters. He truly believes that they will tell him how they really feel, no matter the reward. The only proof so far of the sincerity of Lear’s naivety comes later in the story, when he expresses profound surprise regarding the plot, hatched by his daughters, to divest him of any remnants of power.
At this point in the story, Lear’s confidence in his power is running high and he has no idea of what is soon to come. He is still self assured of his ability to divide fairly the kingdom amongst his daughters in order to prevent any future strife. In this assumption, Lear is at fault. It seems that he views his daughters less as humans that he loves, and more as pons that may be used in the preservation of his kingdom. Lear’s view of love as a tool for forging useful ties - such as those made between his kingdom and the lands controlled by France and Burgundy as a result of his daughters’ union with them - is also a motif. Throughout the play so far, characters seem to be treated less in accordance with their worth as human beings, and more in relation to their status and perceived usefulness. For example, the Nave is treated with little respect by most, because to them he is of little to no status or worth. By offering up his youngest daughter as some sort of prize, Lear makes even clearer his view of her as something to be traded in exchange for security. This is significant in that Lear is incapable of assessing the true worth of what he has, that is until its taken away from him. He takes for granted his power and those that he believes love him; a fault that leads to his forthcoming fall from power.
ReplyDeleteIn much the same light, Lear’s view of marriage for its worth in land ties makes even clearer his inability see beyond his own goals. It is this problem, combined with his naivety, that leads to Lear’s blindness when it comes to seeing the plots which are being laid clearly before him by his youngest daughter. Lear is unable to look beyond his desire for a kingdom that will live on in his stead and assumes that all others share the same wish as he.
As presented here, these motifs serve to lay a foundation for the understanding of Lear’s naivety, his blindness and his inability to properly value those around him. Later in the play, these motifs appear as their full scope is revealed to Lear himself. As the story goes on, Lear begins to realize the full scope of his blindness, naivety and the way in which these recurring faults have ruined him.
Motifs - Disease & Treachery, and Guilt & Blame
ReplyDeletePassage 2.4.252-265
I am analyzing Lear’s brief monologue to Goneril and Regan, 2.4.252-265, where they are arguing about how many attendant Lear can have. Goneril has just taken Regan’s side in the argument, and Lear is amazed at their treachery.
Lear talks to them about how they are family, so he cannot get rid of them entirely, and compares them to a disease that he is stuck with, poisoning him.
“But yet thou art my flesh, my blood, my daughter,/ Or rather a disease that’s in my flesh/ Which I needs call mine. Thou art a boil,/ A plague-sore or embossed carbuncle” This motif of disease, poisoning from the inside out and rotting away at good things is recurrent in the play, in fact most of the action seen so far stems from various sneaky betrayals, such as Edmunds against Edgar. This theme is what Lear uses to refer to how his daughters turned on him. The motif is also revealing of Lears feelings about family, and the unbreakable nature of blood bonds.
“But I’ll not chide thee./ Let shame come when it will; I do not call it.” “Mend when thou canst. Be better at thy leisure.” Forgiveness and guilt also play a large role in the play, and here Lear tells tells them that he will not try to make them feel guilty, because they should feel shame on their own. This mixture of passive aggressiveness and threat say a lot about the shift in power that has resulted between Lear and his daughters after he gave them their inheritance. Now they are in charge, and he no longer has the ability to punish them for what he sees as “wrongs”. There are many instances of forgiveness and blame that are yet to come, between Cordelia and her father, Kent and the King, and between the three sisters themselves. In all cases, where the power lies has a huge impact on the nature and likelihood of reconciliation.
Nathan Frontiero
ReplyDeletePart II - Analysis (Passages and motifs are posted above. This analysis took a bit.)
1. The primary passage I have chosen to analyze spans 2.4.313-328. In this portion of the text, Lear addresses Regan as he discovers the treachery of the two daughters who at the beginning of act one so horribly over-exaggerated their affection for him in order to win his favor and a handsome portion of his kingdom. In his anger Lear directs his speech to the heavens and asks, or seems to ask, that his heart remain cold and his resolve to seek revenge strong. Essentially, Lear realizes at this moment that two of his daughters are conspiring against him, then, following a plea with the higher powers that be, warns of the extent to which he shall mercilessly retaliate to such betrayal.
2. This monologue reaches to the center of these three motifs, exhibiting their significance simplistically. Sharpness in the word choice here makes Lear’s anger immediately evident. In moments when the king seems to talk to himself his desire for vengeance manifests with great clarity. While certain earlier exchanges have evoked immense ire in Lear, this bit of dialogue with Regan is the clearest example thus far of the depth of that ire. Lear so strongly resolves to exact revenge that he propels himself towards the madness that in himself he foresees developing. Within this are varied senses of control. Regan and Goneril seek to take control from their aging father, and Lear seeks to secure that control to which they pose a threat. In a different light, Lear can be considered losing control of his emotions, descending into fury without much consideration for a more composed, rational plan of action. The quest for control underlines the literal, tangible conflicts between Lear and his elder daughters and the superficiality and ulterior motives beneath Goneril and Regan’s earlier doting. Anger and the loss or momentary disregard for self-control illuminates recklessness in Lear. These elements persist and, in tandem with the compendium of other motifs, drive the play forward.
3. The first of the two supporting passages is taken from the monologue Gloucester gives as he ruminates on Edmund’s revelation that Edgar is conspiring against him. Again, a frustration radiates in the words, and the exchange directly concerns the apparent betrayal of another character by a family member. While the reaction and thus the instance of betrayal and anger mirror those in Lear’s monologue described above, control is presented differently. Gloucester has an almost fatalistic view of the circumstances in which he finds himself, comparing them to parallels and accepting his inability to prevent the conflicts. The second supporting passage is another piece of a Lear monologue, in which he rebukes Goneril for attempting to dismiss a portion of his knights. This is in essence the same conflict of interest as the one presented in the main passage, but concerns a direct struggle for control between Lear and only one daughter. Goneril’s attitude greatly frustrates Lear; he compares her to an abhorred vulture, and defends the ranks she wishes to reduce. In any of these instances, the ire evoked by the feeling of betrayal drives the given character to retain control from the person threatening that control, as in Gloucester from Edgar, and Lear from Goneril and Regan.
Katie Russo
ReplyDeleteMotifs: Betrayal, nature
1.4.289-303 King Lear addressing Goneril.
Hear, Nature, hear, dear goddess, hear!
Suspend thy purpose, if thou didst intend
To make this creature fruitful.
Into her womb convey sterility,
Dry up in her the organs of increase,
And from her derogate body never spring
A babe to honor her! If she must teem,
Create her child of spleen, that it may live
And be a thwart disnatur’d torment to her.
Let it stamp wrinkles in her brow of youth,
With cadent tears fret channels in her cheeks,
Turn all her mother’s pains and benefits
To laughter and contempt, that she may feel
How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is
To have a thankless child!—Away, away!
In this quotation, King Lear is clearly expressing his anger with his daughter Goneril. This is after he begins to notice how rudely Goneril’s servants are all treating him as well as his men, particularly the servant Oswald. It is upon Goneril announcing that Lear must remove his knights and servants for their rude behavior that Lear really begins to become infuriated. She refuses to give into anything he asks of her which prompts him to address her in the way he does in the quotation above. He regrets ever giving her any power and wishes a variety of awful things upon her such as never being able to have children. He states, “Into her womb convey sterility.” (1.4.292) His anger prompts him to leave to stay with his other daughter, Reagan. Of course, however, Goneril has already written to her sister so she is prepared for the arrival of her father in which she will act very similarly to Goneril. The motif of betrayal is very evident in this passage. Goneril has completely betrayed her father who gave everything to her and Reagan proceeds to do the same. This is all in their hunt for power in Britain. The passage also further reveals how foolish Lear was in his decision to hand power over to them and may possibly begin to make him realize how wrong he was in abandoning Cordelia. Betrayal can also be found in the book in the case of Edmund betraying his own brother and father. His betrayal parallels Reagan and Goneril’s throughout the story. Nature is another motif that is used in this quotation when Lear speaks of him hoping that nature denies Goneril of a child, or at least one that will respect her. Nature appears to be a very strong and powerful force in Lear’s mind and he believes that it controls and governs many things. Nature is used again by King Lear previously in the book when addressing Cordelia. He states, “a wretch whom Nature is ashamed/ Almost t’ acknowledges her.” (1.1243-244) Again he uses it against one of his daughters in an expression of great frustration. Lear’s repeated use of this also may highlight his inferiority in always seeming to be upset or angered with someone, often because of his own bad decisions. This motif appears further into the book as well.
Jessie Carini
ReplyDeleteMotifs: Loyalty, irony
2.4.74-92
Fool “We’ll set thee to school to an ant to teach thee there’s no laboring i’ th’ winter. All that follow their noses are led by their eyes but blind men, and there’s not a nose among twenty but can smell him that’s stinking. Let go thy hold when a great wheel runs down a hill lest it break thy neck with following; but the great one that goes upward, let him draw thee after. When a wise man gives thee better counsel, give me mine again. I would have none but knaves follow it, since a Fool gives it.
That sir which serves
And seeks for gain,
And follows but for form,
Will pack when it begins to rain
And leave thee in the storm.
But I will tarry; the Fool will stay,
And let the wise man fly.
The knave turns fool that runs away ;
The Fool no knave, perdie.”
The passage that I have chosen comes from 2.4.74-92. At this point of the book, Lear is starting to realize how greatly mistaken he is for having given so much power to his two older daughters, Regan and Goneril. In this conversation between the Fool and Kent, the Fool cleverly makes a joke with the true meaning of his point behind it. The Fool is revealing how blind the King is for testing his daughters in the first place when he already knew that his youngest daughter, Cordelia, was the one that loved him the most, unconditionally, and choosing his older daughters and banishing Cordelia was a big mistake. Within this passage are two motifs, one being loyalty because of how loyal the Fool is to the King through his hardship. The other motif being expressed here is irony because the Fool is named the Fool yet he is the smart one who sees the wrongness of the existential situation. From the end of Act 1 and throughout Act 2, the Fool seems to make jokes that have a hidden, not so obvious, meaning and value behind it. Loyalty for the King is a motif that seems to be reoccuring in this play. The Fool is not the only loyal one, Kent, Cordelia and his one hundred knights seem to stay loyal to their ruler.
Where it mentions loyalty:
2.2.91
Kent “Sir, I am too old to learn.
Call not your stocks for me. I serve the King,
On whose employment I was sent to you.
You shall do small (respect,) show too bold
malice
Against the grace and person of my master,
Stocking his messenger.”
Kent, [waking] “Hail thee, noble master.”
Kent
“My lord, when at their home
I did commend your Highness’ letters to them,
Ere I was risen from the place that showed
My duty kneeling, came there a reeking post,”
Motifs: Parents/Children, faithfulness, unfaithfulness
ReplyDeleteCordelia:
Good my lord,
You have begot me, bred me, loved me.
I return those duties back as are right fit:
Obey you, love you, and most honor you.
Why have my sisters husbands, if they say
They love you all? Haply, when I shall wed,
That lord whose hand must take my plight shall carry
Half my love with him, half my care and duty.
Sure, I shall never marry like my sisters,
To love my father all.
1.1.105-115
The passage I chose was one where Cordelia, after listening to her sisters hoping to impress their father by professing their love to him in an attempt to gain a greater piece of his land, is trying to explain to Lear why she won't say anything more than she loves him as much as she is suppose to. Cordelia refuses to descend to the level of her sisters by telling the king she loves him solely for the sake of gaining his favor and be rewarded more land because she truly loves Lear, and knows this would be taking advantage of him, as her sisters Regan and Goneril have already done.
“You have begot me, bred me, loved me./ I return those duties back as are right fit:/ Obey you, love you, and most honor you.” Throughout the play, there are many mentions of parent and child, the bond between them, and the emotional response that they feel when their child has betrayed them (for example, Gloucester being tricked into thinking Edgar, his legitimate son, is plotting to kill him). Here, we see that Cordelia loves Lear, and appreciates everything that he's done for her. She goes on to say though, “Why have my sisters husbands, if they say/ They love you all? Haply, when I shall wed, That lord whose hand must take my plight shall carry/ Half my love with him, half my care and duty./ Sure, I shall never marry like my sisters,/ To love my father all.” She questions their supposed faithfulness to Lear by pointing out that if they love him so completely, how could they have any love for their husbands. She explains that when she marries, she'll once again share as much love for her husband as should be given, while at the same time discrediting the sisters' passionate declarations of love and attempting to expose who they really are. Goneril and Regan aren't faithful to Lear as Cordelia is. There are numerous instances of faithfulness and unfaithfulness, namely with Regan and Goneril's greedy and ongoing venture into getting the most land out of Lear as possible while he's old and not as on top of things as he could be, and Edmund's own attempts to remove Edgar as Gloucester's heir. I find the parent/child motif particularly interesting because in reality, the parent is the one governing and dictating what the child does. However, in the realm of this play, the children have taken over and are acting corruptly. Cordelia is one of the few examples of what was once a good parent/child relationship, but ironically it's this relationship that Lear decides is worthless to him.
Motifs: Nature, status/rank, perception
ReplyDeletep.141-142 3.4.110-116
Thou ow'st the worm no silk, the beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the cat no perfume. Ha, here's three on's are sophisticated. Thou art the thing itself; unaccommodated man is no more but such a poor, bare, forked animals thou art. Off, off, you lendings! Come, unbutton here.
King Lear, in his enraged tirade on the heath, finds Edgar. He immediately adopts Edgar, who is a physical embodiment the anguish the king feels. Lear has just lost his status, and is fascinated by the idea that status itself is an illusion--a matter of perception. His daughters have betrayed him. Shakespeare toys with the relationships between people. He compares the ordered savage-ness of society with the savage nakedness of nature. He brings up the question of legitimacy of status and of relationships when edmund the bastard (whom the audience is allowed to resent as a bastard) is able to create the semblance of any type of relationship he wishes, making those blind to his craft into fools. Nature does not do this. Edgar is here the animal of a man. He owes the worm no silk not only because he’s naked, but because he (madman and fool that he is) is free of the complications that falsify man’s identity--society cannot change the fact that he’s an animal. Lear, stripped of his position by his own foolishness, is enthralled by Edgar, and tries to tear off his own clothes, he tries to join the oblivion of animalistic existence. The passage states that men are animals and it reveals Lear’s state of mind. For the passage, the motifs of nature, status/rank, perception manifest themselves as Lear’s means of attaining wisdom in his increasing madness. For the play as a whole, nature is something both Edmund and Lear idealize, but it’s something wild and harsh--no less harsh, however, than the society that is based on status (which has no meaning in nature) which has a profound affect on those who seek it and those who feel trapped by it. Status is given meaning, as are the familial relationships in the play, by reason. As Lear loses his ability to reason, he exposes the lack of inherent meaning in these things. The fools in the play are those who are blind, e.g. Regan, Goneril, Albany, and Gloucester. It took gloucester losing his eyes for him to perceive truth.