Act I:
Lear is a powerful leader and has a stronghold on his kingdom, and he feels he should be pleased how he wishes to be. His two elder daughters play into his flaw and flatter him with their "love," while his dearest Cordelia says nothing for she cannot begin to describe her love for her father. This talk establishes early the d Lear angrily disowns his beloved daughter, although his advisors attempts to speak reason are ignored. This man is already blinded by his power and refuses to see. He truly believes he is all powerful and the only person of merit. He is content with these thoughts and his position. In dividing his kingdom among his two eldest daughters, Regan and Goneril, Lear has spelled his own doom. He lives with Goneril who begins to strip his knights from him symbollically removing his power as Lear loses his power over his daughters and his kingdom.
Act II:
In Act II, the readers witness the parallel problems in the families of Lear and Gloucester. The children of these powerful men manipulate their aging fathers. They also fight for the power their predeccesors will leave behind in their passing. We also come to understand the lack of respect the younger generation has for their fathers. Edmund removes Edgar from the running of successor the same way Regan and Goneril did Cordelia. Lear and Gloucester both reject their rightful and true hiers, meanwhile allowing the most unfit of their offspring to entertain their wants.
Act III:
Act III reintroduces us to Cordelia and emphasizes her undying loyalty and love for her father. When he lays in the tall grass singing to himself she sends her soldiers to bring him to her. Lear strips bear in the storm once he realizes the only distinction between a commoner and a ruler is clothing. He stays out in the harsh conditions essentially naked because without his power, authority, esteem, and clothing he is nothing but a subject. Lear is finally humanized to the point he realizes he is worthless now that he has left the kingdom in the hands of his grossly disrespectful daughters. Regan and Goneril are the main characters who contribute to Lear's humanization as they are the two who strip him of his power and status in order to satisfy their greed.
By: Taylor Wyrick
By: Taylor Wyrick
ACt Iv:
In Act IV, tha play moves further into hopelessness. Due to the blindness in this act, when Cornwall gouges out Gloucester's eyes it proves how throughout the whole play his view of life was unclear. His new blindess exemplifies the figurative blindness he has as he is the clay in the hands of his son Edmund. Gloucester cannot see the truth of the situation nor can he see the evil in Edmund. He tries to do what is "right", and ends up making one of the most grave mistakes of his life in passing his power on to Edmund. Edmund is finally exposed for conspiring against his father; however, the information comes to late for anything to be reversed.
Act v:
Evil is ultimately the center of this act. Evil turns internally and annihilates itself. Evil is present in the main characters. Regan and Goneril are the evil in Lear's family as Edgar is the evil in Gloucester's family. The rogue siblings turn against the pure and true and manipulate their fathers in order to gain countrol of the kingdom and possess unchecked power. One of the specific wrongs from earlier in the play would be the banishing of Cordelia and in this act you come to notice how Lear realizes his mistake. He sees the only truthful daughter he had was disowned out of his own ignorance. His evil becomes both his and Cordelia's downfall because had they not "betrayed" each other the play may have ended differently rather than with so much death and spilling of royal blood.
By: Stephanie Rodriguez
By: Stephanie Rodriguez