King Lear

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King Lear

Plot: Lear, king of Britain , a

petulant and unwise old man, has three daughters: Goneril, wife of the duke of Albany ; Regan, wife of the duke of Cornwall ; and Cordelia, for whom the king of France and duke of Burgundy are suitors.

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King Lear Intending to divide his

kingdom among his daughters according to their affection for him, he bids them say which loves him most. Goneril and Regan make profession of extreme affection, and each receives one-third of the kingdom. Cordelia, self-willed, and disgusted with their hollow flattery, says she loves him according to her duty, not more nor less.

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King Lear

Infuriated with this reply, Lear divides her portion between his other daughters, with the condition that himself with 100 knights shall be maintained by each daughter in turn. Burgundy withdraws his suit for Cordelia, and the king of France accepts her without dowry. The earl of Kent , taking her part, is banished. Goneril and Regan reveal their heartless character by grudging their father the maintenance that he had stipulated for, and finally turning him out of doors in a storm.

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King Lear

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King Lear The earl of Gloucester shows pity for the old

king, and is suspected of complicity with the French, who have landed in England . His eyes are put out by Cornwall , who receives a death-wound in the affray. Gloucester 's son Edgar, who has been traduced to his father by his bastard brother Edmund, takes the disguise of a lunatic beggar, and tends his father till the latter's death. Lear, whom rage and ill treatment have deprived of his wits, is conveyed to Dover by the faithful Kent in disguise, where Cordelia receives him.

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King Lear

Cordelia and king Lear

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King Lear Meanwhile Goneril and Regan have both turned

their affections to Edmund. Embittered by this rivalry, Goneril poisons Regan, and takes her own life. The English forces under Edmund and Albany defeat the French, and Lear and Cordelia are imprisoned; by Edmund's order Cordelia is hanged, and Lear dies from grief. The treachery of Edmund is proved by his brother Edgar. Gloucester's heart has “ twixt two extremes of passion, joy and grief, / Burst smilingly. ” Albany, who has not abetted Goneril in her cruel treatment of Lear, takes over the kingdom.

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King Lear

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King Lear

Theme: King Lear is not only a tragedy of an

individual, but also a tragedy of a society, with wide significance and profound impact. It depicts a great social upheaval. The miseries of Lear disclose the essence of a corrupt society, in which each is ready to prey on the other. No images are more frequently met with in the play than the images of animals and beasts. This is a reflection of the jungle law of the age of primitive accumulation.

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King Lear

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King Lear

Jungle of animals and beasts

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King Lear

This play also shows Shakespeare’s affirmation of national unity and royal responsibility. The root of Lear’s tragedy lies in his irresponsibly dividing up his kingdom owing to his folly and his mistaking flattery for true love. The playwright here seems to point out that the king, however great he might be, should be responsible to the people. If he can’t, history will punish him.

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King Lear

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