Thursday, November 8, 2012
King Lear, Shakespeare
The play King Lear by Shakespeare does not touch much on the concept of fear. It instead chooses to mainly address sanity and loyalty; however there are a few instances in which fear controls the characters. One example of this is how Edmund manages to get Edgar fearful for his life, by convincing Edgar that he is a wanted man for plotting to murder Gloucester. Edgar, caught up in the moment, and fearful of what was to come, listens to his brother and flees the castle. Another ironic concept involving fear occurs after Gloucester's eyes have been gouged out. Fearful that Gloucester will acquire sympathy from the people and lead to the overturning of Regan's empire, she issues the command for Oswald to kill Gloucester on sight. When Oswald attempts to kill Gloucester he is killed first by Edgar, who then reads a letter revealing Edmund's corruption. It is from the knowledge gained from this letter that Edgar challenges Edmund to a duel, and upsets his plan, along with the entire play. Although the play does not explain why we let fear control us, it is an example of why not to make decisions out of fear. It was out of fear that lead Edgar to rise up and become the "hero" of the play.
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Hi, Brandon,
ReplyDeleteInteresting observations about Edgar, Gloucester, & Oswald, Brandon. I do think there's more material here for your question than it might appear. Lear is continually tormented by the (very real) fear of going mad, and all those who depend on him (the fool, Gloucester, Kent, etc.) have to participate in this fear as well, since their positions, and even their safety, as we see, also depends upon their connection to the King and his own degree of respect. As soon as the king is dismissed as mad, then the power structures immediately (and violently) begin to turn. Kent isn't afraid of banishment, but Cordelia has to feel some fear about it. Gloucester fears his own torture, as any of us would, and several of our older characters like him also seem to fear living any further, lest this cruel world beat and batter them some more. And perhaps the most fundamental of all the fears is the fear of not being loved, which is what seems to drive Lear's desperate and pathetic ploy in the opening scene of the play--the scene that sets the stage for all the rest of the tragedy. I'd like to hear what you think of these situations, too.