King Lear :: essays papers

King LearAct IScene i Set in the royal court, the first scene of Shakespeares King Lear pivots upon the refusal of the aged monarchs youngest daughter, Cordelia, to follow the slip of her sisters Goneril and Regan in professing love for their let, and Lears wrathful decision to disown Cordelia. Nevertheless, Act I, scene i of Lear begins with a parallel subplot about the bastard Edmunds treachery toward his father Gloucester and his brother Edgar. At the start of the scene, we first see the loyal gentlemen Kent and Gloucester discussing Lears intention to leave the realm to his daughters and their male childs-in-law. The dialogue is interrupted by the appearance of Edmund, the il consistent son of Gloucester. In due course we learn that Edmund is not entirely a bastard but also an inveterate villain, the male counterpart to Lears evil daughters, Goneril and Regan. yellow trumpet blare as a majestic Lear arrives with his retinue and announces that his darker purpose is to hand ov er his kingdom to his three daughters. He proceeds to ask each of them to stub out their love for him in words. Goneril tells her father that he is dearer to her than eyesight, space and liberty (l.56) the second daughter Regan answers that she is an enemy of all other joys (l.73). But Lears youngest daughter, Cordelia, responds that she can add postcode to what her older sisters have said. Cordelia refuses to go beyond her own heart and conscience she loves her father, but not to the exclusion of all else. Lear becomes infuriated, and then disinherits and disowns his youngest daughter. The goodly Kents efforts to restore Cordelia only provoke Lears wrath and lead to the noblemans banishment. When two suitors for Cordelias hand in marriage, the Duke of Burgundy and the King of France appear, Lear tells them that they must take her without a dowry. The Duke of Burgundy refuses but the King of France takes the fair and true Cordelia with him. In the scenes final exchange, Goneril an d Regan reveal themselves as the coming villains of the tragedy, with the bastard Edmund lurking in the backgroundScenes ii, iii, iv, & v Here Shakespeare returns to the subplot, as Edmund devises a scheme to set his father against Edgar, Gloucesters legitimate son. He shows Gloucester a phony letter in which Edgar tries to enlist Edmund into a murder plot against their father.