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King Lear: Consequences of One Man's Decisions
Shakespeare's tragedy King Lear is a detailed description of the
consequences of one man's decisions. This fictitious man is Lear, King of
England, who's decisions greatly alter his life and the lives of those
around him. As Lear bears the status of King he is, as one expects, a man
of great power but sinfully he surrenders all of this power to his
daughters as a reward for their demonstration of love towards him. This
untimely abdication of his throne results in a chain reaction of events
that send him through a journey of hell. King Lear is a metaphorical
description of one man's journey through hell in order to expiate his sin.
As the play opens one can almost immediately see that Lear begins to
make mistakes that will eventually result in his downfall. The very first
words that he speaks in the play are :-
"...Give me the map there. Know 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 to death..."
(Act I, Sc i, Ln 38-41)
This gives the reader the first indication of Lear's intent to abdicate his
throne. He goes on further to offer pieces of his kingdom to his daughters
as a form of reward to his test of love.
"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 us both of rule, Interest of territory, cares of
state), Which of you shall we say doth love us most? That we our largest
bounty may extend where nature doth with merit challenge."
(Act I, Sc i, Ln 47-53)
This is the first and most significant of the many sins that he makes in
this play. By abdicating his throne to fuel his ego he is disrupts the
great chain of being which states that the King must not challenge the
position that God has given him. This undermining of God's authority
results in chaos that tears apart Lear's world. Leaving him, in the end,
with nothing. Following this Lear begins to banish those around him that
genuinely care for him as at this stage he cannot see beyond the mask that
the evil wear. He banishes Kent, a loyal servant to Lear, and his youngest
and previously most loved daughter Cordelia. This results in Lear
surrounding himself with people who only wish to use him which leaves him
very vulnerable attack. This is precisely what happens and it is through
this that he discovers his wrongs and amends them.
Following the committing of his sins, Lear becomes abandoned and
estranged from his kingdom which causes him to loose insanity. While lost
in his grief and self-pity the fool is introduced to guide Lear back to the
sane world and to help find the lear that was ounce lost behind a hundred
Knights but now is out in the open and scared like a little child. The
fact that Lear has now been pushed out from behind his Knights is
dramatically represented by him actually being out on the lawns of his
castle. The terrified little child that is now unsheltered is dramatically
portrayed by Lear's sudden insanity and his rage and anger is seen through
the thunderous weather that is being experienced. All of this contributes
to the suffering of Lear due to the gross sins that he has committed.
The pinnacle of this hell that is experienced be Lear in order to
repay his sins is at the end of the play when Cordelia is killed. Lear
says this before he himself dies as he cannot live without his daughter.
"Howl, howl, howl! O, you are men of stones. Had I your tongues and eyes,
I'd use them so That heaven's vault should crack. She's gone for ever! I
know when one is dead, and when one lives. She's dead as earth. Lend me a
looking glass. If that her breath will mist or stain the stone, Why, then
she lives." (Act V, Sc iii, Ln 306-312)
All of this pain that Lear suffered is traced back to the single most
important error that he made. The choice to give up his throne. This one
sin has proven to have massive repercussions upon Lear and the lives of
those around him eventually killing almost all of those who were involved.
And one is left to ask one's self if a single wrong turn can do this to
Lear then what difficult corner lies ahead that ma cause similar
alterations in one's life.
Reference List
Shakespeare, William. King Lear. Eric A.
McCann, ed. Harcourt Brace Jovanovick
Canada Inc., Canada. 1988.
ADDITIONAL FEATURED ESSAYS
King Lear - Evil
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King Lear: The Element Of Disguise
The play King Lear is, first of all, a play about kingship; about a trustful old king, every inch a king, who in old age
King Lear - Good Vs. Evil
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King Lear - Good Vs. Evil
In the King Lear play, Shakespeare creates many conditions in which humans live in the world. The main characters in the
Good Vs Evil In King Lear
In the King Lear play, Shakespeare creates many conditions in which humans live in the world. The main characters in the
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