King Lear

Paper Summary:

This paper is an in-depth analysis of the character of King Lear in William Shakespeare's play, "King Lear." The author examines how the king's relationship with his daughters leads to his lost dignity and his ultimate downfall. The two main themes that run through the play are loyalty and betrayal and their effect on the dignified character of King Lear.

From the Paper:

"The play relates how the king, growing old and tired, decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters, Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia - so long as they profess their love to him in a way that convinces him of their loyalty to him. the king, to whom the years have granted more vanity and less wisdom than he needs, listens with eagerness to the overblown professions of love by his older two daughters, but fails to understand that it is Cordelia, who loves him according to her bond but neither more nor less, who is truly loyal. It is his youngest daughter who understands throughout the play -- as the king does only in the end -- that loyalty to others springs only from being true to oneself. What the king must also learn -- and we in the audience along with him -- is that dignity is also gained only by being true and loyal to oneself."

More papers on King Lear:

• Analytical Essay # 119804 : "The Destruction of the Body Politic in "King Lear"
• Persuasive Essay # 142304 : "Editing King Lear"
• Analytical Essay # 36062 : "King Lear"
• Analytical Essay # 4576 : "Madness in "King Lear"

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