Characters in stories like that of King Lear tend to frustrate me when I read about them. Ignorance, arrogance, and an incredibly thick skull are the things that make Lear someone I would not enjoy knowing in real life. So far throughout the story, he's demonstrated his ability to completely miss the important points of his situation while flipping out about minor, unnecessary things. He may be very old, but sometimes he gives the opposite impression.
In the very first scene of the play, he decides to judge his daughters' worthiness of receiving his inheritance by listening to them describe how much they love him... In other words, he wants them to praise him just for the sake of it. It's just like he's a little kid; he loves to hear good stuff about himself, but when someone tells it to him like it is (Cordelia), he has a temper tantrum and retaliates. The difference is that in Lear's case, he's the one in power, not the disapproving parents. Imagine putting Dudley Dursley in the seat of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Lear's stubborn refusal to go anywhere without his full contingent of knights can be viewed in different ways. There are obviously ambitions for power between Regan and Goneril, so one could argue that their trying to impose a limit on Lear's retinue is symbolic of taking away his authority. If this is the case, then his actions can be somewhat justified. However, blindly running out into a storm when you're old and weak is just stupid. It solved no problems at all and it really didn't even make him feel better either.
The Fool states at one point in the play that Lear grew old before he grew wise. I couldn't agree more. There's still a lot left to happen in the play, but so far the impression I've gotten of the king has been very negative. Perhaps the real Tragedy of King Lear his old age has only made him ignorant and rash instead of wise.
In the very first scene of the play, he decides to judge his daughters' worthiness of receiving his inheritance by listening to them describe how much they love him... In other words, he wants them to praise him just for the sake of it. It's just like he's a little kid; he loves to hear good stuff about himself, but when someone tells it to him like it is (Cordelia), he has a temper tantrum and retaliates. The difference is that in Lear's case, he's the one in power, not the disapproving parents. Imagine putting Dudley Dursley in the seat of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Lear's stubborn refusal to go anywhere without his full contingent of knights can be viewed in different ways. There are obviously ambitions for power between Regan and Goneril, so one could argue that their trying to impose a limit on Lear's retinue is symbolic of taking away his authority. If this is the case, then his actions can be somewhat justified. However, blindly running out into a storm when you're old and weak is just stupid. It solved no problems at all and it really didn't even make him feel better either.
The Fool states at one point in the play that Lear grew old before he grew wise. I couldn't agree more. There's still a lot left to happen in the play, but so far the impression I've gotten of the king has been very negative. Perhaps the real Tragedy of King Lear his old age has only made him ignorant and rash instead of wise.
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