In Act 3, families are stripped down
as disloyalty is revealed. And
Lear is out in the storm, literally stripped down to his bare skin. With his kingship abolished, the
fallibility of his humanity becomes visible. Does Lear deserve this punishment? Does any father deserve
this cruel punishment from his own daughters? I understand Lear has committed several wrongs. However, I cannot fathom how Goneril
and Regan can leave their elderly father in the storm, at risk for his life.
I think it can be attributed to the
nature in which Goneril and Regan were raised. We have always questioned the manner in which Goneril,
Regan, and Cordelia express their love for Lear and the quantity of love they
express for their father. However,
what about Lear’s own love for his daughters? Has he ever expressed his affection for them? Has he raised them to know what it
means to be in a family? Besides
Cordelia, do they know what love is? I believe this void contributes to their evil tendencies.
Now Lear’s past actions are wreaking
chaos. He is left helpless in the
storm, revealing his vulnerability.
Lear has not lived a whole life.
He has not treated his daughters as he should, and he has exhibited
excessive arrogance and selfishness in his actions. His flaws and wrongs are erupted in the storm scene. Lacking a firm family foundation, he is
thrown into the forces of nature.
He must fend for himself. The
storm reflects Lear’s turbulent mind, and his sanity gradually deteriorates. As a semblance of humanity is revealed,
are we supposed to feel sympathy for Lear? Or is the disturbance outside and in his mind a direct
result of his actions? Does he
deserve his current situation? Do
we blame Lear’s cruel, ungrateful daughters or their selfish, stubborn, and
inconsiderate father? After stripped down to his humanity, will Lear change his nature?
After the storm and his inner turmoil reach their height, I wonder if Lear's madness will break. Like a fever, I suspect his disturbance to begin its decline, as Lear returns to normalcy. Perhaps Lear's humbling experience will cause a change in his outlook and resentment.
I do acknowledge Lear has committed several wrongs in the play, but until now I did not believe Lear deserved to be treated in the horrific manner that he was by his daughters. I agree with you in the sense that is was a vicious act for Goneril and Regan to lock their father out of their home in the storm, but i am now beginning to bring myself to justify the daughters’ actions. I never thought of this situation in Goneril and Regan’s perspective until the point brought up about the lack of verbal or emotional affection they received from their father. The lack of compassion they have for their father, in one of his most vulnerable times, more than likely stems from the lack of compassion they have received from him over the years. Lear is overly concerned with his daughters expressing their love for him and he never thinks to express love to them. It seems as Lear has destroyed Goneril and Regan’s ability to show any form of emotion. For this reason I have begun to understand how Lear’s daughters could easily treat their father with little to no respect and compassion.
ReplyDeleteDoes Lear love his daughters? Lear never says that he loves Regan, Goneril or Cordelia. He forces his daughters to tell him that they love him, but he never says it back. He shows his love for Cordelia by dividing his land, but he never shows his love for Goneril or Regan. Maybe, Goneril and Regan’s dislike is warranted, considering Cordelia is banished her for no reason. Can you imagine what he has done to Goneril and Regan given that they are not his favorite? I am not saying what Goneril and Regan did to their father was right, but they felt justified in abandoning their father.
ReplyDeleteI do not think Lear has ever shown love to Goneril or Regan. In Act I scene iv, instead of respecting Goneril’s wishes of how she wants his soldiers to act, Lear hits Oswald and tells her he does not need her because he can go to Regan’s house at any time. Lear says to Goneril, “I have another daughter who, I am sure, is kind and comfortable” (1.4.322-323). He could have done the same thing to Regan. He has taught Goneril and Regan how to be cruel. Goneril and Regan are brutal, but that is how Lear treats them.
Lear’s inability has had an effect on Cordelia which is why she cannot verbally express her love for Lear. Lear loves Cordelia, but he never says he loves her. Cordelia does not know to how to say she loves Lear, because Lear has never said it to her. Children practice what they learn from their parents. Goneril and Regan are cruel and evil, because they learned it from Lear. Cordelia cannot say she love Lear, because Lear never says it to her.