Essay on Disobedience in William Shakespeares King Lear

Disobedience in William Shakespeares King Lear How sharper than a serpents tooth it is to have a thankless child. Filial disobedience is a key theme in the play King Lear and in both the times it was set and written, children were not expected to disobey their fathers. Jacobean England was an extremely hierarchical society meaning that respect should not only be shown to the powerful and rich but also to parents and the elderly. Seventeenth century England would have been more devout in terms of religion than today and undoubtedly a Jacobean audience would have been familiar with the fifth commandment, Honour thy father and mother. Lear, like any king, Pagan or otherwise, would have been†¦show more content†¦This is the source of Lears outrage and he cannot believe that his most beloved daughter would not only go against his wishes, but also against the basic expectations he has of his children. This helps Shakespeare to show what an unstable character Lear is because he does not realise that Cordelia has actually done w hat he has asked and told him how much she loves him. Lears emotions at this point swing between the extremes of love and anger because of this: Here I disclaim all my paternal care, Propinquity and property of blood And as a stranger to my heart and me. I.i.109-111 In his rage, Lear is willing to give up his love for his daughter even though he loves her immensely. It illustrates the fury and rash judgements that have become ingrained in his nature whilst king. He wants to prove to the court and possibly himself that, even though he is abdicating, he still wants to be seen as omnipotent. His self-importance and need for praise leads him to thinking that Cordelia has shamed him and therefore banishes her. In spite of Goneril and Regans obvious lies, Lear foolishly divides the kingdom between. Where Lear falls for their shallow lies, the audience sees through them and their sympathy lies with Cordelia. The audience also learn that the family dynamics depend on whether LearShow MoreRelatedAllegorical Elements In Macbeth Essay761 Words   |  4 Pagesit’s narrative and thus open a discussion King Lear , another of Shakespeare’s principle tragedies also opens a discourse into the political environment of Jacobean England or more sp ecifically the act of union. The drama explores a Kingdom that is divided and thus succumbs to chaos, it is only restored to natural order when the it unites again. This provides an opportunity to reinforce the act of union while condemning the division and civil disobedience/war. Much of the twentieth-century scholarshipRead MoreFemale Sexuality in Shakespeare4830 Words   |  20 PagesQuestion Compare and contrast the representation of female sexuality in Cymbeline, the Sonnets, and one of the plays: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Richard II, Hamlet, Antony and Cleopatra, Measure for Measure or King Lear.       Both Cymbeline and A Midsummer Night’s Dream  (AMND)  are both set in a patriarchal environment where both genders grapple for control. Valerie Traub defines the distinction between gender sex and gender behavior as â€Å"Sex refers to the . . . biological distinctions between