Book Reports / King Lear naivety and inability to control his emotions (ENG4U class) [17]

hey everyone !

I am finished writing an essay for my ENG4U class on King Lear and was wondering what you thought ! Any feedback would be most welcome !

Here is my thesis: In Shakespeare's King Lear, Lear's naivety and inability to control his emotions leads him on a self-destructive path from denial to rage and, finally, to isolation.

Thanks in advance !!

Not everyone's journey through life can be smooth and carefree. Some paths in life can be treacherous and fraught with peril. In William Shakespeare's King Lear we see the cruel reality of one man's journey through hardships and unexpected hurdles that ultimately lead to his downfall. Lear's life takes an unexpected turn as his world begins to crumble before him. His life begins to twist and transform and Lear becomes so shrouded in denial that he fails to see that his very own daughters plan his demise. However, after Lear realizes his daughters' true intent he becomes consumed with rage which ultimately leads to his self inflicted isolation. In Shakespeare's King Lear, Lear's naivety and inability to control his emotions leads him on a self-destructive path from denial to rage and, finally, to isolation.

Lear's naïve nature makes him blind to his daughters' true intents and feelings towards their father. He is blinded by his love for his daughters and can not speculate why they could act in such a manner as to throw his servant, Kent, into the stocks. Lear's denial becomes evident as he questions Kent:

Lear. No, no, they would not.
Kent. Yes, they have.
Lear. By Jupiter, I swear no!
Kent. By Juno, I swear ay!
Lear. They durst not do't; they could not, would not do't. 'Tis worse than murder. To do upon respect such violent outrage. (II.IV.19-24)

Lear's vehement denial that Regan and Cornwall would ever disrespect his authority demonstrates his inability to see the truth. This failure to determine fact from fiction impairs his mind as Lear begins to formulate his own understanding of Cornwall and Regan's actions: "Infirmity doth still neglect all office whereto our health is bound. We are not ourselves when nature, being oppressed, commands the mind to suffer with the body." (II.IV. 103-107) In his mind, Lear comprehends that the brain cannot possibly function while being ill and therefore the body cannot be held responsible for its actions. This blind attitude and immature thought process is what ultimately carries Lear from denial onto the second stage of his emotional journey.

Lear's path from denial swiftly moves towards rage through lack of ability to control his emotions. Goneril's cruel and unkind attitude towards Lear is his first failure to maintain his composure and his rage begins to take form. Lear ventures to Cornwall and Regan's castle in order to seek refuge. He pleads with Regan and he speaks of Goneril's "sharp-toothed unkindness" (II.IV.134) and his rage increases further as he spouts, "my curses on her!" (II.IV.144) Lear's clear lack of self control award him no more tolerance from his second daughter as Regan rejects his cries for help: "Good sir, no more. These are unsightly tricks, return to my sister." (II.IV.156-157) This is another trigger to unleashing Lear's rage and further failure to control his emotions will spiral him towards a path of deep spiteful anger.

Lear's rage reaches its pinnacle as Regan and Goneril begin to strip their father of his dignity and authority. His lack of self control enables his emotions to take hold of his actions. The sisters offer their father shelter with a simple request; that he give up his retinue:

Goneril. Hear me, my lord. What need you five-and-twenty? Ten? Or five? To follow in a house where twice so many have a command to tend you?

Regan. What need one? (II.IV.259-263)

Goneril and Regan's intentions may come off as cruel, however Lear's emotional reaction only further illustrates his rage, "O reason not the need! Our basest beggars are in the poorest superfluous. Allow not nature more than nature needs, man's life is cheap as beast's." (II.IV.263-266) Lear's comparison to being treated like an animal infuriates him to his breaking point. His rage erupts in a volcanic and explosive outburst, "No, you unnatural hags! I will have such revenges on you both that all the world shall-I will do such things-what they are, yet I know not; but they shall be the terrors of the earth. You think I'll weep. No, I'll not weep." (II.IV.277-282) Lear has become so enraged with his daughters that he curses them and vows vengeance. His path from denial to rage has now come full circle due to his inability to maintain his thoughts and actions. This king's lack of self control and ineptitude at controlling a situation, ultimately lead him toward the path of self destruction. Lear's journey from denial to rage and finally isolation is almost at an end as rage gives way to isolation.

This heart wrenching emotional journey has finally led Lear to isolation. His rage towards Gonerial and Regan has led him to feel isolated and abandoned by his family. Lear's lack of ability to suppress his rage towards his daughters has forced his path into that of loneliness and self desertion, clearly illustrated when he cries out to the surrounding storm;

Lear. Rumble they bellyful. Spit, fire. Spout, rain! Nor rain, wind, thunder, fire are my daughters. I tax not you, you elements, with unkindness. I never gave you kingdom, called you children, you owe me no subscription. Then let fall your horrible pleasure. Here I stand your slave, a poor, infirm, weak, and despised old man. (III.II.14-22)

Lear cannot begin to comprehend why he should suffer at the hands of his daughters when he has given them so much. This man's journey to isolation is now at hand. Forlorn and bellowing into a dark ominous storm clearly illustrates how alone Lear truly is. His feelings of abandonment oblige him to once again call out into the night in a last attempt for someone to hear his pleas. He roars to the storm wanting to be judged and purged from the gods since he describes himself as a "man more sinned against then sinning." (III.II.57-59) Shakespeare clearly illustrates the epitome of isolation and loneliness by depicting a frail old man howling into the open night sky during a raging storm. Lear's path to isolation is now absolute and is the final step before his ultimate self destruction.

The emotional voyage of Shakespeare's King Lear, was a long and arduous journey. Lear's self destructive path from denial to rage and, finally, to isolation was ultimately his own doing. The inability to think for himself and determine the false nature of his eldest daughters is where Lear began his journey in denial. Such blindness, in conjunction with Lear's inability to maintain control over his emotions, led this king to a path of thunderous rage. The lack of ability to have power over his actions led Lear to a self inflicted isolation. Only Lear can be held responsible for his own demise as he lacked the capability to control the situations around him. Fate may lay out the course for us to follow however; we govern our own actions and must accept responsibility for the choices we make.

Book Reports / I'm supposed to argue whether "Stone Angel" is a tragedy or not? [7]

Hey guys I just finished a paper on the Stone Angel and I'm supposed to argue whether it is a tragedy or not. Here is my first draft, I haven't written the conclusion yet but I am just off to work so I will have it done when I come home. Let me know what you guys think ! Any and all comments welcome, thanks in advance!

"With her life nearly behind her, Hagar makes a bold, last step towards freedom and independence." This synopsis of Margaret Laurence's novel, The Stone Angel, essentially reveals Hagar's tragic journey through life. A tragedy can be defined as such that the protagonist is brought to ruin or immense sorrow most often due to a tragic flaw or lack of ability to cope with unfavourable circumstances. Throughout her life Hagar strives for independence and freedom from a controlling father to an embarrassment of a husband. Unfortunately each attempt only leads her further into captivity and evokes pity upon her. Through the controlling reign of her father Hagar develops her tragic flaw of pride. This proud attitude puts Hagar on a parallel course with King Lear and this misstep ultimately leads them both to ruin. Therefore Arthur Miller's words ring true when he stated that Hagar is, "ready to lay down [her] life, if need be, to secure one thing-[her] sense of personal dignity," as Hagar is willing to venture to hell and back in order to solidify her proud nature. This evidence beautifully illustrates how The Stone Angel is considered a classic tragedy filled with sorrow and despair.

Jason Currie proves to be a man of authority and power. A proclaimed self made man, Hagar's father is controlling and domineering over his children and rules with an iron fist. As Hagar states her intentions to marry Bram her father quickly dismisses the notion and states, "You'll not marry that fellow ever, I can vow to that much." (pg. 48) Just as Hagar seems to fight her father's will Mr. Currie further presses his point by telling her that, "no girl would wed without her family's consent." (pg. 49) This evokes a spirit of rebelliousness in Hagar and she replies to her father, "it'll be done by me," (pg. 49) and marries Bram of her own accord. In doing this Hagar essentially emancipates herself from the Currie family and the controlling grasp that her father once had. This sense of captivity evokes a sense of pity upon Hagar and early on the readers are given a sense of tragedy that is to follow Hagar throughout her life. However free Hagar now believes herself to be now she is soon to realize that she escapes one cage and soon finds herself locked in another.

Unlike her father, Brampton Shipley's abrasive and shameless behaviour utterly controls Hagar by impeding her status of "uncompromising pride." Hagar is not controlled by Bram through his will towards her but through his own actions which lead to the deterioration of Hagar's social life. During a church sermon Bram grows restless and states, "won't the saintly bastard ever shut his trap." (pg. 89) Bram's rude attitude during church persuade Hagar to stop attending mass as she explains, "I preferred eternal damnation in some comfortably distant future, to any ordeal then of peeking or pitying eyes." (pg. 90) As Hagar renounces her faith by stating, "can God be One and watching?" (pg. 93), this illustrates a significant change in Hagar's personality and character. She denounces God fearing others' opinions however her suffering is greater than her offence. Hagar's choice not to attend church represents society's tragic flaw, our everlasting struggle with the opinion of others. The disruption of Hagar's piety was quickly followed by the unsettling of her social reputation by Bram's lude and inappropriate behaviour. Her marriage soon becomes cumbersome and once again Hagar flees towards independence and freedom. As she packs her and her son's things John asks "are we going to live with Marvin on the coast," Hagar replies, asserting her desire for independence, "No. We'll find a place of our own." (pg. 140) Hagar is not physically controlled by Bram, as with her father, but through a social aspect. The deterioration of her reputation and pride through Bram, force Hagar to seek her solace in freedom from the reign of any man. As Hagar flees from one cage to another she arouses pity upon herself as her tragic situation goes from bad to worse. Hagar's character is warped and forever altered due to the two controlling men in her life and we see great sorrow brought upon Hagar. This tragic character desires only independence and the ability to lead her own life however she struggles desperately to free herself from the tight grip of her father and husband. However dominating Jason Currie may have been he passed along a great sense of pride to Hagar, which consequently led to her own ruin.

Hagar and King Lear both embody the tragic flaw of pride. However this flaw precedes their offences. Hagar's pride stems from her domineering father. He questioned her often, "Have you no regard for my reputation?" He would impress upon her often that, "nobody's going to hand you anything on a silver platter. It's up to you, nobody else." Hagar eventually becomes proud, independent and arrogant, like her father. Their pride, however, predisposes them to believe they cannot wrong. The Currie father and daughter flaunted their pride to the extent they seized their respective children's independence and freedom. This prideful tendency is Hagar's greatest offence however is trivial compared with her suffering. John's death came about due to her "uncompromising" desire to sustain her family's social status which spurred an argument between mother and son. Suspecting Hagar's involvement in Arlene's departure, John was furious and he drank, eventually getting hit by a train. Hagar's prideful inclination indeed precipitated John's death. And losing a child is life's greatest affliction as King Lear well knows due to his proud attitude which led to the loss of his most beloved daughter.

I can't bear to feel indebted. I can be as grateful as the next person, as long as it's not forced on me" (pg. 258). Hagar's attitude and persona exemplify her struggle. Indeed, parallel to Lear, Hagar's pride is zealous and unyielding, the constant misstep leading to ruin. She's prepared "to lay down [her] life, if need be, to secure" her dignity and her pride. Travelling to The Point (Chapter 5), we witness her determination. She, independently, cashed a cheque at the bank, purchased her necessities and hitchhiked to her destination. Constantly worried and frightened, she persevered. This journey is similar to Lear's during the Storm; an exertion of the soul. She scared Marvin and Doris, but Hagar's purpose was to maintain her dignity and pride, to keep from suffering for her dignity is really all she has.