An Analysis of the Characters in King Lear: Thrust Into an Unnatural Way of Life

"Every person important to the action is thrust into an unnatural way of life." In King Lear, written by William Shakespeare, this quote was very accurate. King Lear and Gloucester, both main characters in the play, were thrust into a life that was unfamiliar and caused both to react in different ways.

King Lear was the protagonist in the play. The main theme of King Lear was entirely based on the way Lear was forced to endure a horrific life because of his two daughters, Goneril and Regan, who cast their father aside in order to obtain the power they craved. There are two ways in which Lear was forced to live a life to which he was not accustomed. Lear became physically and emotionally distraught, both cases directly linked to Goneril's and Regan's selfishness.

Goneril and Regan knew that their father was going senile and therefore took this opportunity to worsen his condition. When Lear went to stay with Goneril, she did not speak to him and pretended she was ill. "I will not speak with him. Say I am sick." (Mii/9) She then forced him to go to Regan's house. However, when he arrived, she too had left, which caused him to feel alone. Lear became his daughters' toy, as they passed him back and forth as if he was their ball in a game of catch.

Order custom essay An Analysis of the Characters in King Lear: Thrust Into an Unnatural Way of Life with free plagiarism report

450+ experts on 30 subjects Starting from 3 hours delivery

Get Essay Help

Not only did Lear's daughters emotionally hurt him, but they physically harmed him as well. Lear was a king, and therefore had lived his entire life with the finest accommodations. Goneril and Regan had forced Lear in to a life he was not used to. On a night where "bleak winds/ Do scorely ruffle." (II/v/337-338), Goneril and Regan "Shut up your [Gloucester's] doors." (II/v/342) and left Lear out in the storm. The King, who was used to elaborate castles and large chambers, was forced to spend a night as a poor citizen, searching for shelter from the cold.

Similarly to the way that Goneril and Regan caused Lear to suffer, they also forced Gloucester to live in a way in which he was unaccustomed. Gloucester was very loyal to Lear, therefore he took Lear's side in the civil battle between Lear and his daughters. For punishment, Lear's daughters "Pluck[ed] out his eyes." (III/vi/5) Gloucester must now live in a world that is both unfamiliar and unkind. The wrongs that Goneril and Regan committed towards their father and Gloucester were both extremely cruel.

The way in which Lear and Gloucester coped with their situations was exceedingly different. Because Lear was a very proud and noble man; he would not allow his daughters to get away with their actions. After Goneril and Regan had left Lear out in the storm, Lear boldly stated:

But I will punish home!

No, I will weep no more. In such a night

To shut me out! Pour on; I will endure. (III/iv/21-24)

Lear willed himself to stay strong. He said that he would take revenge on his daughters, not letting them win.

In contrast to the way Lear reacted to his situation, Gloucester reacted in an opposite manner. Gloucester did not have the same will and determination that Lear possessed. After Gloucester had been blinded, all he wanted to do was die. He gave Poor Tom money to take him to the cliffs of Dover where he planned to commit suicide:

There is a cliff, whose high and bending head

Looks fearfully in the confined deep.

Bring me but to the very brim of it,

And I'll repair the misery thou dost bear

With something rich about me. From that place

I shall no leading need. (IV/V88-93)

Gloucester no longer cared about himself and the world. His only desire was to end his suffering.

Both Lear and Gloucester's pain caused significant advances in the plot. The main theme of King Lear was Filial Ingratitude. The more Goneril and Regan hurt their father, the more insane Lear became. Lear's insanity was the basis behind the entire play. In the following quote, Lear describes how his daughters' actions have caused his mind to fall apart.

When the mind's free,

The body's delicate. The tempest in my mine

Doth from my sense take all feeling else

Save what beats there. Filial ingratitude! (II/v/15-19)

Goneril and Regan never stopped trying to hurt their father. Each ungrateful deed the sisters performed always led to another.

Gloucester's suffering advanced the plot because it helped to portray Lear's character. When Gloucester defies Goneril and Regan in order to help his true king, it showed the audience what great a king Lear must have been. In act three, scene three, Gloucester described how he would help the King.

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Run a free check or have your essay done for you

Check my essay Hire Writer