King Lear Paper Essay

Shakespeares play superpower Lear documents the vitality story a gentleman who experiences a dramatic shift in worldview. The main character, index Lear, begins the play as a self-centered, proud, and heartyistic man who cares less approximately his family than his reputation. By the end of the story, Lear is a upset man who cares for his family more than his antecedently precious power. Lears strife broke him down until he was lastly able to let go of his hoary perceptions and adopt a part outlook on aliveness. Shakespeare chronicles Lears change from selfish to caring throughout the course of the story, and shows how the hardest of generation can actu all(prenominal)y bring out the top hat in a person.Lears old worldview places more immensity on superficial, material things than on sincere and crucial values. At the runner of the play, Lear was in truth concerned with maintaining his vast wealth, status, and power. When Lear was dividing up his kingdom among his th ree daughters, he gave the nearly land to the daughters who flattered him the most. Lear welcomed the flattery because it do him feel exchangeable a blind drunk and powerful king. When Lears eldest daughters, Goneril and Regan, flattered him the most, Lear split the kingdom between them because they made him feel powerful. Lear completely disregarded and actually disowned his youngest daughter Cordelia because she refused to falsely over-flatter the king.Cordelia was retributive being honest in her modest praises of the king, but Lear wanted to name more close how great of a ruler he was. So, when Cordelia didnt make Lear feel big enough, he undermined even his so-called vigorous family values and disowned his favorite child. At this point in the play, Lear didnt present a strong grasp on the grave things in life, like genuine relationships or truthfulness and loyalty. King Lear tells Cordelias prospective economise to leave her, sir for, by the power that made me, I tell you all her wealth (1.1.207) Lear means that Cordelia is not worth anything anymore because she has inherited no land in the kingdom. This goes to show how much importance Lear places on material possessions, because he calls his daughter worthless when she owns no land.King Lears humbled worldview at the end of the play is miles different than from the materialistic worldview he abided by before. Throughout the course of play, Lears troubles taught him to value people more than physiological things. Lear ended up losing all of his land, money and power- the three things that were most important to him at the start of the story. Lear was left with nothing that made him the man his old ideals told him to be, so he had to shift his values to fit his red-hot predicament. This opprobrious change forced Lear to humble himself and focus on the lasting things in life, namely relationships. As the play unfolded, Lear felt more and more compunction for disowning Cordelia, because he co gnise how important family really was. Lear said of his regret, I am a very foolish fond old man (4.7.24).He came to realize his prior choice to place more importance on false flattery than strong family ties was a sad mistake. In an attempt to right his past wrongs, Lear changed his philosophy to one that cared more some maintaining strong relationships than an impressive reputation. This tenderfound philosophy was one that cared more about Cordelia than Goneril, Regan, and their ensemble, because Cordelia was a genuine and honest girl. The new philosophy explains why King Lear spent so much time at the end of his life apologizing to Cordelia and trying to spend time with her. Lear knew that Cordelia was the most virtuous woman in his life, so he sought to deepen his relationship with her. This new philosophy made Lear a loyal, honest, and humbled man- very different than the Lear in the beginning of the play. Lears new philosophy benefitted him by making him a more moral perso n, and it benefittied those around him because everyone got to interact with a much more idyllic Lear.Shakespeare intentionally wrote King Lears change from the old philosophy to the new philosophy to teach the reader a lesson about human nature. Lear was passing proud at the beginning of the play, and the burning fire of his hubris was fueled by the gasoline of his wealth, power, and status in the kingdom. Not until Lear was robbed of all of his physical possessions and purposeless status did he start to care about more important things. Lear hit rock bottom as he wandered through the timber without love, land, money, power, or trust. Only when his material belongings failed him did Lear think to look for comfort in wholesome ideals such as love, family closeness, and honesty.These things made up the new philosophy that Shakespeare revealed in King Lear by the end of the play. The adoption of this new worldview somewhat redeemed the Kings unforgivable actions taken at the beg inning of the play, and made him a more lovable and virtuous man. Shakespeare manifestly favored the new Lear over the old, selfish Lear this is a comment on human nature in general. Proud and superficial people live with to experience hard times in order to experience the releasing cleansing that allows them to refocus their priorities in life. Lear went through save such an experience, and he became a better man because of it.King Lear is a character that galore(postnominal) readers of Shakespeare can relate too. Lear had his priorities in life very confused. At first, he valued things that werent important, such as land, money, and power. When Lear was robbed of these things, he realized just how unreliable it is to place so much importance on physical items that can easily be taken away. What really matters in life are relationships, honesty, love, and morals. Lear learned this after he lost everything. He realized that he could be happy even without anything physical to co mfort him, because numerous times the most important things in life cant be seen. This new philosophy of Lears carried his through the hard times he experienced in the play and allowed him to die happier than he wouldve had he still existed the old philosophy. Lears shift in perspectives is an example that Shakespeare encourages everyone to follow in order to live the most genuine and satisfying life possible.