King Lear- Journal #4

"When the mind's free,
The body's delicate. This tempest in my mind
Doth from my senses take all feeling else
Save what beats there." (3.4.13-17)

On their own, the lines talk about when something is on an individuals mind, a worry or problem. The person is not able to do other things, and their mind cannot focus upon other events besides their problem. Overall, it is talking about how worrys and concerns incapacitate people. These lines are spoken by Lear, right after finding shelter in the hovel. This turns the lines to a slightly different meaning because this is about the time that Lear looses his mind. Lear does so because of his focus upon the mistakes he made regarding his kingdom and his daughters, also how Regan and Goneril betrayed him. While it still is referring to problems, it meaning goes from concerns being focused on to living with regrets/concerns makes you loose your mind. This idea connects with the motif of anger that is shown throughout the play. When Lear, or any of the characters let their anger overcome their sense, they figuratively loose their mind.

King Lear- Journal #3

I am tracking misconceptions, especially with people's intentions.

"LEAR: Hear me, recreant; on thine allegiance, hear me! / That thou hast sought to make us break our vows- / Which we durst never yet- and with strained pride / To come betwixt out sentence and our power, [...] / If on the tenth day following / Thy banished trunk be found in our dominions. / The moment is thy death" (1.1 191-194; 200-202).

In this passage Lear is discussing Kent and his banishment after Kent stood up for Cordelia. Lear took Kent's actions as a form of treason, showing Kent's disloyal heart. However, throughout the play Kent proves to be very loyal to Lear, and it shows that Lear acted based upon his misconceptions about Kent's intention when he was sticking up for Cordelia.

"LEAR: Dost thou call me 'fool,' boy?
FOOL: All thy other titles thou hast given away. That thou wast born with [...]. No, faith, lords and great men [...] will not let me have all the fool to myself," (1.4 152-154; 156-157).

This passage highlights the Fool calling Lear a fool, and not only Lear but all men of great power. Lear does not take Fool seriously though, because Fool's job is to joke around and make everyone laugh. Lear automatically assumes that Fool was simply joking around with him when the Fool was not.


So far, the motif of misconceptions/intentions is changing from the actual misconceptions to the affect those misconceptions have upon the characters.

King Lear- Journal #2

Prompt #2: Respond to the character of the Fool- what characterizes his role/relationship to Lear? How do you perceive him?

The Fool is a very interesting character because of the irony he creates. He is titled the Fool, when in fact he shows the most wisdom. Shakespeare often gives the 'little people' the wise and intelligent role, but by literally calling this role a Fool makes the information given more shocking, and therefore more wise because it is not expected. It also makes the reader pay more attention to it because of the unexpected nature of the Fool. The Fool is able to get away with saying anything he wants, just as long as it is in the name of comedy. He calls King Lear a fool, and tells him to take the Fool's job and to wear the Fool's clothes. To me, this is very interesting because of Lear's temper. He disowned his favorite daughter for not being able to speak flowery, false words to him. And then he banished someone for sticking up for her! Lear has obviously got a temper, yet the Fool can get away unscathed from calling him a fool, and Lear's pride is what normally gets him upset! Is Shakespeare using the Fool to say that when an individual has great pride, they miss out on wisdom that could of saved them from suffering. Or perhaps that great intellect, or common sense even, can be found in the most unlikely places. This may just be much ado about nothing, and Shakespeare is merely trying to please the peasants that frequently stood in the pit to watch his plays.

King Lear- Journal #1

Prompt one- Look closely at the speeches given by the three sisters in 1.1, what language does each use to pronounce or show their love? What is revealed about the characters with these speeches?

In King Lear, two of the three daughters express their love for Lear very similarly, while the third daughter is a bit different. Firstly, Goneril explains how much she loves Lear by saying how much more she loves him than anything. She loves him more than "word can wield the matter"(1.1 60), more than "eyesight, space, and liberty" (1.1 63). This shows that Goneril finds value in external thing, in things that can be appraised and shown worth. The manner in which Goneril talks about her love is very eloquent and pleasing to hear. That, in accordance to the fact that she is so openly and expressively stating her love to please Lear shows that she will try to please him, and others, even if it is only to get what she wants.
The next daughter to profess her feelings is Regan. Regan's speech is similar to Goneril that it is rather opulent and pleasing. This shows that Regan is also trying to please her father, out of affection or selfish motivations it is hard to say. One thing that is different is what Regan compares her love to, Regan compares it to her elder sister's love, "I am made of that self mettle as my sister" (1.1 76). The only unique thing being that she loves Lear more than Goneril, "Only she comes too short" (1.1 79). This highlights a sort of laziness in Regan, that she cannot come up with her own way to express herself. It also hints at a jealousy, or sibling rivalry between Goneril and Regan. Or, it could show that these two sisters are extremely similar and have a very close relationship.
However, when the final daughter is asked to profess her love for Lear, she does not do so. However, Cordelia is not cold hearted towards her father, rather she shows a higher level of respect for him by not lying about her love. She blatantly states her true feelings, that "half my love with him, half my care and duty" (1.1 113). Cordelia is talking about her future husband, and how she will be giving him half of her love, making her seem like a more trustworthy, kind and honest person than her two sisters. It also makes Cordelia seem more down to earth, because she does not use incredibly elegant words, but she simply states what she needs with an eloquent flow.