King Lear Is More Sinned Against Than Sinning

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King Lear is more sinned against than sinning. Do you agree? King Lear, a play written by William Shakespeare between 1603 and 1606, tells the tragic tale of an elderly king whose own hubris and foolishness along with his two daughters’ jealousy and cruelty leads to his death and the execution of his favourite daughter Cordelia. The play’s sub plot also tells the tragic events of the earl of Gloucester, whose poor judgment and “blindness” of the callous actions of his illegitimate son Edmund, contribute to the sinful conclusions of the play. Act one: scene one presents the audience/readers with the notion that Lear is going to divide his kingdom between his three daughters. However Lear’s hubris gets in the way of his initial actions and he instead creates a love test for his daughters to see which one loves him most. His eldest daughter Goneril tells him “Sir, I do love you more than word can wield the matter. (1.1.54-1.1.55)” Regan produces a similar reply to her sister’s “I find she names my very deed of love: only she comes too short, that I profess myself an enemy to all other joys. (1.1.71-1.1.73)” on first obviations one may proclaim that the sycophantic response of the two sisters is genuine and their love earnest. However it soon become soon becomes apparent this not the case when Cordelia postulates “why have my sisters husbands, if they say they love you all? (1.1.99-1.1.100)” one can now infer that their love is not at all earnest but they are using it in vindictive way to get what they want from Lear: the throne, Similar to Claudius in Hamlet. Claudius deceits and ends up killing his brother to get the throne. Though Goneril and Regan don’t directly kill their father, their deceitfulness against him is a big contribution to his death. Therefore this shows Lear to be sinned against. Goneril and Regan’s vindictiveness and their motives to overrule

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