Write the Different Ways in Which Shakespear Presents Love in Acts One and Two of King Lear

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Write about the different ways in which Shakespeare presents love in Acts One and Two of King Lear In more ways than others Shakespeare presents love as a necessary transaction between people, especially within family. In King Lear, love seems to be portrayed as something which can be used to manipulate or please someone for another person’s wishes. Furthermore, love is also used to emphasise the Machiavellian nature of certain characters, who wish to use it specifically to capitalise on some form of gain for themselves. Edmund is a prime example of this as is Goneril and Regan who both seem to bestow loving remarks towards their father only when it is for their benefit. Firstly, in Act 1, Shakespeare presents love almost like that of a business transaction between different people. He invites his daughters to reveal their love for him in return for parts of his kingdom. Goneril and Regan realise that the best way to get as much as they can is to present Lear with the highest degree of flattery and they do so in marvelling ways, “I profess myself an enemy to all other joys which the most precious square of sense possesses and find I am alone felicitate, in your dear highness love” being Regans and, “A love that makes breath poor and speech unable, beyond all manner of so much I love you” which Goneril says. It is in this scene that Shakespeare reveals the idea that love is a notion which can be used to manipulate ones conscious into believing another person truly enjoys their company and likes them, he reveals that remarking on ones love on another can make the subjects morale extremely high and so see the people making the remarks in a positive, better light. Furthermore, Shakespeare really evokes the idea that “love is blind” as he portrays Lear being completely vulnerable to Goneril and Regans fake flattery in which they are manipulating his thoughts to

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