Essay about Role Reversal in King Lear - 1385 Words

Role Reversal in King Lear King Lear, known as one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, deeply affects its audience by playing out the destruction of two families. At the end of this play two of the protagonists, King Lear and his loyal friend the Earl of Gloucester, die after having suffered through major injustices at the hands of their own children. These characters’ deaths are incredibly tragic because they are brought on by their own actions instead of by the circumstances that surround them. Lear and Gloucester are not bad men but rather good men that make the fatal mistake of not acting according to their positions in life. In doing so, they ultimately force their children, Cordelia and Edgar respectively, to take on†¦show more content†¦In the 1985 production of this play starring Lawrence Olivier, Lear enters the opening scene lovingly arm in arm with Cordelia. He then sits on his throne and has a large map of his kingdom spread out on the floor before him. When he utters the wo rds in 1.1.155, he unceremoniously throws his crown onto the ground in the middle of the map. I thought this was excellent stage direction because in this one movement he sets the tone for the problems that will come as a result of his unthinking action. Much like Lear, Gloucester opens the play by shunning his role – that of a father. He embarrasses his illegitimate son, Edmund, when he says to Kent I have so often blushed to acknowledge him that now I am brazed to ‘t (1.1.10-11). He then goes on to minimize his affection for his legitimate son, Edgar, by saying that he . . . is no dearer in my account (1.1.20-21). A father has two choices regarding a child conceived through an affair; he can either deny the child’s existence or accept the child into his family as one of his own. Gloucester lamely attempts both with Edmund. In addition, his comment about Edgar send a mixed message regarding the son he considers his heir. In the Olivier version of this play, the stage direction has Edmund standing nearby while Gloucester converses with Kent. When Gloucester speaks the words in 1.1.10-11, he throws his arm around Edmund’s shoulder and laughingly taps him on the chest. The stage direction here works well beca use theShow MoreRelated foolear The Wise Fool in Shakespeares King Lear Essay1325 Words   |  6 PagesThe Wise Fool in King Lear      Ã‚  Ã‚   Whether or not the role of the Fool is an important one within King Lear is arguable. Although he seems to have great insight into much of the plays main events, he seems not to have any real influence on both the plot as well as the outcome of the play. He remains the sole character who does not have any direct link with the events of the plot, coupled with an unusually early exit; this raises the question of his significance. 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