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Goneril And Graglear

Decent Essays

Shakespeare’s play, King Lear, tells the tragic tale of a king who has been driven mad. Goneril and Regan are portrayed as the main villains of the story who get into a power struggle with their father and are held responsible for the downfall of the King. However, when further inspecting the psychological complexity of each character we can see that the true downfall of King Lear was the absent role of a mother. Goneril, Regan, and King Lear are proven incapable of holding any type of functional relationship. The reason for this is that each of these characters feels the need to be in control. Goneril and Regan are influenced in every action by their desire to be in power. They destroyed their father and each other in the fight for control. …show more content…

When he asks for her to proclaim her love to him she simply answers, “Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave my heart into my mouth. I love your Majesty.” (1.1 1145). King Lear acted out maliciously because he did not have control of the situation so he banished the one daughter who would have truly loved him. When King Lear gives his kingdom to Goneril and Regan, it is the first instance of King Lear giving up some of his control, but also the first instance in his decline to insanity. King Lear soon loses all control when Goneril and Regan refuse to let him stay with them. “I gave you all…” (2.4 170) Lear says to both Regan and himself when he realizes he has nothing left. Not only does King Lear lose control of his kingdom and his daughters, but also his emotions, “You see me here, you gods, a poor old man’s full of grief as age, wretched in both. If it be you that stir these daughters' hearts against their father, fool me not so much to bear it tamely. Touch me with noble anger. And let not women’s weapons, water drops, tain my man’s cheeks! No, you unnatural hags.” (2.4 1179). In this quote, King Lear is beginning to act truly hysterical, and he compares his uncontrollable emotions to the emotions of a woman. In this scene, we begin to see the release of King Lear’s feminine counterpart through the power of the

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