The moral of King Lear is the idea that a person's actions speak louder than words alone. It is very easy to say one thing and do another. It is far more difficult, yet carries far more weight, when a person backs up what they say with what they do. Lear has three daughters, one of whom loves him very much.
It reminds us that life is very hard and uncertain, that one can never fully plan for all eventualities, and that there is no substitute for moral rectitude, wisdom, understanding, and patience. King Lear is widely regarded as Shakespeare's crowning artistic achievement.
The personal drama of King Lear revolves around the destruction of family relationships. Tragedy emerges from bonds broken between parents and children—and, at a secondary level, from the loss of ties among siblings.
King Lear's treatment of his three daughters is quintessentially toxic. He demands his children, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia, make a public show of their love for him. He then goes on, in later scenes, to continue to insist that this love should manifest as unconditional indulgence of his wants.
Of the many sources Shakespeare drew upon in writing King Lear, the most important literary source is the medieval tradition of morality plays, whose themes and structure Shakespeare adapted for King Lear. In morality plays, just as in Lear, the protagonist must make preparations for his own death.
In the extant plays, three major plots were employed: the Conflict of Vices and Virtues, the Summons of Death, and the Debate of the Four Daughters.
King Lear does appear to love his daughters and seems to assume that all three of them love him in return. However, he shows very poor judgment in listening to the false flattery of Goneril and Regan and rejecting Cordelia for her honesty.
Lear wants his daughters to publicly declare their love for him, and in exchange, he intends to give each daughter a share of his kingdom. He believes Cordelia loves him most, so he sets aside the largest third of his kingdom for her.
King Lear has called his court together to formally divide his kingdom between his three daughters. He calls on each daughter to publicly declare their love for him.
Lear learns a fundamental lesson about the power of consent. He understands he cannot unilaterally determine how their relations unfold.
In the novel, King Lear's two daughters, Goneril and Regan, constantly belittle him and make him feel like a burden. They tell him that he is no longer useful and that he is taking up too much of their time and resources. This psychological abuse takes a toll on Lear and eventually leads to his downfall.
Self-worth and identity are questioned in “Lear's Daughters,” which delves into the lives of King Lear's three girls — Goneril, Regan and Cordelia — as they grapple with pregnancy and the queen's death before their entrance in the classic play.
Answer and Explanation: There are multiple aspects of this play that continue to make it relevant. The troubles of aging are universal and similar in any time period. Lear is beginning to lose his energy and vigor, and is gradually giving over more control of his kingdom.
King Lear divides his kingdom among the two daughters who flatter him and banishes the third one who loves him. His eldest daughters both then reject him at their homes, so Lear goes mad and wanders through a storm.
Cordelia was always Lear's favourite daughter. After Lear is rejected by Cordelia's sisters, Goneril and Regan, he goes mad. Cordelia returns at the end of the play with the intentions of helping Lear, ultimately reversing her role as daughter to that of mother.
King Lear banishes Cordelia and refuses her the customary dowry because she won't speak about him with flattering, flowery words.
Cordelia cannot decide how to respond to Lear's demand that she declare her love for him. In this aside, she makes it clear that she does love Lear. Cordelia just doesn't know how to express her love. One of King Lear's central themes is the difficulty of truly expressing feelings in language.
Cordelia's chief characteristics are devotion, kindness, beauty, and honesty—honesty to a fault, perhaps. She is contrasted throughout the play with Goneril and Regan, who are neither honest nor loving, and who manipulate their father for their own ends.
Lear says publicly that he loved Cordelia more than his other daughters and hoped to spend most of his retirement with her.
Morality and justice are two of the most prominent themes in Shakespeare's works. In plays such as “Measure for Measure” and “King Lear”, the characters grapple with the notion of morality and justice, and how they can be reconciled.
1. "Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.”
For Shakespeare's characters, love transforms. It prompts them to change their personalities, to take risks, and to make sacrifices that would otherwise be unthinkable. In The Taming of the Shrew, Kate gives up her abusive and headstrong behavior and becomes a domesticated version of her former self.
Of all morality plays, the one that is considered the greatest, and that is still performed, is Everyman.
Care versus harm - We should value and care for others. Fairness versus cheating - Behavior must be fair and just. Liberty versus oppression - Tyrannical oppression is wrong. Loyalty versus betrayal - Morality requires faithfulness to a group.