Confrontations Between Young and Old in Shakespeares...

Confrontations Between Young and Old in King Lear One of the underlying themes in Shakespeares play, King Lear is the concept of the generation gap. This gap is mainly illustrated between the family. The older generation is Lear himself, and the younger generation consists of his daughters Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. In the second plot of the play, Gloucester represents the older generation, and his sons, Edmund and Edgar exemplifies the younger generation. Both younger generations can be divided into two distinct groups. Goneril, Regan and Edmund are the villains in both the plots and Edgar and Cordelia are the loyal, faithful children. This little twist adds to the effect of†¦show more content†¦An example of this is Oswalds attitude towards Lear after his daughter, Goneril told him to show discourtesy towards Lear. [Act 1 scene 4, Lines 75-80] O, you, sir, you! Come you hither, sir. Who am I, sir? My Ladys Father. My Ladys Father? My lords knave! You Whoreson dog! You Slave! You Cur! Another example of lost authority and power in this act is when Lears Fool offers Lear his Coxcomb (Jesters Cap) and tells him how foolish he was when he gave up his power to Goneril and Regan. Lears 100 Knights symbolize Lears power in his mind. When Lear is confronted by his daughter Goneril and is told by her that his men are too disruptive and are to be trimmed to half because she feels he does not need them. Lear is angered at Goneril for this because the Knights represents the remainder of his limited power. Regan then tells him in order to stay with her, he had to dismiss all but 25 knights because he did not have need for these men. He realizes his lost of authority and power and leaves to seek shelter in a storm. Lears knights represent power and authority in his eyes. Another example of authority and power is Kent being placed in the stocks in the middle of the court yard by Regan and Cornwall. Not onlyShow MoreRelated Shakespeares King Lear - Suffering of Cordelia in King Lear1507 Words   |  7 Pages The tragedy of Shakespeare’s King Lear is made far more tragic and painful by the presence and suffering of the kings youngest daughter, Cordelia. While our sympathy for the king is somewhat restrained by his brutal cruelty towards others, there is nothing to dampen our emotional response to Cordelias suffering. Nothing, that is, at first glance. Harley Granville-Barker justifies her irreconcilable fate thus: the tragic truth about life to the Shakespeare that wrote King Lear... includes itsRead MoreThe generation gap in King Lear by Shakespeare1624 Words   |  7 PagesOne of the underlying themes in Shakespeares play, King Lear is the concept of the generation gap. This gap is mainly illustrated between the family. The older generation is Lear himself, and the younger generation consists of his daughters Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. In the second plot of the play, Gloucester represents the older generation, and his sons, Edmund and Edgar exemplifies the younger generation. Both younger generations can be divided into two distinct groups. Goneril, Regan and EdmundRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s King Lear3086 Words   |  13 PagesJerion Young Ms. Woods English IV 4 March 2015 King Lear William Shakespeare uses several literary elements in his writing, elements which are especially apparent in his play, King Lear. Shakespeare uses excellent creativity and description when writing this tragedy. â€Å"Neither has Shakespeare placed in the mouth of any other character in this play such fatalistic expressions as may be found in King Lear and occasionally elsewhere†(A.C. 2003). The way King Lear talks in this play is very evil comparedRead MoreMacbeth9435 Words   |  38 Pageshave been written between 1603 and 1607, and is most commonly dated 1606. The earliest account of a performance of what was probably Shakespeare s play is April 1611, when  Simon Forman  recorded seeing such a play at the  Globe Theatre. It was first published in the  Folio of 1623, possibly from a  prompt book. It was most likely written during the reign of  James I, who had been James VI of Scotland before he succeeded to the English throne in 1603. James was a patron of Shake speare’s acting company,