King Lear - Shakespeare - Term Paper Example

Gloucester is misguided by his greedy son, who closes his father’s eyes on a true love of his loving son. Therefore, a concept of love discussed further on in terms of relations between children and their parents. True love in the play In the beginning of the play King Lear expresses his ideas about a concept of love. He does not realize the France confirms a true love of Cordelia for his father, while Burgundy and King Lear do not believe in its real power and essence. Kent is another character, who proves his true love for the King and stays with him as a slave.

Gloucester cannot grasp the main idea of true love, as well as King Lear. True love is perceived only by three main characters: Cordelia, Kent and Edgar. A genuine nature of their love is undeniable. It is a very disappointing fact that the King could express these words in order to reject a true love of his daughter for him: Better thou, Hadst not been born than not to have pleased me better. (Lear, 1.1.234-5) A true love of Cordelia is reflected in a special place in her heart and soul, and Kent’s love for the King is reflected in the following words: To shield thee from disease of the world; And on the sixth to turn thy hated back Upon our kingdom. (Lear, 1.1.174-77) Cordelia and Kent reflect their love for the King with their open hearts, real emotions and with no special demands.

The trickery of Edgar or Kent comes more from heart than from cold calculations. The same are the motives of Cordelia who denies lies for profit sake. When Lear demands from his daughters to express their love for him, Cordelia says that her love for her father is the love between father and daughter, no more, no less. Moreover, when King Lear expresses cruel words and performs cruel actions against them, they do not reject from their true love. Shakespeare introduces a concept of true love and reflects it in terms of relations between children and parents: King Lear and his daughters, Gloucester and his two sons.

Both, Gloucester and Lear are misguided by their greedy children and cannot believe in true love of the children, who love them truly. It is a pity that parents are hostile to genuine feelings of the children who love their fathers and express their moods in the following way: This hideous rashness. Answer my life my judgment. Thy youngest daughter does not love thee least; Nor are those empty-hearted whose low sounds Reverb no hollowness. (Kent, 1.1.151-4) Conclusion Therefore, a concept of love is presented as a true, genuine feeling.

It is a deep and sincere feeling that can be realized only by people who have open hearts and kind souls. Love is shown by Shakespeare as a pearl on the background of ugliness, violence and cruelty. With the help of love, enlightenment of King Lear occurs. Unfortunately, it is too late because he is getting mad. Nevertheless, it may be supposed that in case the King could see a true love of his daughter for him earlier, he would preserve his sound mind and would change his destiny himself. Moreover, Shakespeare represents a concept of true love for the readers as the genuine and unique feature of a human heart, like a special gift that leads those who have love in their hearts along a successful path or, if this gift is absent, it misguides a life of an individual along a thorny path.

Works cited 1. Shakespeare, William. "King Lear." (Conflated Text.) The Norton Shakespeare. Stephen Greenblatt. ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company,