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King Lear Themes

The document discusses themes from the play King Lear. It describes how King Lear's daughters Goneril and Regan abuse the power their father grants them, abandoning their duties to pursue power. Both sisters undermine their father's authority and refuse him comfort. Their greed leads to their downfall, as both are eventually killed. The document also mentions Edmund plots against his brother to obtain an inheritance denied to him due to his illegitimacy. Suffering transforms people, though some harden their hearts while others try to alleviate suffering. Themes in King Lear include appearance versus reality, and questions of justice and injustice in the world.

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469 views

King Lear Themes

The document discusses themes from the play King Lear. It describes how King Lear's daughters Goneril and Regan abuse the power their father grants them, abandoning their duties to pursue power. Both sisters undermine their father's authority and refuse him comfort. Their greed leads to their downfall, as both are eventually killed. The document also mentions Edmund plots against his brother to obtain an inheritance denied to him due to his illegitimacy. Suffering transforms people, though some harden their hearts while others try to alleviate suffering. Themes in King Lear include appearance versus reality, and questions of justice and injustice in the world.

Uploaded by

api-308989208
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Greed and lust for power corrupt human beings

and bring about their downfall.


Goneril and Regan, King Lears two
unscrupulous daughters, abuse the
power granted to them.
The sisters, obsessed with their newfound
power and abandon their duties to their
father.
The sisters undermine their fathers
authority and refuse to grant him any
comforts.

Both Goneril and Regan are eventually

Suffering can transform a contemptible human being


into a good person.

From beginning to end, all of its figures


suffer and all attempt various strategies
to escape their sufferingsome
hardening their hearts, others indulge in
outbreaks of violence, many devoting
themselves to alleviating the suffering of
others.

killed by their own greed.

Edmund, plots against his


brother in order to obtain the
inheritance his illegitimacy and the
practice of first born status deny him.

KING LEAR
THEMES

Appearance vs Reality

Justice vs Injustice

All things are not as they appear.


At the beginning of the play, the Lears and
other characters are presented as normal
and caring. But as Shakespeare rubs away
the pretty veneers of the characters, we
find greed, betrayal, lust for power, and
cruelty. In other words, they are anything
but normal and caring.
Disguise is also a major element in the
complex plot of King Lear

Justice will always be served because good


always prevails over evil. Does it ?
The treatment of the main characters in
King Lear encourages the reader to reflect
on the presence or lack of justice in this
world.
There are several kinds of justice within the
play two of these are social and divine
justice.

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