The causes leading to the tragedy in king lear by william shakespeare = (nguyên nhân dẫn đến bi kịch trong tác phẩm vua lear của william shakespeare)

VINH UNIVERSITY FOREIGN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT ĐINH THỊ LAN The causes leading to the tragedy in “King Lear” by William Shakespeare... VINH UNIVERSITY FOREIGN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT The cau

VINH UNIVERSITY FOREIGN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT

ĐINH THỊ LAN

The causes leading to the tragedy

in “King Lear” by William Shakespeare

VINH UNIVERSITY FOREIGN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT

The causes leading to the tragedy

in “King Lear” by William Shakespeare

(NGUY£N NH¢N DÉN §ÕN BI KÞCH TRONG T¸C PHÈM

“VUA LEAR” CñA WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE)

GRADUATION THESIS

FIELD: TEACHING METHODOLOGY

Instructor : Trần Ngọc Tưởng, M.A Student : Đinh Thị Lan

Class : 49B1 - English

In addition, I am greatly indebted to Foreign Languages Department for offering me a great opportunity to carry out my study, to all teachers of the Foreign Language Department for their support and encouragement

I would also extend my sincere thanks to my sister who gave me useful suggestions

My warmest thanks are due to my family for their unconditional love, support and encouragement

Finally, I would like to thank all my friends who gave me a lot of useful ideas, good advices, encouragement and spiritual support

Vinh, May 8th, 2012

Dinh Thi Lan

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 0

TABLE OF CONTENTS ii

PART I: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale 1

2 Aims of the Study 1

3 Scope of the Study 2

4 Methods of the Study 2

5 Design of the Study 2

PART II: DEVELOPMENT 3

Chapter I BACKGROUND 3

1.1 William Shakespeare 3

1.1.1 His Life 3

1.1.2 His Career 4

1.1.2.1 The First Period (1590 - 1594) 4

1.1.2.2 The Second Period (1594- 1600) 5

1.1.2.3 The Third Period (1601- 1608) 6

1.1.2.4 The forth Period (1609- 1613) 7

1.2 Shakespeare’s tragedies 8

2.1 An introduction to “King Lear” 10

2.2 The Plot of the Play 10

2.3 The Character list 12

Chapter III THE CAUSES LEADING TO THE TRAGEDY IN “KING LEAR” 15

3.1 King Lear’s tragedy- the effect of many factors 15

3.1.1.1 The chaotic era 16

3.1.1.1.1 Troublous urban 17

3.1.1.1.2 Dispersal countryside 20

3.1.1.1.3 Rebellion in imperial palace 22

3.1.1.2 Children’s ambition of money 27

3.1.2.1 The reversal of sentimental value 29

3.1.2.1.1 The reversal of love between father and daughter 30

3.1.2.1.2 The reversal of brotherhood 36

3.1.2.1.3 The decline of morality 38

3.1.2.2 King Lear’s blindness 39

3.2 Lesson learned from the play 40

3.3 The value of the play 43

PART III: CONCLUSION 46

1 Recapitulation 46

2 Suggestions for further study 47

REFERENCES 48

PART I: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale

As we know that “Literature is the window to the soul” It is a mirror to reflect the real world It also reflects the desire for a better life Literature is very important in the people’s mental lives, it is like a good teacher and friend, that is a reason why many people love literature and so do I I love literature from bottom of my heart, especially, English literature

I had not studied English literature very much until I became a student of English in Vinh University I feel that this subject is very exciting and useful

The English Literature comes through many periods from the ancient to modern time, from the reign of the Queen Elizabeth to Queen Victoria In the English history, the Elizabethan period saw its peak of drama with the outstanding playwright William Shakespeare He is considered as the greatest writer in all times He wrote many works such as Hamlet, Jomeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice and A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream…His works reflected the society’s social and moral values

Shakespeare wrote both comedy and tragedy, however his tragedies are considered as the towering heights has never reached “King Lear” is one of examples This play demonstrates how vulnerable parents and noblemen are

to the depredations of unscrupulous children and thus how fragile the fabric of Elizabethan society actually was

All about the things are main rationales for choosing my graduation thesis

2 Aims of the Study

The aims of this study are:

- To understand more clearly about English literature, especially English in the Renaissance

- To know more about Shakespeare’s life and his career, his attitude and his contribution to English literature

- To know more about the play “King Lear” and characters in “King Lear”

- To study some causes leading to the tragedy of King Lear

3 Scope of the Study

In this paper, we only focus on the causes leading to tragedy in “King Lear”

4 Methods of the Study

The methods used in this thesis include:

- Collective method: Collecting relevant materials from different sources: internet, magazines, books, teacher’s lectures

- Analysis and synthetic method: splitting up the issues to get core ideas and then synthesizing to have an overall picture

5 Design of the Study

This study consists of three main parts:

Part I Introduction

This part provides the basic information such as: rationale, aims of the study, the scopes, methods and the design of the thesis

Part II Development

The Dvelopment consists of three main parts:

Chapter 1 provides the background, giving information about William Shakespeare and his literature career and pointing out Shakespeare’s tragedies

Chapter 2 presents an introduction to “King Lear”, the plot of the play and the character list

Chapter 3 presents the causes leading to the tragedy in “King Lear”, lesson learned from the play and the value of the play

Part III Conclusion

The whole study is concluded

References

PART II: DEVELOPMENT

Chapter I BACKGROUND

1.1 William Shakespeare

1.1.1 His Life

William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564, in Stratford -upon - Avon Located in the centre of England, the town was an important river-crossing settlement and market centre He was the greatest English playwright and poet of England as well as of the mandkind

His father was a glove-maker and married Mary Arden, the daughter of Robert Arden, a farmer from the nearby village of Wilmcote When was a boy, he went to Stratford Grammar School and received a good education in here However, he left school early at the age of 14 when his family fell into ruin Since then, he has to earn living by himself

Five years later, he married Anne Hathaway At the time of their marriage William Shakespeare was eighteen and Anne was twenty-six They had three children, Susan (1583) and the twins Hamlet and Judith (1585) Hamlet died of unknown causes at the age of 11 and was buried 11 August 1596

Shakespeare lived in Stratford- Upon- Avon until he was twenty-one

In 1587, we found Shakespeare in London where he soon became connected with stage, at the time, he wrote many for the company of actors who played

at the theatre Then the new Globe Theatre was built where Shakespeare’s plays were staged These theatres enabled him to become a well-known and wealthy man

In 1613, Shakespeare returned to Stratford and spent the last year of his life in the largest and finest house: New place He died on April, 23rd, 1616 and was buried in the church of Stratford

Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and

1613 His early plays were mainly comedies and histories, genres he raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by the end of the 16th century He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth, considered some of the finest works in the English language In last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances Many writers in his same age praised him as “the honey - tongued poet” or “Evon river swan”… Although many centuries have passed, Shakespeare still lives as a superb playwright and poet

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist He is often called England’s national poet and the “Bard of Avon” His surviving works, including some collaborations, consist of about

38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems His plays have been translated into every major living language and performed more often than those other playwright

1.1.2 His Career

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist He is often called England’s national poet and the “Bard of Avon” His surviving works, including some collaborations, consist of about

38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems His plays have been translated into every major living language and performed more often than those other playwright

His literary career can be divided into four periods:

1.1.2.1 The First Period (1590 - 1594)

The first period is occupied chiefly with gay comedies and history plays In this period, his style and approach became highly

chronicle-individualized His plays at this time show his optimistic vision to people and the world It is best reflected in his brilliant works:

* The comedies:

- The Comedy of Errors (1592)

- The Taming of the Shrew (1593)

- The Two Gentlement of Verona (1594)

- Love’s Labour’s Lost (1594)

* History plays:

- King Henry IV (part II) (1590)

- King Henry VI (part II) (1590)

- The Tragedy of King Rechard (1590)

1.1.2.2 The Second Period (1594- 1600)

In this period, Shakespeare wrote the large number of history plays, also his ability was splendidly developed, the main inspiration is still pessimistic His chronicle was plays written on the subject from national history Shakespeare’s chronicle covered a period of more than hundred years

of English history However, the main subjects of the chronicle are not the lives and fates of the king but history itself and the development of the country Like the humanist of his time, Shakespeare believed a centralized monarchy to be an ideal form of the state power He thought it would put to the struggle of the feudal and would create condition for the progress of the country One of the great achievements of Shakespeare was that in his chronicles he showed not only the kings, feudal and churchmen, but the lower class, too

* The comedies:

- A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1595)

- The Merchant of Venice (1596)

- Much Ado Abut Nothing (1598)

- The Mary Wives of Windsor (1599)

- As You Like it (1600)

Of all Shakespeare’s comedies of this period, The Merchant of Venice

is half a comedy, half a tragedy, where the motif of masculine friendship and romantic love is caontrasted with the inhumanity of a user named Shylock

1.1.2.3 The Third Period (1601- 1608)

The main works written by Shakespeare during the third period are some great tragedies:

Also in the period, there are some plays which describe, the gulf between real and ideal, between actual ability and human desire, between human love and limited life They are:

- Troilus and Cressida (1602)

- Coriolanus (1608)

- Timon of Athens (1608)

And there are two comedies:

- All’s Well That Ends Well (1602)

- Measure for Measure (1604)

They are reflected by dark moods and skeptical attitude towards accepted morality without offering solution

In this period, writer’s outlook to life is changed from optimism to pessimism The covering of all his mind and heart is full of cloud During the period, he wrote great tragedies and bitter comedies which remarked the maturity of William Shakespeare

The tragedies, like the chronicles, are also based on real events but there is a considerable difference between the two genres The playwright raised great problem of good and evil But in the chronicles, they are mostly linked with political themes-the question of state and the public life of period described In the tragedies which are central round the life of one man, Shakespeare touched on cruelty, kindness, love, vanity, and others That is why his tragedies are not of great interest of every new generation

1.1.2.4 The forth Period (1609- 1613)

This is the period of romantic play In the time, Shakespeare wrote both tragedy and comedy but tragedy is dominant But only difference from the plays of previous period is that their ending is happier, the playwright still touches upon important social and moral problems But now he suggests Utopian solution to them

Due to Age, experience of life and writing plays seem to be mummed His writing style also has a change in the idea as well as in the outlook of art

He till wrote to criticize the bad habits such as: greed of fame, jealously…but

he realized that the problems were too difficult to expel He felt powerless before the life full of injustice

In the period, however Shakespeare spent much time writing love stories and praising on them He always put his believe in the youth Some works written are:

Shakespeare is the greatest dramatist in the history of English literature

He wrote comedies, tragedies, and chronicle-history plays, however, the most successful and impressive was tragedies which had strong influence on

audience “Hamlet”, “Othello”, “King Lear” and “Macbeth” are the four

greatest tragedies, all of them were written at the third period of his career

Shakespeare’s tragedies usually share several features Most begin in

an ordered society and move toward chaos, as the hero allows his flaws to rule him Often, this chaotic change is reflected in the natural world, with storms and strange mists being characteristic Most importantly, the plays feature heroes whom audiences can identify with and feel sorry for The protagonist of Shakespeare’s tragedies are not villains or saints but generally good people destroyed by their own ego or ill fate

The four greatest tragedies are: “Hamlet”, “Othello”, “King Lear” and

“Macbeth” In these plays, main characters could not master of their own

destiny, but they were pulled along toward death of permanent separation by

forces beyond control At the end of the plays, main characters died because

of their weakness or flaws The disposition flaw in “Hamlet” which Shakespeare processes is over the perfect moral principle In “Othello”,

Othello trusts others, but his nobility and innocence make him guilty King Lear’s biggest weakness is that he can not distinguish what is the false flattery

and what is the faithful emotion and sentiment “Macbeth” describes that how

an ambition makes somebody become a criminal from a famous minister and ends with an evil monarch It reflects the awful result of the excessive and continous ambition for power

In the plays of Shakespeare, the tragic hero is always a noble man who enjoys some status and prosperity in society but possesses some moral weakness or flaw which leads to his downfall External circumstances such as ambition for power and property, cruelity, betrayal also bear responsibility for the hero's fall Evil agents often act upon the hero and the forces of good, causing the hero’s wrong decisions

Through his works, Shakespeare draws a great colorful picture of English society in the Renaissance At that time, aristocracy, with power, try

to destroy everything and everyone that prevent them from ruling the society and their crazy ambitions

Chapter II THE WORK “KING LEAR”

2.1 An introduction to “King Lear”

Along with “Hamlet”, “Macbeth”, and “Othello”, “King Lear” is one

of Shakespeare’s four great tragedies King Lear is often considered the most tragic of Shakespeare’s tragedies The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological pre-Roman Celtic king

In “King Lear” the aging and possibly insane king undertakes a

completely different tragic journey In this play, Lear gives away his throne, land, shelter, and even clothes to two oldest daughters after he fatally misjudges his youngest daughter, Cordelia King Lear’s tragedy reachs the peak as Lear ultimately redeems himself, only to suffer the death of Cordelia and himself

The play was written between 1603 and 1606 and later revised

Shakespeare's earlier version, The True Chronicle of the History of the Life

and Death of King Lear and His Three Daughters, was published

in “quarto” in 1608 The Tragedy of King Lear, a more theatrical version, was

included in the 1623 “First Folio” George Bernard Shaw wrote, "No man

will ever write a better tragedy than Lear"

2.2 The Plot of the Play

Lear, the aging King of Britain, decides to step down from the throne and divide his kingdom evenly among his three daughters First, however, he puts his daughters through a test, asking each to tell him how much she loves him Goneril and Regan, Lear’s older daughters, give their father flattering answers But Cordelia, Lear’s youngest and favorite daughter, remains silent,

saying that she has no words to describe how much she loves her father Lear flies into a rage and disowns Cordelia The king of France, who has courted Cordelia, says that he still wants to marry her even without her land, and she accompanies him to France without her father’s blessing

Lear quickly learns that he made a bad decision Goneril and Regan swiftly begin to undermine the little authority that Lear still holds Unable to believe that his beloved daughters are betraying him, Lear slowly goes insane

He flees his daughters’ houses to wander on a heath during a great thunderstorm, accompanied by his Fool and by Kent, a loyal nobleman in disguise

Meanwhile, an elderly nobleman named Gloucester also experiences family problems His illegitimate son, Edmund, tricks him into believing that his legitimate son, Edgar, is trying to kill him Fleeing the manhunt that his father has set for him, Edgar disguises himself as a crazy beggar and calls himself “Poor Tom” like Lear, he heads out onto the heath

When the loyal Gloucester realizes that Lear’s daughters have turned against their father, he decides to help Lear in spite of the danger Regan and her husband, Cornwall, discover him helping Lear, accuse him of treason, blind him, and turn him out to wander the countryside He ends up being led

by his disguised son, Edgar, toward the city of Dover, where Lear has also been brought

In Dover, a French army lands as part of an invasion led by Cordelia in

an effort to save her father Edmund apparently becomes romantically entangled with both Regan and Goneril, whose husband, Albany, is increasingly sympathetic to Lear’s cause Goneril and Edmund conspire to kill Albany

The despairing Gloucester tries to commit suicide, but Edgar saves him

by pulling the strange trick of leading him off an imaginary cliff Meanwhile,

the English troops reach Dover, and the English, led by Edmund, defeat the Cordelia-led French Lear and Cordelia are captured In the climactic scene, Edgar duels with and kills Edmund; we learn of the death of Gloucester; Goneril poisons Regan out of jealousy over Edmund and then kills herself when her treachery is revealed to Albany; Edmund’s betrayal of Cordelia leads to her needless execution in prison; and Lear finally dies out of grief at Cordelia’s passing Albany, Edgar, and the elderly Kent are left to take care of the country under a cloud of sorrow and regret

2.3 The Character list

- King Lear: The aging king of Britain and the protagonist of the play

Lear is used to enjoying absolute power and to being flattered, and he does not respond well to being contradicted or challenged At the beginning of the play, his values are notably hollow - he prioritizes the appearance of love over actual devotion and wishes to maintain the power of a king while unburdening himself of the responsibility Nevertheless, he inspires loyalty in subjects such

as Gloucester, Kent, Cordelia, and Edgar, all of whom risk their lives for him

- Cordelia : Lear’s youngest daughter, disowned by her father for

refusing to flatter him Cordelia is held in extremely high regard by all of the good characters in the play - the king of France marries her for her virtue alone, overlooking her lack of dowry She remains loyal to Lear despite his cruelty toward her, forgives him, and displays a mild and forbearing temperament even toward her evil sisters, Goneril and Regan Despite her obvious virtues, Cordelia’s reticence makes her motivations difficult to read,

as in her refusal to declare her love for her father at the beginning of the play

- Goneril: Lear’s ruthless oldest daughter and the wife of the duke of

Albany Goneril is jealous, treacherous, and amoral Shakespeare’s audience would have been particularly shocked at Goneril’s aggressiveness, a quality

that it would not have expected in a female character She challenges Lear’s authority, boldly initiates an affair with Edmund, and wrests military power away from her husband

- Regan: Lear’s middle daughter and the wife of the duke of Cornwall

Regan is as ruthless as Goneril and as aggressive in all the same ways In fact,

it is difficult to think of any quality that distinguishes her from her sister When they are not egging each other on to further acts of cruelty, they jealously compete for the same man, Edmund

- Gloucester: A nobleman loyal to King Lear whose rank, earl, is

below that of duke The first thing we learn about Gloucester is that he is an adulterer, having fathered a bastard son, Edmund His fate is in many ways parallel to that of Lear: he misjudges which of his children to trust He appears weak and ineffectual in the early acts, when he is unable to prevent Lear from being turned out of his own house, but he later demonstrates that he

is also capable of great bravery

- Edgar: Gloucester’s older, legitimate son Edgar plays many different

roles, starting out as a gullible fool easily tricked by his brother, then assuming

a disguise as a mad beggar to evade his father’s men, then carrying his impersonation further to aid Lear and Gloucester, and finally appearing as an armored champion to avenge his brother’s treason Edgar’s propensity for disguises and impersonations makes it difficult to characterize him effectively

- Edmund: Gloucester’s younger, illegitimate son Edmund resents his

status as a bastard and schemes to usurp Gloucester’s title and possessions from Edgar He is a formidable character, succeeding in almost all of his schemes and wreaking destruction upon virtually all of the other characters

- Kent: A nobleman of the same rank as Gloucester who is loyal to

King Lear Kent spends most of the play disguised as a peasant, calling himself “Caius,” so that he can continue to serve Lear even after Lear

banishes him He is extremely loyal, but he gets himself into trouble throughout the play by being extremely blunt and outspoken

- Albany: The husband of Lear’s daughter Goneril Albany is good at

heart, and he eventually denounces and opposes the cruelty of Goneril, Regan, and Cornwall Yet he is indecisive and lacks foresight, realizing the evil of his allies quite late in the play

- Cornwall: The husband of Lear’s daughter Regan Unlike Albany,

Cornwall is domineering, cruel, and violent, and he works with his wife and sister-in-law Goneril to persecute Lear and Gloucester

- Fool: Lear’s jester, who uses double-talk and seemingly frivolous

songs to give Lear important advice

- Oswald: The steward, or chief servant, in Goneril’s house Oswald

obeys his mistress’s commands and helps her in her conspiracies

Chapter III THE CAUSES LEADING TO THE TRAGEDY IN “KING LEAR”

3.1 King Lear’s tragedy- the effect of many factors

“King Lear” was first performed around 1905 to 1906 This is one of

the greatest tragedies of William Shakespeare According to researchers, the play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological pre-Roman Celtic king Shakespeare also uses some information about King Lear in other plays to complete his work

Lear has ruled well and is regarded highly in his kingdom However, he has reigned for a long time and wants someone to take over his duties as he moves toward his last years He announces that he will divide his kingdom among his three daughters on the basis of how much they can gush about how much they love him The two eldest, Goneril and Regan, know exactly what they are to say in order to win over their father and a big share of his wealth and power About Cordelia-the youngest princess, she refuse to play the game

of flattery, so Lear gives her none of his wealth and cuts her off entirely According to the arrangement with his daughters, Lear will divide his time equally between them, living with each daughter and her husband for a month

at a time He also will bring along a retinue of one hundred knights

Afer holding the power, Goneril and Regan changed their attitude from frigid to imperious and finally, they had abandoned their old father King Lear goes mad and leaves in stormy night He meets Cordelia again when the British and French armies fight each other When the French is defeated, King Lear and Cordelia are arrested Duke of Albany points out Goneril’s plot to kill him Goneril poisons Regan and kills herself Finally, King Lear also dies

at the end of the play

King Lear tragedy firstly originates from the era where he is living King rules his country with an arbitrary attitude He is surrounded by sycophantic courtiers more than honest ones Quickly, he becomes a victim of hic era

3.1.1 The external causes

3.1.1.1 The chaotic era

England in the Renaissance age had a chaotic political situation Supreme power belongs to King however, in this era, the development of economy had brought about the inequality and division between the rich and the poor The society between urban and countryside are opposite world nevertheless, people in both of societies can not maintain a good manner and moral They become degenerate because of power, benefit and position

The play has focused on the social change in England since the fourteenth and fifteenth century Shakespeare builds characters in many social classes as the king, nobles, knights, citizens, soldiers and farmers The play not only describes a family’s story but also draws a complex society As Gloucester said:

“Scourged by the sequent effects: love cools, friendship falls off, brothers divide: in

cities, mutinies; in countries, discord; in palaces, treason; and the bond cracked 'twixt son and father This villain of mine comes under the prediction; there's son against father: the king falls from bias of nature; there's father against child We have seen the best of our time:

machinations, hollowness, treachery, and all ruinous disorders, follow us disquietly to our graves.”

All reflect the disintegration of feudal system in England at that time Society was cut into small pieces each member only cares for their right and fights against others

3.1.1.1.1 Troublous urban

“King Lear” has set up a crowded, luxury and prosperous urban area

Behind the dazzling appearance, there is complexity, confusion and reverse about life style of people who proclaim themselves aristocrats In this Shakespeare’s tragedy, we meet a characters’ system attaching with title and position They are earls, dukes, ladies and aristocrats They have their own noble social position Although these people belong to upper class of society, they have a despicable deportment They make friend together and tighten these social relation by using money or self -interest In a monarchic society, King is not respected People are frightened, submitted to King’s throne, power more than King’s talent, human dignity and righteousness This urban seems decayed to terminal King’s throne becomes an attractive lure toward greedy and sycophantic courtiers Even in love, they also give criterions to consider Among those who have courted Cordelia, duke of Burgundy - a greedy person has quickly given up because princess Cordelia had lost property and her father’s love Cordelia is an honest, truthful person, she told him:

“Peace be with Burgundy!

Since that respects of fortune are his love,

I shall not be his wife.”

Other daughters of King Lear praised, swore and expressed their love toward father to appropriate King Lear’s property, though they did not like his hot-tempered and eccentric character

Goneril used sweet words to talk about her father:

“Sir, I love you more than words can wield the matter;

Dearer than eye-sight, space, and liberty;

Beyond what can be valued, rich or rare;

No less than life, with grace, health, beauty, honour;

As much as child e'er loved, or father found;

A love that makes breath poor, and speech unable;

Beyond all manner of so much I love you.”

I find she names my very deed of love;

Only she comes too short: that I profess Myself an enemy to all other joys, Which the most precious square of sense possesses;

And find I am alone felicitate

In your dear highness' love.”

(Act I, Scene I)

Social order and equality also were changed because of troublous urban Family is a miniature image of society Even within a family, there is also shifty and deceitful, so that social change is obvious Children who frankly love their father still were expelled from their home and neglected by family like princess Cordelia in this urban In here, a machiavellian Edmund can use a letter full of instigation and his crafty plot to blame for his brother,

betray his father and appropriate earl of Gloucester’s property In King Lear’s society, equality had been shaky Edgar is harmed by his brother, but no action, protest are given He has to hide himself like a beggar

“I heard myself proclaim'd;

And by the happy hollow of a tree Escaped the hunt No port is free; no place, That guard, and most unusual vigilance, Does not attend my taking Whiles I may 'scape,

I will preserve myself: and am bethought

To take the basest and most poorest shape That ever penury, in contempt of man, Brought near to beast: my face I'll grime with filth;

Blanket my loins: elf all my hair in knots;

And with presented nakedness out-face The winds and persecutions of the sky.”

(Act II, Scene 3) King lost his throne, society was controlled by aristocracy, kind people could not live by their own name, and had run away In the play, Earl

of Kent only defended princess Cordelia, therefore Kent was expelled from royal palace Edgar ran away from his father and brother though he did not know why his father was angry Both Kent and Edgar had to worn a disguise

in all their life to find peace They were respected and loved by their servants, their friends

The play rebuilded a period when feudal system was getting weak Though bourgeoisie has just appeared, it spread rapidly Bourgeois ideology made many values in life die out They replaced by a selfish lifestyle, all were measured by money The play described a small part of urban at that time, but

it was the universal picture of British society in seventeenth century

3.1.1.1.2 Dispersal countryside

In this era, because there remains conflict among King’s family, it leads

to country’s separation King Lear divided his country to two parts for his two daughters He believed that they really love him

“I do invest you jointly with my power,

Pre -eminence, and all the large effects

That troop with majesty Ourself, by monthly course,

With reservation of an hundred knights,

By you to sustain’d, shall our abode

Make with you by due turns Only we still retain

The name, and all the additions to a king;

The sway, revenue, execution of the rest,

Beloved sons, be yours; which to confirm,

This coronet part bewixt you.”

(Act I, Scene I) Due to the division, England is fallen in turbulence In country, urban is

in trouble times with disparagement, countryside is flood by unhappy fates Citizens become mendicants so much

“The country gives me proof and precedent

Of Bedlam beggars, who, with roaring voices, Strike in their numb'd and mortified bare arms Pins, wooden pricks, nails, sprigs of rosemary;

And with this horrible object, from low farms, Poor pelting villages, sheep-cotes, and mills, Sometime with lunatic bans, sometime with prayers, Enforce their charity Poor Turlygod! poor Tom!”

(Act II, Scene 3)

Many play’s backgrounds are taken place in field, cottage and

battlefield…In “King Lear”, Shakespeare describes the scene when the

second daughter drives away his father intentionally and locks the door to prevent king Lear from coming back A powerful king becomes a wanderer in his own country He turns a homeless person and all properties fall into daughter’s hands In stormy night, earl of Kent escorted King Lear to ragged tent of wanderers in field

In here, Lear and Gloucester are witnessed poverty of beggars He disabuses of his former visionaries about a prosperous country Witnessing poverty and hunger, King Lear sees clearly unfairness and inequality in contrary life

“Poor naked wretches, whereso'er you are,

That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm, How shall your houseless heads and unfed sides, Your loop'd and window'd raggedness, defend you From seasons such as these? O, I have ta'en

Too little care of this! Take physic, pomp;

Expose thyself to feel what wretches feel, That thou mayst shake the superflux to them And show the heavens more just.”

(Act III, Scene IV) King seems to change his opinion He feels that he is closely attached