Essay Comparing The Tempest and King Lear - 1338 Words

Comparing The Tempest and King Lear This essay will focus on the similarities and differences of the plays The Tempest and King Lear in general, as well as looking at comparisons of Prospero and Lear in somewhat more detail. Prospero and Lear are, without a doubt, the two most compelling mature figures in Shakespeare. In a way, one is the flip side, so to speak, of the other. Each represents an aging mans relationship to family, environment, and, most importantly, himself. One might even be so bold as to venture that had Lear lived, he might, through the enormity of his painful transformation, have become a character much like Prospero, a man who has learned bitter lessons from his intercourse with the world and has†¦show more content†¦Lear, likewise, is the victim of a tempest, also a turning point in the plot, as well as a powerful force in his own agonizing journey through growth and self-discovery. In a way, Lears tempest is more significant in that it represents the Hegelian dialectic of thesis, antithesis, synthesis; out of Lears agonizing conflict with nature and his subsequent madness comes a new and better man, a man cleansed, literally and figuratively, by the raging water of the stor m. It is interesting to note the main difference between the roles played by Lear and Prospero in their respective interactions with the storm: Lear is the victim of the maelstrom, Prospero the creator. Each character is defined to a certain extent by this relationship to natures wrath, one experiencing it as a kind of chastisement, the other utilizing it to further his own ends. Lear rages against the storm, shouting, You sulphrous and thought-executing fires,/ Vaunt-couriers of oak-cleaving thunderbolts,/ Singe my white head! And thou all-shaking thunder,/ Strike flat the thick rotundity othworld! (III.II.4-7). Compare this with Mirandas request that If by your art, my dearest father, you have/ Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them. (I.I.1-2). The bond between father and daughter in each play, while seemingly incidental, mustShow MoreRelatedChaos in King Lear - as Reflec Essays981 Words   |  4 Pagessupernatural anomalies and animal imageries. In King Lear, these devices are used to communicate the plot, which is summarized by Gloucester as: #8230;This villain of mine comes under the prediction: there#8217;s son against father. The King falls from bias of nature: there#8217;s father against child. (Act 1, Sc.1, 115 - 118) The #8220;bias of nature#8221; is defined as the natural inclination of the world. Throughout the play King Lear, the unnatural inclination of nature, supernaturalRead MoreKing Lear By William Shakespeare1612 Words   |  7 Pagesoverarching theme that surrounds King Lear by William Shakespeare is justice to nearly all. 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Satisfying, hopeful, and redemptive: some critics would say that these adjectives belong nowhere near a description of King Lear.  Ã‚  One critic, Thomas Roche, even states that the play’s ending is â€Å"as bleak and unrewarding as man can reach outside the gates of hell† (164). Certainly, Roche’s pessimistic interpretation has merit; after all, Lear has seen nearly everyone he once cared for die before dying himself.  Ã‚  Although this aspect of the play is true, agreeingRead More The Existential Progression of King Lear Essay3680 Words   |  15 PagesThe Existential Progression of King Lear The human condition is the scrutiny of art, Prince Hamlet notes the purpose of art is to hold the mirror against nature. King Lear is a masterful inquiry into the human condition. King Lear is confronted with existence in its barest sense and is forced to adapt to that existence. His adaptation to the absurd provides an invaluable insight for all into the universal problem of existence. Lear is forced into an existential progression that will be tracedRead MoreAnalysis Of Shakespeare s The Tempest 2603 Words   |  11 PagesOne of the most influential plays written by Shakespeare is not one listed above. The play that reflects the life and all of Shakespeare?s plays is The Tempest. This work was and still is influential in both America, Britain and around the world. Although William Shakespeare was an influential writer in American and British literature, The Tempest reaches beyond a comparison to the new world- America and points to an autobiographical drama that is a reflectio n of the life of Shakespeare and hisRead More Imagery in The Tempest, by William Shakespeare Essay3748 Words   |  15 Pages   Ã‚  Ã‚   William Shakespeares play The Tempest utilizes extensive imagery which goes beyond merely creating atmosphere and background or emphasizing the major themes of the play. The supernatural plays a considerable role in the play, thus so does the use of imagery, which is more extensive and somewhat different from many other of Shakespeares works. The imagery is used as a mediator of supernatural powers, to emphasize the natural scene of action, and establish the enchanted island whichRead MoreFemale Sexuality in Shakespeare4830 Words   |  20 PagesQuestion Compare and contrast the representation of female sexuality in Cymbeline, the Sonnets, and one of the plays: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Richard II, Hamlet, Antony and Cleopatra, Measure for Measure or King Lear.       Both Cymbeline and A Midsummer Night’s Dream  (AMND)  are both set in a patriarchal environment where both genders grapple for control. Valerie Traub defines the distinction between gender sex and gender behavior as â€Å"Sex refers to the . . . biological distinctions between