In King Lear, A Literary Masterpiece By The World Famous Essays

In King Lear, a literary masterpiece by the world famous English playwright William Shakespeare, there are several evident points trying to be made about the proper role of a child to his or her parent. Through the characters of Lear's daughters, and the Earl of Gloucester's son and his bastard son, Shakespeare tries to stress that a child should have love for his or her parent or parents, respect for his or her parent or parents, and most of all obey his or her parent or parents. Beginning in the first act Shakespeare tries to stress the point that a child should love his or her parent or parents. Goneril, Lear's eldest daughter, herself when speaking to Lear states, ?Sir, I love you more than words can wield the matter, Dearer than eyesight, space, and liberty....? and, ?A love that makes breath poor and speech unable. Beyond all manner of so much I love you.? Also, when Regan, Lear's second born daughter refers to Goneril's love for her father, she says, ?...I find she names my very deed of love; Only she comes too short, that I profess myself an enemy to all other joys...? Cordelia, Lear's youngest child, says, ?I love Your Majesty...? and also, ?I return those duties back as they are right fit, obey you, love you...? It is obvious then, that Shakespeare feels that a child should love his or her parent or parents very much. William Shakespeare, or Big Willy, also put much emphasis on respecting one's parent or parents as well. Cordelia herself says that she honors her father when she states, ?...you have begot me, bred me, loved me. I return those duties back as they are right fit, Obey you, love you, and most honor you.? Big Willy feels that even if a child does not love his or her parent or parents, then they still must respect and honor them. Honoring someone and Loving someone are two totally different things. One can honor something and not love it, though it would be hard to not honor something that one truly loves. Take for instance this fact. I have much respect for the boogey man. I mean come on, this guy has evaded all scientific probes for centuries, is able to operate outside the laws of physics, like being able to walk into a closet but as soon as the lights come on he's gone, and has the power to rip you to shreds with his bare hands. It's a little known fact that sheets were actually invented as a protective barrier from him. Even with all his power, as long as you are under the safety of the sheets, he his harmless. So it is evident I respect the Boogey man, but I don't love him. I'd have to be some sort of freak to do that. Finally, and most importantly, Big Willy Shakespeare feels that even if a parental/child relationship is ?sans? love or respect, the child still must obey his or her parent or parents. This is evident in the ways that King Lear's daughters and Gloucester's bastard son treats their fathers. In act one scene one, Lear wants his daughters to tell him that hey love him more than anything else in the world and then he wants to make out with them for a while. Now even if you didn't want to do this, your father told you to, so you have no choice, as far as I can tell. Cordelia felt differently, however. She flat told him how it was. She was all like, ?Why have my sisters husbands if they say they love you all? Haply, when I shall wed, that lord whose hand must take my plight shall carry half my love with him, half my care and duty. Sure I shall never marry like my sisters, to love my father all.? Then King Lear was all like, ?Here I disclaim all my paternal care, Propinquity, and property of blood, and as a stranger to my heart and me hold thee from this forever.? In other words, he was just made because he wanted her to make out with him, because he's a dirty, crazy old man, and when she wouldn't do it, he got mad at her and disowned her. Sounds like the story of my life. In conclusion, King Lear is a play full of chills, thrills, spills, and kills, but amidst all the action, or extremely sufficient lack thereof, it is easy to miss the deep underlying meaning: there is a proper role for a child. This proper role is for the