李尔王人物分析

李尔王人物分析 The conflicting characteristics of Lear One of Shakespeare's four major tragedies King Lear tells us that what people respected may be not a person but his throne that symbolize wealth and power. Lear gives up his throne, then he loses the original respectation from others. Lear is a complex person as he is imperious and amiable, fatuous and intelligent, heartsick and untrammeled. The changing of his characteristics signifies the returning of noble manhood. Lear is imperious and amiable, but he pays a heavy price from his imperious characteristic to be amiable. As a king, he was arrogant that everyone should flatter him, and no one could object to his decision. The one who made him joyless would be cursed. He always talked to others in an authoritative or joking tone. For example, “I couldn’t wait for any moment, offer the dinner quickly”, “where’s my fool, bring him here’’. (King Lear) When Goneril treated him disrespectfully, he couldn’t believe it and later he scolded Goneril a demon in hell and cursed her virulently. At this moment, both of his two daughters Goneril and Regen showed their true color. Lear had to accept the reality that he had no shelter and that his daughters were impious and cruel-hearted. Only Kent and the fool accompany him, but other follows were rude to him as if he had never been a King. Having experienced so much, he found that he was an ordinary person as Kent and the fool, as poor as the mad Edgar. “My boy, are you cold?” (King Lear)This was the warmest and softest words Lear ever said to the fool. “poor and bare unfortunate”---it was the first time he showed sympathy to the poor. He became amiable and kind to his follows. From his imperious character to be amiable, though Lear paid a heavy price, it is a returning of noble manhood that Shakespeare advocated at that time. Lear is fatuous and intelligent, however, he has some miserable experience from an old foolish king to be a thoughtful and intelligent man. In the beginning, he impractically believed that he could control the country and everything would be as before as he kept the title “king” that without power, but the cruel reality made him intelligent. He never knew that "the mouth of honey, the heart will be the sword". (King Lear) .He judged his daughters’ love through their fine-sounding words. As a result, he gave up his power and his land to Goneril and Regen who were honey-mouthed and dagger-hearted. However, for the honest, kind-hearted, sincere youngest daughter Cordelia, what she got was nothing but curse from his father. Lear was so fatuous or foolish that he send the allegiant servant Kent into exile because of his disagreement to Lear’s decision. His two daughters Goneril and Regen became unfilial after they gained Lear’s authority and territory, and their viperous inherent quality revealed. Lear finally knew that he blamed Cordelia wrongly but it seemed too late. He became lucidum and intelligent in the baptism of rainstorm---he asked Edgar about the philosophy and learned that Cordelia loved him so much. Lear has some miserable experience from an old foolish king to be a thoughtful and lucidum man, but it is a returning of noble manhood that Shakespeare advocated at that time. Lear is heartsick and untrammeled. After overcoming the pain that reality brought him, he became free in mind. As a honorable king, at first he was hypocritical---only those fine-sounding words and others’ obedient could make him happy. Confronting with the cruel reality, he became mad and heartsick because his two daughters treated him so rudely and disrespectfully. He begged Cordelia to forgive him as he is old and fatuous. Cordelia not only forgave him, but also decided to fight against her unfilial sisters for her father. Finally, both Cordelia and Lear were arrested. Lear didn’t feel sad and said to Cordelia “Come, let’s away to prison. We two alone shall sing like birds in the cage. We’ll live, and pray, and sing”. (King Lear) At that moment, Lear was free in spirit and optimistic towards life. From a heartsick old king to an untrammeled and optimistic man, it is a returning of noble manhood. Many characters in King Lear are merely good or evil, Lear, however, is double-faced. As a king, Lear is imperious, fatuous, honorable and heartsick, but after overcoming the miserable experience finally he becomes amiable, untrammeled and optimistic. It is a qualitative change, a returning of noble manhood that Shakespeare advocated at that time.