“‘Lear’, that sounds familiar,” I thought as I was assigned this word. I was taken back to Junior year English Literature class when my teacher was spouting “King Lear” in his lectures, and myself liking the grand, regal name, but not really knowing what it meant. One definition, according to Dictionary.com, is that Lear means learning in Scotland and Northern England. Secondly, According to Merriam Webster, Lear is a legendary king of Britain and hero of Shakespeare’s tragedy King Lear. King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare that about the development of madness of King Lear after he resigns and bequests his kingdom to his three daughters, which brings grave consequences for all. Lear is the King of Britain. Before he divides his kingdom among his daughters, he gives them a test in which he asks them how much they love him. The oldest daughters, Goneril and Regan, give him positive answers. Then the youngest and the favorite daughter, Cordelia, tells him that she loves him more than words describe, something along those lines. This response “pissed” him off so much that he gets into a fit and disowns her. Then, she is off to marry the French king, with her father’s permission, of course. But, Lear soon learns that he made a terrible mistake. His older daughters do not respect the little power that he still has. He goes insane because his daughters betray him. This tragedy is particularly famous for its observations, notions of human suffering and kinship.
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I like this definition and the explanation of the story. I have a question because in the paragraph it mentions the joy from his challenge and I was wondering what you thought this meant? It doesn’t seem to me that there was joy in his story and it is a tragedy, but it does talk about his challenge to nature and human defeat and the joy attained from his matured sensibility.
Adding on to Xhes’ response, I think that in the joy mentioned is in reference to us, the reader. In the play, Lear frequently talks to nature, and that is the “void” that is referred to; *this* is the joy that the reader feels, in Lear’s display. I do think it’s quite an accurate equivalency, though.
Wouldn’t it be wiser to be happy in what King Lear has instead of sulking on all the bad choices he made in the past? I understand it’s much easier said than done and your reference to this story makes us think about our own personal choices in life.