Assignment 4

Analysis of how the intital conflict in King Lear drives the plot.

Act I, Scene I

After the intro scene setting the tone among Kent, Gloucester and Edmund the play immediately goes into the conflict between the protagonist, King Lear, and his daughters. The primary conflict of the entire piece is Lear's rejection of true love represented by Cordelia; in favor of false flattery and deceit disguised as love, represented by Goneril and Regan. This is shown by Lear splitting his lands between Goneril and Regan while disowning Cordelia. The external conflict (treacherous child vs parent) in the family mirrors the internal conflict in Lear of his own pride blinding him to the love he rejected for that same pride.

The wrong Lear has done by disowning Cordelia is driven home by his banishment of Kent, immediately following Kent telling him he has done wrong to Cordelia. Again it is hammered home the difference between value of another for love and truth of who they are by France's acceptance of Cordelia to wife. The true nature of the sisters is shown by their parting words, underlining the conflict again.

Act I, Scene II

The nature of filial obligation and love between parent and child rejected for base reasons is displayed to the viewer by the relationship among Edmund, Gloucester and Edgar. Again driving home the point of the value of true love and not base flattery for gain.

Act I, Scene III

Showing how Goneril's declaration of love for her father was false, touching back to true love vs. flattery.

Act I, Scene IV

Showing Kent's love for Lear as opposed to the false flattery of his remaining daughters. The fool comes to try to show the King the error of his ways. Goneril comes in to further try to weaken her father of even the 100 retainers he kept to himself, again showing her lack of care for her father. He thinks he has one remaining daughter he can trust and goes to her as Goneril has shown her true colors. (again returning to the conflict) Goneril then displays her true lack of love for her father ... showing the conflict is true and strengthening it.

Act I, Scene V

Cleaning up situation between Fool and Lear ... Lear is starting, barely, to see the conflict he has created for himself even though his refusal to think he is the cause of it remains steadfast, helped to that conclusion by the Fool.

Act II, Scene I

Edmund betrays his half-sib Edgar, displaying the basis for the conflict between Lear and his daughters ... base flattery and treachery (Edmund) traded for honest love. (Edgar)

Act II, Scene II

Advances the plot by showing Kent ill used because he is plain spoken and tells the truth while Oswald is well taken care of for his glib tongue and flattery. Conflict line shown again with falsity shown winning, temporarily, over truth.

Act II, Scene III

Showing Edgar turning to falseness in his visage in response to his brother's treachery to their father. Again showing the false/true dichotomy.

Act II, Scene IV

Regan rejects her father in the same way as her sister Goneril, showing herself to Lear as she truly is. The scene is now complete, Lear is bereft of children having driven away Cordelia and been scorned by her sisters. His flaw has come to fruition and his folly been fully shown. Having thrown away honest love he now is left alone by those who played him false. The conflict has been hammered home by all three of his daughters.

Act III, Scene I

Kent opens the act, setting the stage for the return of Lear's true daughter, Cordelia. Conflict is pointed to again with Kent's assurance Cordelia will recognize his ring as belonging to one who truly supports her father.

Act III, Scene II

Lear is not yet to admit his fault to himself. His folly in trusting his false daughters has driven him to madness and he rages in the rain at their perfidity. Conflict clearly shown in the fool's final speech most plainly.

Act III, Scene III

Edmund shows again his own lust for power against his father's honest nature. Again the same conflict echoed in the secondary story line.

Act III, Scene IV

A tangled interaction between Edgar acting mad and Lear being mad, each echoing the other's plight. One, Edgar, having been discarded because of his honesty relative to Edmund, Lear accusing him of being banished for having accepted daughters who played him false. The addition of Glaucester to this scene, who does not recognize his son balances out the depiction of Lear who has been driven away by faithless children, and a father who does not recognize his faithful child.

Act III, Scene V

The display second story line of Edmund vs Edgar is now firmly changed to Edmund desiring to overthrow his father and take his place ... as Goneril and Regan have done. This nails the external conflict in both story lines together ... treacherous child vs parent.

... and so on and so forth. I grabbed too long a piece to truly expound upon every act in every scene but the same conflict is shown in various guises in the original. Every single scene in King Lear is tied to the same conflict of true love vs. base flattery disguised as love until Lear is brought to absolute ruin by his decision at the very beginning to disinherit the daughter who refuses to play him false in her declaration of love for him.