Blog Post #33

In Act 1 scene 1 of King Lear the audience is introduced to Lear's daughters; Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia. The King is awaiting to hear each of his daughters speeches for the land they seek to inherit. The King motions Goneril, the eldest to speak first. She replies, "I love you more than word can wield the manner, dearer than eyesight, space, and liberty." (Shakespeare 11) Next up in this little session to impress their father for their own personal gaining is Regan the next eldest. Regan is thinking she must somehow one up Goneril's speech. Which seems pretty hard to beat after, "dearer than eyesight, space and liberty." But yes somehow she does. "I am made of that self mettle as my sister and prize me at her worth. In my true heart I find she names my very deed of love; only she comes up too short." (Shakespeare 11) So here we see the younger sister who somewhat follows into Goneril's footsteps, basically say, "everything big sis said, but more, even more than my husband who is standing right next to me." That leaves Cordelia left to speak her love for her father. Cordelia is favorable from the King so he awaits her speech very excitedly.. only to be let down. Cordelia speaks, "Nothing my Lord."and tells her father she is the only one who actually cares for him, she also explains how she cannot love him as much as her sisters say they do because she must love other people in her life as well. Just from these three responses we can see the similarities and differences of the daughters. Goneril and Regan of course are very similar in the way of greed and lies. They lie to their father to receive land. This of course shows Cornelias difference in where she values the truth, she is the only one who actually cares for her father and shows her actual morals in which she knows she will love others. Goneril and Regan both have motivation to lie, they want land of course! But Cordelia have no motivation to lie, and quite frankly she doesn't need to lie, she loves her father the most she is the most loyal to him by far, but the fact that she does not lie however not fluff him either shows she has motivation for morals. She kind of comes off as stubborn as well. So the sisters share motivation for what they say to their father, however Cordelia again differs from her sisters. So far we see the bad guys winning :(

Blog Post #34

Soliloquy. What is this medium sized cool sounding word? It is often used in Shakespeare when a character is alone on stage expressing ones feelings to the audience. We see here in Act 1 Scene ii that Edmund, the bastard son receives a soliloquy. Before his soliloquy the audience sees Edmund cannot speak unless spoken too, because of course he is the illegitimate son. His soliloquy is as follows:

Thou, Nature, art my goddess; to thy law 
My services are bound. Wherefore should I 
Stand in the plague of custom, and permit 
The curiosity of nations to deprive me, 
For that I am some twelve or fourteen moonshines 
Lag of a brother? Why bastard? wherefore base? 
When my dimensions are as well compact, 
My mind as generous, and my shape as true, 
As honest madam's issue? Why brand they us 
With base? with baseness? bastardy? base, base? 
Who, in the lusty stealth of nature, take 
More composition and fierce quality 
Than doth, within a dull, stale, tired bed, 
Go to th' creating a whole tribe of fops 
Got 'tween asleep and wake? Well then, 
Legitimate Edgar, I must have your land. 
Our father's love is to the bastard Edmund 
As to th' legitimate. Fine word- 'legitimate'! 
Well, my legitimate, if this letter speed, 
And my invention thrive, Edmund the base 
Shall top th' legitimate. I grow; I prosper. 
Now, gods, stand up for bastards!

The audience feels and sees the anger within the bastard son. He is so hateful toward Edgar, and he is so hateful towards his father. I think a lot of his anger also comes from the fact he is looked down upon, sit in the background, only speak when spoken too. All this built up anger is released in his soliloquy. Anger can be described but a more well put word to describe his speech is evil. He is evil. Because of his evil spirit he fakes a letter from his brother Edgar that says he is going to kill his father. Edmund of course wants Edgar to downfall, but not only that, he plots to erase his title of a bastard son.