The relationships between fathers and their children is the driving force of the story in King Lear. Favouritism and neglect of Lear’s and Gloucester’s children ultimately lead to the death of both men through their lesser children’s spite and thirst for revenge. While neither man deserved death for his crimes, it certainly brings to light the fact that not all children- and particularly illegitimate ones- were equals in their fathers eyes.
Exploring the relationship between Lear and his three daughters we immediately see that he loves Cordelia far more than Goneril and Regan, which instantly sets a conflict in the play. Cordelia loves him truly, but will not play his game, with the others faking love to play the game and get their land. While Cordelia loves her father she is also as stubborn as he is, refusing to put her love for him into words, leading to them falling out and her leaving to marry the King of France. This leaves Lear vulnerable to his other two daughters, who take advantage of the opportunity to strip the king of everything, leaving him without even his wits. The contrast in their treatment of Lear versus that of Cordelia, who tries to keep him sane, show the contrast in how they were treated by Lear. Only then is it when Lear realises that his favourite was the one who loved him all along, the one who came to save him. Goneril and Regan got their revenge, their father and Cordelia ended up dead, but at the price of both their lives and so many others.
The relationship between Gloucester and his two sons- the legitimate Edgar and the illegitimate Edmund- is much the same. Because of Edmund’s illegitimacy, he is looked upon with shame by his father, and sent away to fight while Edgar is the one who will inherit all the lands and titles, with Edmund getting nothing. While this is a product of society, Gloucester says in front of Edmund that he has been ashamed to admit he was his son so many times that he is immune to it. It is not Edmund’s fault who his mother is, and he seeks revenge for his unfair treatment. He sends his truehearted brother into exile, and has his father blinded out of spite. This ultimately leads to Gloucester’s death at the shock of hearing Edgar is alive and saved his life, but also Edmund’s at the hand of his brother for all the pain he has caused their family. Again, Edmund got his revenge, but at the cost of his own life.
The similarities between these two families are uncanny. Two fathers favour one child over the others, leaving the others scorned and hungry for revenge, which is the driving force in the play. While this revenge did lead to the deaths of all the characters majorly involved in exacting it, it also resulted in the deaths of the two men who favoured one child over the others. This says something powerful. It is very possible the neglect of their families led them to exacting this extreme form of revenge, and the fathers who possibly drove them two it are killed also. Supposedly, the moral of the story is, don’t pick favourites, because karma will come back and bite you. And while you’re at it, don’t kill off your entire family either.
This is also seen in Pride and Prejudice. In this novel it is clear that Mr Bennet's favourite daughter is Elizabeth. They have a very strong bond with one another that can be seen very clearly in the way in which they speak. Mr Bennet feels that Lizzy is the only person in his family who thinks the same way that he does. They are therefore able to share inside jokes with one another that the rest of the household don't understand. For example, when Mr Collins comes to stay, Elizabeth and Mr Bennet see the how hilariously pathetic he is and ask him questions about his book of complements, mocking him without the rest anyone else knowing. Mr Bennet says himself that Lizzy is his favourite daughter, much like Lear does at the beginning of King Lear. "...though I must throw in a good word for my little Lizzy." This quote tells us about the type of relationship the father and daughter have from the very beginning. Also, much like Cordelia, Elizabeth has a lot of respect for her father and wants to make him proud. She knows that her father wants the best for her, which we see when he tells her not to marry Mr Collins, and is determined to do anything to make him proud of her. We see that Mrs Gardiner knows this fact as well when she tells Lizzy that “You must not disappoint your father” in regards to her crush on Wickham. She knows that reminding Elizabeth of how her father would react to the situation will make her realise her mistake.
ReplyDeleteIn Pride and Prejudice the relationships between fathers and their children is similar to the likewise relationships in the play King Lear. In both of these texts a favourite child of the fathers (Lear and Mr Bennet) is established from the beginning. Lear favours Cordelia and Mr Bennet favours Lizzie. On top of this the two men are publicly open about their extra affection shown to their favourite. We first learn of this affection from Mr Bennet to Lizzie when he talks of making special mention of his Lizzie when he eventually sets out to acquaint himself with Mr Bingley. Throughout the text we see how much Mr Bennet enjoys sharing the same high levels of intellect with Lizzie. This can be seen when Mr Collins comes to stay and the pair of them mock him without his knowing. His love for Lizzie is once more shown when she is about to depart on her visit to Charlotte and Mr Collins. He speaks once more of how much he values her intelligence when he must cope with Ms Bennett and the other "silly girls"
ReplyDeleteHowever, there is not just one large comparison between the relationships between fathers and their children in King Lear and Pride and Prejudice. Although similarities can be drawn there is contrasts in these relationships. Cordeila openly defies Lear and there relationship brutally sours as a result. This change of relationship and excommunication of Codeila is not mirrored in Pride and Prejudice. With the relationship of Lizzie and Mr Bennet never reaching the same sort of boiling point as Lear's and Cordelia's.
In King Lear and Pride and Prejudice, relationships between fathers and their children are strikingly similar; and yet they have stark differences. The essences of these relationships are united in some aspects, while colliding in others.
ReplyDeleteThe favouritism bestowed on both Cordelia and Lizzy, by their respective fathers is evidently comparable. The effects this has on the family dynamic, meanwhile, is quite different. Lizzy is the second eldest, with an older sister incapable of either jealousy or mean-spiritedness. Her younger sisters do not feel undermined by Lizzy’s being her father’s favourite, as she is senior to them and, of course, they benefit considerably more from their mother’s affection. Cordelia’s position as favourite has haunted Regan and Goneril for years, and they watched her downfall with glee.
The texts mirror each other in the fact that both fathers rule against their favourite daughters and place ill-advised trust in their other children. Mr Bennet does not heed Lizzy’s advice and disallow Lydia to go to Brighton, which leads to her running away most scandalously with Mr Wickham. Lear becomes enraged when Cordelia refuses to display her affection for him in front of court, and instead of listening to her true statements; he falls into the web of her sisters’ deceit.