King Lear Act One: Treason, Family and Imprudence

Treason, Family and Imprudence:
The notion of Power in Shakespeare’s King Lear (Act One)

Jonny Bedoumra
15/10/2013
Mr. Richardson
ENG3Ua
Compare the portrayal of Lear at the beginning and the end of the act. What does the transformation of the king at this early point in the play suggest?

In Shakespeare’s King Lear, the theme of power is one of the central themes. King Lear’s description and people’s attitude towards him starts to change as he is losing his title of King. Through the attitude of the elder wicked sister, Goneril, the act one suggests that King Lear’s decision to retire and divide his kingdom will slowly lead to his downfall.
The King’s decision to step down as a ruler and King of Britain is at the beginning of the play and sparks off the commencement of the kingdom’s trouble. His choice to avoid his duties however will directly backfire at him as he will lose people’s respect and esteem, starting off with his own family, his daughters. At the very beginning of the play, King Lear says “come not between the dragon and his wrath”, comparing himself to a dragon. He commands and his servants obey, and that is the way it is supposed to be. When Lear decides to divide his kingdom he gives away his power to his two elder daughters, Goneril and Regan. Cordelia, the younger sister takes off to and Goneril resolves to take control of everything and leave no authority to their father. She conspires to have Lear out of her castle because of his attitude; she says “By day and night he wrongs me. Every hour, he flashes into one gross crime or other that sets us al at odds. I’ll not endure it” (Act I, Scene3, Line 4). She continues with “His knights grow riotous, and himself upbraids us on every trifle” suggesting that the knights do not deserve this much power and are basically useless to him. She tells Oswald, her steward, he should lie to Lear about her whereabouts because she “will not speak with him”, and that he should, give the knights cold looks (“let his knights have colder looks among you”), encouraging Oswald to make Lear feel not welcomed there, and suggesting that if he is not happy, “if he distate it” he can always go to her sister. At the end of the scene 3, she is insulting him; she argues that in Lear “old fools are babes again, and must be used with checks as flatteries, when they are seen abused” and that he is an “idle old man that still would manage those authorities that he hath given away” clearly criticizing her father decision to give away his powers. Then begins a series of symbolic events which will lead to the departure of Lear from the castle. Lear is not given any attention and the Fool satirizes the situation. This is when Lear realizes the imprudence of avoiding his duties as a lifelong King and acknowledges how big of an mistake it was to divide his kingdom and let his daughters rule and most importantly how cruel he was towards Cordelia, his youngest daughter ("How ugly didst thou in Cordelia show!"). He is very angry at Goneril for the way she is treating him and argues with her, declaring "how sharper than a serpent's tooth it is, to have a thankless child!" (Act I, Scene IV, Line 312) , emphasizing on Goneril’s inhospitable attitude and disloyalty.
The evidence is overwhelming and perhaps it could be explained through other points, nonetheless Goneril’s attitude towards Lear in the first act proves how people’s attitude towards him starts to change as he is losing his title of King and from and “old fool” becomes a “baby” that no one cares about. He loses people’s respect and esteem and it is arguable to think that Shakespeare, through Lear’s description during the course of the first act is foreshadowing his downfall.