Most of the characters in play King Lear, by William Shakespeare, have a malicious side or betray another character at one point or another. However, at this point in the play I would say that Edmund is the most villainous character in King Lear. He does not feel any loyalty towards anyone in his life and only is concerned with one thing: obtaining more power from himself. Edmund will not stop until he has all of the power possible, no matter who he must step on to get there. Edmund does not seem to care about anyone but himself, towards the beginning of the play it could have been argued that Edmund only got rid of Edgar in order to get closer to Gloucester. However we soon discovered that was not the case when he also threw Gloucester under the bus to gain power.
Edmund is the most villainous character because he is both manipulative and somewhat violent. Although he does not do anything violent directly he stands by and watches violent acts often. For example he watched Gloucester get his eyes gouged out and did nothing to stop it. He also manipulates many characters. First he manipulates Gloucester into thinking that Edgar is trying to kill him. Then he manipulates Edgar by making him think he was on his side. Both characters seem to have unwavering trust in Edmund, believing anything he says, no questions asked which proves how manipulative he is as a character. Edmund then manipulates Cornwall to be on his side, so that they are both against Gloucester. Cornwall sees Edmund betraying his father as a good thing and rewards him with the title of the Earle of Gloucester. At this point Edmund has successfully manipulated his way into power.
Next Edmund manipulates both Regan and Goneril. He has both of them falling for him and fighting over him, when in reality he most likely just wants to use them to gain more power. Another reason why Edmund can be considered the most villainous character is because he is smart, he was able to plot both Goneril and Regan against each other through is manipulation tactics having barely done anything. On top of these villainous acts he is also probably preparing to betray Cornwall. Edmund will undoubtedly dispose of him too as soon as he has gotten everything of use to him from him just as he did with his father and half brother.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Explication of Bereft
The poem "Bereft" by Robert Frost uses a metaphors and personification to present its meaning and message to readers. Frost also uses an interesting rhyme scheme in the poem that appeals to the reader's ear. The poem also has an immense relation to the character Lear from the play "King Lear" by Shakespeare. Both the speaker and Lear are at similar points in their life and are experiencing similar emotions over a major change in their lives. First off both characters are facing the strong forces of nature head on. In the play Lear is locked out in the middle of a huge storm and chooses to stay outside instead of taking shelter from the storm. Similarly the speaker is standing staring at the wind instead of taking shelter from it: "What would it take my standing there for, / Holding open a restive door, / Looking down hill to a frothy shore?" (Frost, 3-5). Both characters seem to not be bothered by the danger that the immensity of nature poses to their lives.
Also, both characters are aging and having trouble accepting that fact. Lear seems to be going mad in his old age, he is realizing that he is not ever so powerful and is becoming increasingly weak. The speaker however is more aware of his aging and seems to be a bit more okay with this fact of life but still resents it, he says: "Summer was passed and day was passed" (Frost, 6). both the speaker and Lear seem to have gone a bit mad in their old age both standing out in a storm and both regarding nature as if it were human.
Also the most noticeable relation between both the speaker of the poem and Lear is how they both seem to be alone in life. Lear used to be an all powerful King but in his old age he decided to give his power away to his daughters who have now betrayed and abandoned him forcing him to fend for himself. Lear felt that all he had left was nature which then betrays him also which is shown through the huge storm. The speaker also makes it clear that he is all alone: "Word I was in the house alone [...] Word I was in my life alone" (Frost, 13-15). It seems as if everyone has left the speaker just as everyone Lear cares about has left him. Just as Lear felt that nature was all he had left, the speaker sees God as his lone companion in life: "Word I had no one left but God" (Frost, 16). Both the speaker of the poem and Lear seem to be miserable, lonely, sad characters who are not accepting of their old age and lonely state.
Also, both characters are aging and having trouble accepting that fact. Lear seems to be going mad in his old age, he is realizing that he is not ever so powerful and is becoming increasingly weak. The speaker however is more aware of his aging and seems to be a bit more okay with this fact of life but still resents it, he says: "Summer was passed and day was passed" (Frost, 6). both the speaker and Lear seem to have gone a bit mad in their old age both standing out in a storm and both regarding nature as if it were human.
Also the most noticeable relation between both the speaker of the poem and Lear is how they both seem to be alone in life. Lear used to be an all powerful King but in his old age he decided to give his power away to his daughters who have now betrayed and abandoned him forcing him to fend for himself. Lear felt that all he had left was nature which then betrays him also which is shown through the huge storm. The speaker also makes it clear that he is all alone: "Word I was in the house alone [...] Word I was in my life alone" (Frost, 13-15). It seems as if everyone has left the speaker just as everyone Lear cares about has left him. Just as Lear felt that nature was all he had left, the speaker sees God as his lone companion in life: "Word I had no one left but God" (Frost, 16). Both the speaker of the poem and Lear seem to be miserable, lonely, sad characters who are not accepting of their old age and lonely state.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Lear's Relationship with Nature
Lear often addresses nature directly in the play, which is called an apostrophe. He asks nature to help him at some points and other times seems to lash out at nature as a whole. In act II Lear looks to nature to punish his daughter Goneril for treating him so poorly. He asks nature to curse Goneril by not allowing her to have children. In this portion of the play he is asking nature to do him a favor, to make Goneril suffer the way that he is. Act II closes with Lear being shut out of his two daughters house amidst a huge storm that seems to be brewing.
Preceding this occurrence in act III scene i, there is a monstrous storm in the kingdom. In the middle of this immense storm Lear is wandering around, challenging the storm attempting to antagonize nature to bring its worst. The fool tries to urge Lear to take shelter but he refuses, this almost seems as if he is trying to fight nature and see who is stronger. However the nature proves its strength when the storm rips his cloths from him, proving that his power means nothing to nature because nature is an equalizer. Lear trying to face nature head on shows his increase state of despair and his loss of a sense of reality. In the next scene of act III Lear is praying in the middle of the storm and repenting for not being a better King and helping the poor and others who were defenseless against storms like this one.
The fact that Lear is talking to nature directly is in itself evidence of him losing his mind, but it is also mad that he is the only one who will not take cover from the raging storm. It is clear that Lear's mental state is slowly deteriorating as he is losing his relationships with his daughters. Lear's relationship with nature mirrors his relationship with his daughters. In both cases he asks for loyalty to be shown but instead he is betrayed. In the past he looked to nature to be on his side but this storm shows how nature is also going against him immediately after all three of his daughters have just betrayed him. Lear has seemingly lost all that was meaningful to him which is driving him to madness.
Preceding this occurrence in act III scene i, there is a monstrous storm in the kingdom. In the middle of this immense storm Lear is wandering around, challenging the storm attempting to antagonize nature to bring its worst. The fool tries to urge Lear to take shelter but he refuses, this almost seems as if he is trying to fight nature and see who is stronger. However the nature proves its strength when the storm rips his cloths from him, proving that his power means nothing to nature because nature is an equalizer. Lear trying to face nature head on shows his increase state of despair and his loss of a sense of reality. In the next scene of act III Lear is praying in the middle of the storm and repenting for not being a better King and helping the poor and others who were defenseless against storms like this one.
The fact that Lear is talking to nature directly is in itself evidence of him losing his mind, but it is also mad that he is the only one who will not take cover from the raging storm. It is clear that Lear's mental state is slowly deteriorating as he is losing his relationships with his daughters. Lear's relationship with nature mirrors his relationship with his daughters. In both cases he asks for loyalty to be shown but instead he is betrayed. In the past he looked to nature to be on his side but this storm shows how nature is also going against him immediately after all three of his daughters have just betrayed him. Lear has seemingly lost all that was meaningful to him which is driving him to madness.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Edmund's Deceptions
In Act II of King Lear by William Shakespeare, Edmund continues his journey of deception. The reason for Edmund's deceit is because he is resentful towards the other characters because he believes that he is not treated as an equal solely because he is Gloucester's illegitimate son. For this reason he is extremely resentful towards Gloucester's legitimate son, Edmand and in Act I he vowed to bring about his downfall. He begins his plot for Edmand's downfall in Act II Scene i of the play. The measures that he takes to accomplish his vengeance show a lot about his character and also the ones that he deceives.
At the beginning of the act Edmund finds out that Regan and Cornwall are coming to the castle and he sees this as a good opportunity to begin his plan to get rid of Edgar. Edmund tricks Edgar into thinking that Cornwall is angry with him and that Gloucester has discovered where he is hiding and that he should leave immediately. This shows that Edmund is smart and that Edgar is too trusting in his illegitimate brother. It appears to Edgar that Edmund is loyal and that he is the only one left to defend him, when in reality he is the one tearing him down. This part of the play brings to light that Edgar is the good brother and Edmund the evil one.
Edgar is not the only one that Edmund deceives in act II, Gloucester, Regan and Cornwall also believe his well thought out lies. Gloucester is also easily deceived by his illegitimate son. In the first scene of act two while Edmund is talking to Edgar he sees Gloucester approaching and draws his sword on him and Edgar flees. Edmund then deceives Gloucester by telling him that Edgar was trying to convince him to join in on his plan to kill their father. Edmund says that he refused and Edgar tried to kill him. Gloucester is easily deceived by this story and becomes even more enraged towards Edgar, which is exactly the reaction Edmund was aiming for. Edmund's story telling showing exactly how cunning he is. Regan and Cornwall believe Edmund's claim that Edgar is one of Lear's knights and that he was put up to murdering Gloucester. Edmund's deceit shows his immense immorality and his manipulation shows his true colors as a villain in the play. His deceit also reveals the how gullible the other characters are and how little trust they have in one another.
At the beginning of the act Edmund finds out that Regan and Cornwall are coming to the castle and he sees this as a good opportunity to begin his plan to get rid of Edgar. Edmund tricks Edgar into thinking that Cornwall is angry with him and that Gloucester has discovered where he is hiding and that he should leave immediately. This shows that Edmund is smart and that Edgar is too trusting in his illegitimate brother. It appears to Edgar that Edmund is loyal and that he is the only one left to defend him, when in reality he is the one tearing him down. This part of the play brings to light that Edgar is the good brother and Edmund the evil one.
Edgar is not the only one that Edmund deceives in act II, Gloucester, Regan and Cornwall also believe his well thought out lies. Gloucester is also easily deceived by his illegitimate son. In the first scene of act two while Edmund is talking to Edgar he sees Gloucester approaching and draws his sword on him and Edgar flees. Edmund then deceives Gloucester by telling him that Edgar was trying to convince him to join in on his plan to kill their father. Edmund says that he refused and Edgar tried to kill him. Gloucester is easily deceived by this story and becomes even more enraged towards Edgar, which is exactly the reaction Edmund was aiming for. Edmund's story telling showing exactly how cunning he is. Regan and Cornwall believe Edmund's claim that Edgar is one of Lear's knights and that he was put up to murdering Gloucester. Edmund's deceit shows his immense immorality and his manipulation shows his true colors as a villain in the play. His deceit also reveals the how gullible the other characters are and how little trust they have in one another.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Explication of "Those Winter Sundays"
This chapter in "Sound & Sense" talks about the many different varieties of imagery that can appear in poetry. The poem "Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden makes great use of many of the different imagery types presented in this chapter. The poem is about a father who works extremely hard in order to provide for and comfort his family and even on sundays, his day off, he gets up to make his family warm on cold winter days. The speaker of the poem seems to be either his son or daughter. The speaker realizes how much his/her father does for the family and how his actions go unappreciated most of the time. The speaker gives readers a picture of his hard working, fatigued, exhausted father through his uses of visual, tactile and organic imagery.
Although the author puts many types of imagery to use in the poem, the type that is central to the poem is visual imagery. When the speaker describes his father it is in such detail that the reader is able to imagine his pain: "With cracked hands that ached / from labor in the weekday weather made". This quote provides visual imagery of a father's hard work that has resulted in an aching body. In this quote the author is also using organic imagery to show the father's fatigue. Also in the quote "had driven out the cold" visual imagery is at work. This leads the reader to imagine the father physically pushing the cold out of his house, all for his family.
The author also uses Tactile imagery to describe how the fathers changes the house from cold to warm: "I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking. / When the rooms were warm he'd call" This shows how the father would sacrifice his warmth to provide it for the rest of the family. The reader is able to feel the house changing from cold to warm through the father's doing. Also when the author says "the blueblack cold" the reader is able to imagine how cold it truly is outside on this winter sunday morning, and it helps to show the strength of the father and the sacrifices he makes for his family.
Although the author puts many types of imagery to use in the poem, the type that is central to the poem is visual imagery. When the speaker describes his father it is in such detail that the reader is able to imagine his pain: "With cracked hands that ached / from labor in the weekday weather made". This quote provides visual imagery of a father's hard work that has resulted in an aching body. In this quote the author is also using organic imagery to show the father's fatigue. Also in the quote "had driven out the cold" visual imagery is at work. This leads the reader to imagine the father physically pushing the cold out of his house, all for his family.
The author also uses Tactile imagery to describe how the fathers changes the house from cold to warm: "I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking. / When the rooms were warm he'd call" This shows how the father would sacrifice his warmth to provide it for the rest of the family. The reader is able to feel the house changing from cold to warm through the father's doing. Also when the author says "the blueblack cold" the reader is able to imagine how cold it truly is outside on this winter sunday morning, and it helps to show the strength of the father and the sacrifices he makes for his family.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Decietfulness of the Characters in Hamlet
Characters in order based on their deceitfulness:
1) Claudius is the most deceitful character in the play, he betrays his closest family, he kills his own brother in order to obtain his selfish desires.
2) Hamlet deceives most by acting crazy and secretly plotting to kill his uncle Claudius.
3) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are very deceitful because they betray their childhood friend, Hamlet, and follow everything that King Claudius tells them to do.
4) Gertrude is deceitful because she acts innocent in the act of marrying her dead husbands brother.
5) Ophelia deceives the other characters when she kills herself, she makes it look as though it was an accident when in reality it was a suicide.
6) Polonius was also deceitful because he spied on others often and did not mind his own business. He deceived others in order to report news to Claudius.
7) Laertes deceives others when he decides to work with Claudius to kill Hamlet without telling anyone.
8) The ghost betrays Hamlet in a way when he only appears to him and not Gertrude in turn making him looking crazy.
9) Horatio is the least deceitful character because he is loyal to Hamlet and keeps his word to not tell anyone that he is acting mad or that he saw the ghost.
1) Claudius is the most deceitful character in the play, he betrays his closest family, he kills his own brother in order to obtain his selfish desires.
2) Hamlet deceives most by acting crazy and secretly plotting to kill his uncle Claudius.
3) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are very deceitful because they betray their childhood friend, Hamlet, and follow everything that King Claudius tells them to do.
4) Gertrude is deceitful because she acts innocent in the act of marrying her dead husbands brother.
5) Ophelia deceives the other characters when she kills herself, she makes it look as though it was an accident when in reality it was a suicide.
6) Polonius was also deceitful because he spied on others often and did not mind his own business. He deceived others in order to report news to Claudius.
7) Laertes deceives others when he decides to work with Claudius to kill Hamlet without telling anyone.
8) The ghost betrays Hamlet in a way when he only appears to him and not Gertrude in turn making him looking crazy.
9) Horatio is the least deceitful character because he is loyal to Hamlet and keeps his word to not tell anyone that he is acting mad or that he saw the ghost.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Explication of "Cross"
Langston Hughes is the author of the poem "Cross" the speaker of the poem is half black and half white. It is unclear if the speaker is a male or a female. This poem was written during a time period when slavery was very common and the poem's setting is probably somewhere down south. The poem addresses a major issue from this time period, an issue that went ignored and unpunished for many years, the tendency of white male slave owners to rape their female slaves. This was just another way for the men to assert control over their slaves and a way to make them feel even weaker and more helpless.
The speaker makes it clear that he resented his/her white father for a long time for what he did to his mother. However, in the poem the speaker seems to be forgiving him and actually apologizing for talking poorly of him: "If I ever cursed my white old man / I take my curses back." It seems strange to me that he would feel the need to apologize for hating the man who raped his/her mother and probably never acted as a proper father towards the speaker. The speaker also talks about how he resented and wished ill upon his mother for a long time. I wonder why that is, was it because she may have not treated him/her well because the speaker was a physical representation and a constant reminder of her rape and the evil of the white man? I wonder if she was not much of a mother to the speaker. In the poem the speaker also apologizes for his/her resentment towards her.
The speaker then addresses the death of each of his parents. When he talks about their deaths he makes it clear how different their lives were: "My old man died in a fine big house. / My ma died in a shack." The speaker's father had so much power over his mother. He lived an easy life while she lived the most difficult one imaginable. Each of his parents came from different worlds and he did not belong to either: "I wonder where I'm gonna die, / Being neither white nor black?" As hard as the speaker's mother's life was at least she had a place she belonged and people she could relate to. Being both black and white the speaker probably did not fit in anywhere, blacks would hate him/her for being part white, and whites would hate him for being part black therefore he had no where to turn. The poem does a good job of portraying how alone the speaker must have felt and how he resented his parents for so long.
The speaker makes it clear that he resented his/her white father for a long time for what he did to his mother. However, in the poem the speaker seems to be forgiving him and actually apologizing for talking poorly of him: "If I ever cursed my white old man / I take my curses back." It seems strange to me that he would feel the need to apologize for hating the man who raped his/her mother and probably never acted as a proper father towards the speaker. The speaker also talks about how he resented and wished ill upon his mother for a long time. I wonder why that is, was it because she may have not treated him/her well because the speaker was a physical representation and a constant reminder of her rape and the evil of the white man? I wonder if she was not much of a mother to the speaker. In the poem the speaker also apologizes for his/her resentment towards her.
The speaker then addresses the death of each of his parents. When he talks about their deaths he makes it clear how different their lives were: "My old man died in a fine big house. / My ma died in a shack." The speaker's father had so much power over his mother. He lived an easy life while she lived the most difficult one imaginable. Each of his parents came from different worlds and he did not belong to either: "I wonder where I'm gonna die, / Being neither white nor black?" As hard as the speaker's mother's life was at least she had a place she belonged and people she could relate to. Being both black and white the speaker probably did not fit in anywhere, blacks would hate him/her for being part white, and whites would hate him for being part black therefore he had no where to turn. The poem does a good job of portraying how alone the speaker must have felt and how he resented his parents for so long.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)