163 lines
9.8 KiB
Plaintext
163 lines
9.8 KiB
Plaintext
ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßÛßßßßßÛÛÜ ÜÜßßßßÜÜÜÜ ÜÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÛßß ßÛÛ
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Mo.iMP ÜÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ßÛß
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ß ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÜÜ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÛÛÜÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛ ßÛÛÛÛÛ Ü ÛÝÛÛÛÛÛ Ü
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ÜÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ßÛÜ ßÛÛÛÜÜ ÜÜÛÛÛß ÞÛ ÞÛÛÛÝ ÜÜÛÛ
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ÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÜÜÜß ÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÛÛÛÛÛß
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ßÛÜ ÜÛÛÛß ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÜÜ ßßÜÛÛßß ßÛÛÜ ßßßÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ßßßßß ßßÛÛß ßßßßß ßßßßßßßßßßßßß
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ARRoGANT CoURiERS WiTH ESSaYS
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Grade Level: Type of Work Subject/Topic is on:
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[ ]6-8 [ ]Class Notes [Shakespeare's King Lear ]
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[x]9-10 [ ]Cliff Notes [ ]
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[ ]11-12 [x]Essay/Report [ ]
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[ ]College [ ]Misc [ ]
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Dizzed: o4/95 # of Words:1484 School: ? State: ?
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ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>Chop Here>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
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King Lear had been discussed by many critics of the play of this name,
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with some taking the position that he was a tragic hero. However, there
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are a few who believe that he was not, and that in effect, he might even be
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a comic figure. This paper attempts to discuss whether King Lear is a
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tragic hero or not, looking at the works of two critics, each taking
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opposite sides. On the one hand, there is A.C. Bradley, who takes the
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position that King Lear is a tragic hero because he demonstrates all the
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characteristics of a tragic hero as Bradley saw it. On the other hand, G.
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Wilson Knight believes that the play King Lear is really a comedy of the
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grotesque, and that King Lear is really a comic figure. The position that
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I am taking is this paper is that King Lear is a tragic hero, because he
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fits all the characteristics that Bradley identifies as belonging to a
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tragic hero, and more than that although there might appear to be comic
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elements in the play King Lear that the tragic elemen seem to outweigh the
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comic. Therefore, the position taken by Knight is not accurate in
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describing King Lear.
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The tragic hero, according to Bradley, is a person who suffers
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tremendously, whose suffering goes beyond him. The tragic hero also takes
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the action that produces the suffering and calamity which leads to death.
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Other characteristics of a tragic hero are as follows. The tragic hero is
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a person who is of high degree, and his welfare is intimately tied up with
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the welfare of the state. The hero is an exceptional being, of high
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degree, whose actions and sufferings are of an unusual kind, who possesses
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and exceptional nature. His nature is exceptional in the sense that it is
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very much like our nature, except that it is intensified.
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The tragic hero is also involved in conflict, which could be either
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conflict with someone else, or conflict within himself. The tragic hero is
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also described as inspiring pity on the part of the viewer because of the
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intensity of the suffering that the tragic hero is undergoing.
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Furthermore, the tragic hero is seen as wretched, nevertheless, the
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audience does not see him as contemptible. Instead, the audience sees the
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tragic hero as suffering and the order in the world as destroyed. The only
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way that order would be restored is through the death of the tragic hero.
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(Bradley)
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Knight, on the other hand, takes a different perspective of the play
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King Lear. This author points out that tragedy and comedy are very close
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to each other. "Humor is an evanescent thing, even more difficult of
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analysis and intellectual location than tragedy. To the coarse mind
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lacking sympathy an incident may seem comic which to the richer
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understanding is pitiful and tragic." (Knight 1949, 34) In other words,
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tragedy and comedy seem to involve the process of invoking tension, and the
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relief of that tension could be either through the pain of tragedy or the
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humor of comedy. This is why there are situations where a person may cry
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or laugh at a similar set of circumstances. It just depends on how the
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idea is developed. "The comic and the tragic rest both on the idea of
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incompatibilities, and are also, themselves, mutually exclusive; therefore
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to mingle them is to add to the meaning of each; for the result is then but
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a new sublime incongruity." (Knight 1949, 34)
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The reason that people laugh at situations is that there is a
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juxtaposition of things that are incongruous. At the same time, the tragic
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does involve incompatible things taking place, and thus leading to a
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resolution of the pressure that is created through pain or crying. Knight
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does not see tragedy and comedy as being very different in the sense that
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they both view incongruity.
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In the case of King Lear, Knight believes that while the character of
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King Lear is tragic in the sense that he suffers that there is something
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comic in the situation because King Lear brings it upon himself because of
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the incongruity of King Lear's behavior. King Lear is mad, and his
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behavior from the very beginning of the play, where he tries to see which
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one of his daughters loves him more is incongruous. Knight sees this
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situation as comic, where King Lear has " . . . staged an interlude, with
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himself as chief action. . . . It is childish, foolish - but very human."
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(Knight, 35) As far a Knight is concerned, King Lear's behavior is
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incongruous, because he is a king and not a child.
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Knight believes that the difference between the comic and the tragic is
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that in the case of the former the oncongruities stand out more noticeably,
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whereas in the tragic " . . . the dualism of experience is continually
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being dissolved in the masterful beauty of passion, merged in the sunset of
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emotion." (Knight, 35)
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As I look at the ideas of Bradley and Knight, I tend to agree with
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Bradley. King Lear is a tragic hero because he is king, he has undergone a
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great deal of suffering, and in the end dies, being thrown out of his
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kingdom by daughters he believed loved him. I think that the audience
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pities King Lear, because he was unable to see that Cordelia, his last
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daughter truly loved him, but could not flatter him as his other daughters
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could. I believe that this was a pathetic sight and situation, and that
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King Lear should be pitied and not laughed at. Knight believes that there
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is something comic about King Lear wanting to be flattered, but I do not
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agree with him. It is sad that an old king feels so lonely and unloved
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that he has to try to create a situation where his daughters would tell him
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that they love him to inherit his kingdom.
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Which of you shall say doth love us most?
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That we our largest bounty may extend
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Where nature doth with merit challenge . . .
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(Shakespeare 1990, Act I, Scene I, 50-52)
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Knight argues that from Lear's madness and Gloucester's suicide that it
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appears that what is being communicated is that "Mankind is, as it were,
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deliberately and comically tormented by 'the gods'. He is not even allowed
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to die tragically." (Knight, 48) In other words, Knight is trying to show
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that the tragedy of King Lear is really a comedy of the gods.
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I disagree with him, because the action of the play does not involve in
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any major way the gods. Had the gods had a play of their own within the
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play, then I could have agreed that the tragedy of King Lear was really for
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the entertainment of the gods, and therefore a comedy, from their
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perspective. However, King Lear remains the main character and the action
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is from his perspective. This being the case, I think that the
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determination whether the play is a tragedy or a comedy should be viewed
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from this perspective.
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My conclusion is that King Lear should be viewed as a tragic hero,
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because he fulfills all the characteristics that Bradley outlines as
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belonging to a tragic hero. On the other hand, the comic aspect of the
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play that Knight tries to portray just does not seem real to me. It would
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take "the coarse mind lacking sympathy" to see the comic aspect of King
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Lear. From the play, King lear is of high estate: he is a king. His
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actions cause the tragedy, because it is King Lear that called his
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daughters together and had them tell him how much they loved him. It was
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King Lear's actions that caused Goneril and Regan to strive to get as much
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as they could and therefore to tell their father what he wanted to hear.
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Since Cordelia could not flatter her father in the same way as her sisters,
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she had the tragedy of her father's wrath. The suffering of a tragic hero
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extends beyond himself, and it clearly did with respect to Cordelia, as
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well as to Gloucester. Since there has to be a reordering the world within
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the tragedy, King Lear must be gotten rid of. The audience sees the king
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as an exceptional being in the sense that he is very much like us, except
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that his emotions and behavior are intensified. He experiences both
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internal and external conflict, and although he strikes us as being
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wretched, we never see him as contemptible. Rather we pity him. It is on
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these grounds that we consider King Lear a tragic hero.
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Reference List
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Bradley, A.C. Shakespearean Tragedy - General Characteristicts
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- ideas taken from Bradley's work on Shakespeare's tragedy
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Knight, G. Wilson, 1949. The Wheel of Fire. Methuen & Co. Ltd.
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Shakespeare, William, 1990. King Lear. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
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