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Nicki Hosey Ms. DeMaio Pre-AP English F April 26, 2012 Shakespeares Implications of Selfish Desires and Their Negative Impacts In Shakespeares play, King Lear, a king struggles to come to terms with the fact that he is losing power as well as aging. His mental health is rapidly declining and he must divide his empire. Through this, he is constantly lied to and people manipulate him in order to achieve their selfish desires. He struggles to realize who he can trust and who is simply hoping for personal gain. This play comments on family relationships, loyalty, and the status of women through which Shakespeare implies that people can struggle to be motivated help others without knowing that they will also benefit from their actions and earn power. To begin, family relationships are tested within the play with Lear having to divide his empire and only one of his three daughters expressing any true concern for him which shows the complexities of family relationships. When Lear is first considering separating his estate between his daughters, he expects them to profess their love for him and prove their devotion to him. His two eldest daughters, Regan and Goneril, are conniving and selfish while Cordelia, his favorite daughter at first, loves him as a father and nothing beyond that. Lear is greatly offended when Cordelia refuses to give a dramatic speech. When she was dear to us, we did hold her so, But now her price is fallen. Sir, there she stands (1.1.224-225). Lears devastation over being rejected by his favorite daughter who was dear to him is evident. The use of claiming that her price is fallen implies that if she is not willing to satisfy him with a proclamation of her love for him, she is worthless to him. He is clearly desperate for recognition in this difficult time of realizing his aging and lack of power. He is willing to accept Goneril and Regans speeches because they are telling him what he wants to hear with the intent of earning power. They are

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both trying to prove themselves to him as faithful while, in reality, they are merely seeking personal gain. Yet, it is the honest sister, Cordelia, who is banished. This shows that people can be desperate for approval and willing to lie to themselves and others to achieve what they desire. In times of difficulty, families can struggle to maintain positive relationships due to selfish aspirations being a primary concern. Furthermore, throughout the play, loyalty is tested with several characters simply striving to gain power and deceiving others to get was they desire. Very few characters are loyal to Lear; however, Lear is fooled through disguise and trickery. Not only is Lear hoodwinked during the play, but many other characters face a lack of loyalty from their family and supposed friends. For example, Gloucester is betrayed by one of his sons, Edmund. Edmund is considered an illegitimate son of Gloucesters, and he fears that this negative status will deprive him of a decent share of his fathers title. He schemes to frame his brother, Edgar, in order to trick his father into believing Edgar is violent and plans to kill him. O madam, my old heart is cracked; its cracked (2.1.106). Gloucester is deeply saddened by the supposed betrayal of Edgar and the use of saying his heart is cracked implies his sorrow. Also, the description of old heart emphasizes the vulnerability Gloucester has both in the sense that he is devastated by what Edmund is telling him and also the fact that he has fallen victim to his sons lies. This situation shows that disloyalty can destroy any relationship. Edgars treachery, while it is a ruse, greatly depresses Gloucester. In addition, Edmund proves his unfaithfulness to both his father and brother here. This relates back to the concept that desperate and selfish people can go to great lengths to receive what they desire. Shakespeare depicts this notion through the plethora of disloyalty and deceit throughout the play.

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Lastly, within King Lear, Shakespeare portrays the majority of the women as conniving and manipulative people which labels women in general rather negatively. The only positive aspect of Shakespeares portrayal of women is the idea that they are strong and powerful figures who are determined throughout the play to earn what they believe they deserve. With the exception of Cordelia, Lears daughters are both scheming throughout the play in order to achieve authority and power. Lear eventually breaks down when he realizes that his daughters have been disloyal to him, even Cordelia despite her good intentions. Let copulation thrive, for Gloucesters bastard son was kinder to his father than my daughters (4.6.132-134). While Lear is at his least sane state of mind at this point in the play, this negative delineation of women implies their status to be lesser. To say that a bastard son is better than his own daughters implies that they are terrible and selfish people. Lear continues to compare women in general to animals which also associates women to be devious and less important than men. Shakespeares choice to have both Goneril and Regan to be terrible women may show his lower status of women. This applies to the theme of selfishness intruding upon healthy relationships because this cunning status with which Shakespeare shows women is a significant contributor to the tragic ending of the play. The two meddling sisters go through the play purely concerned with their own well being which causes a great deal of trouble showing that selfishness can be extremely detrimental to anyone involved. On the whole, Shakespeare implies a lot about the disadvantageous effects of selfish people in multiple situations in King Lear. Family relationships are tested when valuable titles and possessions are within reach, practically every character displays disloyalty at some point during the play, and women are shown with a lower status and are desperate to achieve better. Each of these difficult issues originated from greedy interests. Shakespeare shows that such selfishness

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can consume people as well as harm several people. While not every situation relating to being selfish end as tragically as it does in King Lear, it certainly can relate to the fact that friendships and family relations tend to gain stability from more altruistic actions.