KING LEAR
BY GEORGE GRANT

     I see King Lear as a story which tells of the power of love as well as the consequences that it can present. From the start of the play, we are introduced to an aging king who urges his daughters to express their love for him. I notice that the same thing happens when people do not have a sense of security with their family, friends, or work. They begin to ask questions in hopes that their superstition is incorrect. A secure person does not feel the need to hear their close ones express their love because actions speak louder than words. The reason King Lear asks to hear what his daughters feel about him, is because he is insecure about their relationship and wants to make sure his fortune is given away to people that will stick with him through his retirement. When he asks his daughters “Which of you shall we say doth love us most, That we our largest bounty may extend Where nature doth with merit challenge.” he wants to make sure that he gives his fortune to the one who he thinks will love him for who he is and not for the power he yields.

     I see many similarities of King Lear in everyday life. Constantly, we humans are searching for approval from others that we go to great depths to earn it. My generation is fueled upon pictures on a screen and the amount of likes it receives. It’s this fake world where people gain satisfaction from all the “lovely” comments and the “plentiful” likes their photo receives. When we say King Lear is a timeless artwork, I did not see it at first until I started to dig deeper to the metaphorical human analysis that Shakespeare presents us with. This leads me to the theory that the importance of art is to critically embody the culture and society it was constructed in so that future generations can relate and learn from it. The story of King Lear is a very fictional story in our era, but its societal implications are still very prevalent in the society that I live in.

     Back to the theme of love in the story... King Lear’s insecurity about his love from Cordelia moves him to shun her from his sight all because he was blinded by his pride. As Lear gives Cordelia away to the duke of France he even says “for we have no such daughter, nor shall ever see that face of hers again.” He should be proud and happy to finally find a good man to marry his daughter away yet he decides to continue to bait Cordelia. His relationship with his daughters is inhibited because of his inability to see the truth. People tend to be so caught up in the moment that they act irrationally or do not even understand why they are so angry. The King Lear story could have been avoided if King Lear took a second to step back and see the bigger picture. But that’s not the story and that is not what he did. His actions from the start created consequences that ultimately led him and his beloved daughter to their demise. All because he just wanted to know that he was loved in his family.

     That is the power of love. It is what creates passionate and determined people however when used irrationally, the worst can come from it. Love that is blind, is the most destructive force that man creates. The reason the divorce rate in America is almost 50% of all marriages in America is because so many people rush in relationships because they are blinded by the true nature of their significant other. A more extreme example of unsound love can be pointed at the men in Hollywood who recently have been put on the spotlight for their sexual misconduct. These men were given so much power by their industry that they almost felt invincible and acted irrationally. Hollywood was almost creating a culture where these men can and will get away with this kind of behavior. These men then utilize their power to put people in horrendous situations where they feel that they needed to acquiesce in order to gain success. The men’s love of power blind them from seeing what is right, whereas the victims are blinded by their passions-- whether it be acting, directing, or filming. King Lear’s behavior closely resembles the behavior of many people today which shows that love has the power to either better or destroy the world we live in.