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Madness in King Lear: Act 4. Madness in King Lear: Act 4 In Shakespeare's
play King Lear, Shakespeare introduces many themes. The ...
The Fool And Cordelia: Opposing Influences On King Lear. ... However, the Fool
speaks to the king candidly, a rare occasion in Lear’s life. ...
King Lear'S Madness. In a writing of Shakespeare’s play “King Lear”, the main character
is King Lear who starts off as a respected and powerful king. ...
King Lear summarry. In Britain there was a powerful king. His name is
King Lear. The story begins when King Lear decides it is ...
tragedy of king lear. The Tragedy ... of others. With every tragic story comes
a tragic hero. The tragic hero of the story is King Lear. ...
Submitted by ap_ml4ever on December 11, 2006
Category: English
Words: 530 | Pages: 3
Views: 150
Popularity Rank: 70,368
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When Jane Smiley wrote A Thousand Acres, she consciously made the story parallel to Shakespeare's King Lear for several reasons. The novel's characters and basic storyline are almost direct parallels to King Lear, but Smiley's dissatisfaction with the traditional interpretation of King Lear is showcased in her modern day version (Berne 236).
The story of the Cook family is almost a carbon copy of the saga of Lear's family. The ruler, or father, possesses so much power that he is driven to insanity. Both divide up their kingdoms and land, giving the largest portion to the most "loving" daughter: "In spite of that inner clang, I tried to sound agreeable. 'It's a good idea.' Rose said, 'It's a great idea.' Caroline said, 'I don't know.'" (Smiley 19).
In each family, one daughter, the youngest, rebels against her father's wishes and is not given any land.
Cordelia: Nothing, my lord.
Lear: Nothing?
Cordelia: Nothing.
Lear: Nothing will come of nothing: speak again.
Cordelia: Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave My heart into my mouth. I love your majesty/ According to my bond; nor more nor less. (Shakespeare I. i. 89-94)
Shortly after giving up his power, the father realizes that he is nothing without it and appears to be slowly becoming insane. In both instances, the father, in a crazed moment, wanders off and puts himself in a life-threatening situation. In the end the youngest daughter comes to the fathers' rescue.
With so many basic plot similarities, Smiley manages to convey a new take on an old-fashioned story. At the end of King Lear, Lear traditionally is believed to be a changed man. Smiley doesn't buy into this common belief; therefore Larry Cook remains a static character throughout the novel. He never changes his attitude towards his possessions, his daughters and his land. Another difference that contributes to...
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