How does Shakespeare use language to present the love of 3 sisters in the opening of king Lear?

My essay will be about how king Lear tries to separate his land in to three parts of land for his three daughters Goneril, Regan and Cordelia before he dies. To solve the problem he ask his three daughters “How doth loves me the most.” When the three daughters heard the the news they separated and planed that they was going to say to there father King Lear.

Shakespeare presents Goneril as false and manipulative.For example Goneril said ‘Dearer than eye sight, space and  liberty’. This shows that Goneril is manipulative because she is saying that her father is better than vision, the universe and freedom. This shows that she is lying because she is saying that her father is almost better than life itself.

Gonerill  tries to express her love by saying her farther is better than herlife

Shakespeare presents Regan as competitive and dishonest. For example, Regan says, ‘Only she comes too short’. This shows that Regan isn’t honest because she is trying to say that she should get more land than her sister but her sister’s speech is not good enough. The words ‘too short’ tells us that Goneril’s speech is not good enough. This is important because Goneril’s speech is too much and Regan is saying that Goneril’s speech doesn’t go far enough.

 

Shakespeare presents Cordelia as the most honest and polite. We know this because she says, ‘Nothing, my Lord’. This shows us that she is being honest and saying what she believes. She chooses not to speak because she knows both of her sisters are lying. She chooses not to say anything because she wants to remain truthful. By calling her father ‘my Lord’, she is showing that she is very truthful and has manners for her family. This shows that she loves her father more than her sisters because she doesn’t lie to her father.

 

In conclusion, I think that Shakespeare has written a brilliant story that explores love between three sisters and their father. In my opinion, I believe that Shakespeare presents Cordelia as the most honest because she is truthful and unlike her sisters who are telling lies to their father. this shows that Goneril and Regan don’t respect their father. They are only saying it to get the most land.

 

 

3 Comments

  1. Sam this is a very well written and well structured essay.

    Targets:

    1) You need to flesh out your analysis a little by describing the context of each of the quotations. What is going on in each of the moments and why does this create tension in the scene? What might the behaviour of the characters make the audience think and/or feel?

  2. Select a quotation unlocked!

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