King Lear

Play by Shakespeare
Summary of the plot or story
The story of King Lear, an aging monarch who is headstrong old man who is
blind to his weaknesses, decides to divide his kingdom amongst his three
daughters, according to which one recites the best declaration of love. Goneril
and Regan who are the selfish daughters of Lear who pretend to love him but
later treat him cruelly. Cordelia who is the loyal and unselfish daughter of Lear.
He disowns her after confusing her honesty with insolence. Edgar is Gloucester's
loyal son and heir and Edmund is Gloucester's evil bastard son. At first the
family appear to be loving and caring but this could not be further from the
truth. As the characters unfold we find greed, betrayal, lust for power, and
cruelty. In other words, they are anything but normal and caring. The end of the
play ends in death everywhere. Regan dies after being poisoned by Goneril.
Goneril stabs herself to death. Edgar reveals his true identity to his father, but
the old man dies. Mortally wounded, Edmund becomes remorseful and
countermands his order to hang Cordelia. But it is too late, and Cordelia dies.
.Lear, now a broken man, falls upon Cordelia and also dies

The settings for King Lear

The setting is England

The theme of King Lear

.The play is categorised as a Tragedy

History of King Lear

King Lear was based on an aged monarch who was abused by his children. The
origins are a folk tale that appeared first in written form in the 12th century and
was based on spoken stories that originated much further back into the Middle
.Ages

The appeal of the people that Shakespeare created

The most famous of playwrights - the most famous of plays. The plots range from
comedy to tragedy and the great male and female comic and tragic characters
who bring the plots and stories to life are the wonderful people that the great
Bard created. Not only do we remember the stories but we remember the people
- we all have our favourites. But the plays of William Shakespeare go even
further - we actually recall exactly what an individual character says! How many
of us can quote from movies that we have seen? There are a few. But not many !
Compare these multi-million dollar movies to the plays of the Bard. Here are a
few examples of why the works of the Bard live on for hundreds of years after
they were written and why we can all relate to the picture that the character has
painted and why the great, the good, the comic and the evil characters of William
Shakespeare will never be forgotten:
"This above all: to thine own self be true" Hamlet quote (Act I, Sc. III)

"In my mind's eye". Hamlet quotation (Quote Act I, Scene II)

"Cry ' Havoc ' and let slip the dogs of war". Julius Caesar Quote (Act III, Sc. I)

" In the twinkling of an eye". The Merchant of Venice Quote Act ii. scene. 2

"The course of true love never did run smooth". A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Quote (Act I, Scene I)

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as
sweet". Romeo and Juliet Quote ( Act II, Sc. II)

Love, hate, anger, revenge, prejudice, humour, jealousy, revenge, deceit - we can
relate to all of the emotions and all of the people that the great Bard has given to
us.

Importance of the Parallel Plot in Kige Lear

Literature can be expressed using many different techniques and

styles of writing, some very effective and others not as much. One of the

methods chosen by many is the use of so called "parallel" plots.

"Parallel" plots, or sometimes referred to as minor, give the opportunity

of experiencing a secondary storyline going along with the main plot that

otherwise would be unmentioned. William Shakespeare shows excellent use of

a parallel plot in his play"King Lear", but some question it's

essentiality by asking: Is it really necessary? Does it help the story or

does it degrade it? Is the Gloucester's plot really needed? Many argue

that it is very important and others say it is completely useless. This

essay will try to prove that the parallel plot used in " King Lear " is

needed and it adds to overall value of the play.

Like any other kind of literature " King Lear " contains many themes;
one of which is the "parent-child relationship" conflict. Relationship

problems are very common, not only in novels but also in everyday life.

Lear starts the entire dilemma of hate and destruction by his foolish

desire for flattery. He divides his kingdom between two of his daughters

and the never ending crave for power and wealth begins. As we can assume

from the play's title, Lear and his daughters are part of the main plot.

The plot of Gloucester and his sons, is considered parallel.

Gloucester is portrayed also with family problems. He experiences

trouble with his two sons, Edgar and Edmund. This parallel plot that ties

in with the main one sometimes actually comes into unison and characters

interact with each other.

The parallel plot can be taken into account as a "back-up" or

"supporting" one. It proves the point Shakespeare is trying to make in his

main plot. Gloucester's problems can be compared with Lear's and

similarities can be found very easily. Both fathers have serious

difficulties with their children. We can even say that Gloucester's plot

acts as an "echo" since it repeats some of the events which took place

earlier, only it uses different characters and settings.

The theme of craving for power is also found in both plots.

Goneril and Regan can be said to be cold and evil judging from the

irrational actions they took to gain the materialistic possessions.

Edmund's character cruises along the same tracks - "power and wealth is the
goal". All three have disrespected their father and caused major

destruction to the family.

Shakespeare's use of Gloucester's plot in the play gives the reader

opportunity to experience the dilemmas and their answers not just once, but

twice. The reader can catch up on any previously overlooked points even

though different characters and situations are presented.

The parallel plot also allows the story to be more eventful, more

dramatic and tragic. There are more characters introduced and length of

the play increases. The original story would be much shorter and duller.

By using the extra plot, more action is allowed and more interest may arise

from the reader or audience. Also the play becomes more realistic when the

scene is filled with people and everyone has various assignments. The

story becomes deeper and more enjoyable.

Even though Gloucester and Lear interact with each other in the

play, they are considered two different plots. Without the minor plot, the

play would not get as much detail and the point would not be proven as

effective as it is. The ideas would not be passed through as they were

accomplished with the use of it. The play gains a lot through the addition

of the minor plot and is considered excellent.

As we can see from the above arguments, the parallel plot is really

essential in the play and ignoring it would be negligent. It is a very

important part of "King Lear" and it serves a great purpose. If William

Shakespeare ignored the plot in the first place, his point would not be

passed through at the level it is passed on now. I am sure Shakespeare

knew it very well that Gloucester's character and actions help to

understand the play better and improve it. The answer to many who question

the parallel plot and it's presence is simple. The plot is necessary and

without it, the play would not reach the position at which it stands right

now. William Shakespeare was aware that by including the so called

parallel plot, he was increasing the value of his own work. Gloucester's

plot is one of the essential parts of the entire play. Removal or

ignorance of it will diminish the significance of the entire idea.

How to Cite this Page

MLA Citation:
"plotlear King Lear Essays: Importance of the Parallel Plot in King Lear."
123HelpMe.com. 10 Dec 2008
<http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=17310>.