Scene III. A Room in the Duke of Albany’s Palace.
Gon.
Did my father strike my gentleman for chiding of his fool?
Osw.
Ay, madam.
Gon.
By day and night, he wrongs me; every hour
He flashes into one gross crime or other,
That sets us all at odds; I’ll not endure it:
His knights grow riotous, and himself upbraids us
On every trifle.—When he returns from hunting,
say I am sick.—
If you come slack of former services,
You shall do well; the fault of it I’ll answer.
Osw.
He’s coming, madam; I hear him.
[Horns within.]
Gon.
Put on what weary negligence you please,
You and your fellows; I’d have it come to question:
Whose mind and mine, I know, in that are one,
Not to be overruled.
That still would manage those authorities
That he hath given away!—Now, by my life,
Old fools are babes again; and must be us’d
With checks as flatteries,—when they are seen abus’d.
Remember what I have said.
Osw.
Very well, madam.
Gon.
And let his knights have colder looks among you;
What grows of it, no matter; advise your fellows so;
I would breed from hence occasions, and I shall,
That I may speak.—I’ll write straight to my sister
To hold my very course.—Prepare for dinner.
[Exeunt.]
]
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><a title="The Flaws in King Lear Essays" href="http://nathanblom.com/shakespeares-mockery-of-the-nobility-essays-katiasamisabellejosephkatherine/#KatherineEssay">Commentary for 1.3</a></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><a title="The Flaws in King Lear Essays" href="http://nathanblom.com/shakespeares-mockery-of-the-nobility-essays-katiasamisabellejosephkatherine/#KatherineEssay">by Katherine Berko</a></p>
<p><a title="The Flaws in King Lear Essays" href="http://nathanblom.com/shakespeares-mockery-of-the-nobility-essays-katiasamisabellejosephkatherine/#KatherineEssay" target="_blank">Despite this scene’s concise length, I feel that it opened up some insightful information about what Shakespeare wanted the audience to think about as they watched it. This is the scene where the eldest daughters are getting annoyed with their father and they already have received their inheritances from him. Shakespeare shows us, as an audience, that sometimes we mistreat the elderly-or treat them as if they are already dead/dying once they reach a certain age. I love that hundreds of years ago this was a prevalent issue and it continues to be today. We could say Lear has retired from his monarchy and new leaders have been chosen. So what does he do all day? One would think he would be properly respected but just like when a CEO leaves a company, he is suddenly no longer the center of attention. In fact, he is treated almost like a child. This idea of treating the elderly, wiser, longer-lived people-like children has always upset me and yet I still do it (don’t we all?). They’re older than us, have seen more and yet we forget this or we treat their knowledge as if it has expired and they no longer know what they are talking about. I feel like the elder daughters do this to Lear in this scene and it reminds me that I should be careful in how I deal with my grandparents. I do not know why humans take this stance when it comes to the older generations but we do and since we see it in Elizabethan England, have for a long time. Maybe we do it because we feel we need to show who’s boss and who makes the money now. Of course, perhaps Cordelia would not have been so quick to belittle her father but then again, how many people would have been so open about the maximum love they have for their father? Perhaps, as time goes on, we will see Cordelia presented to us as Shakespeare’s idea of an ideal human being… </a></p>
<a title="#bestgroupever" href="http://nathanblom.com/cjtnv/#MariaKolomiyetEssay" target="_blank">Why does Goneril say her father wrongs her so much and so often? It seems as if he has given her everything he can, and although he is becoming more and more senile in her eyes, he still gives her a great share of his kingdom. Possibly Goneril is bitter that she is not the favorite daughter and therefore will never entirely love her father because he never gave her as much love as he gave Cordelia. This could be connected to the parallels in mistreatment of Edmund by his father. While you want to feel bad for Edmund because he is mistreated, you cannot do so entirely because he is plotting against his family. Perhaps Edmund could be plotting simply due to the mistreatment and lack of respect he is given in comparison to Edgar. Similarly Goneril may possibly be cruel to her father because Lear never showed her the care she wanted to receive.</a> -Masha
<a title="King Lear Act 3, Scene 6" href="http://nathanblom.com/king-lear-act-3-scene-6/#KennethEssay">In both Act 1, Scene 2 and Act 1, Scene 3, Edmund and Goneril act very deviously. In Act 1, Scene 2, Edmund is very frustrated with the position he was put in in society as a bastard, and takes it out on his brother Edgar by planning to make Gloucester suspect Edgar of plotting against him. He does this in order to bring down his brother and gain his father’s inheritance, and take back the benefits he believes society took from him. In Act 1, Scene 3, Goneril commands her servants to behave rudely towards Lear and his “riotous” knights in an effort to create a conflict. These two scenes include very deceitful acts, and I wonder if this will be a recurring theme throughout the rest of the play. – Kenneth</a>
In Act 1 Scene 3, we see Goneril complaining to Oswald about her father, King Lear, and his men occupying her house. Goneril is almost afraid to speak to him, as Lear yelled at her husband for the mistreatment of a fool. Goneril tried to defend her husband’s honor by saying that the only way to keep fools in place is by reprimanding them, not by showering them with complements. She advocates for the mistreatment of the fool. To me, this reveals a lot about Goneril’s character. She is clearly accustom to a lavish lifestyle, and thinks highly of herself. She doesn’t really see the fool in question as a person, more of a lowly slave whose life goal should be to please her. This, along with her selfish actions in scene one where she sucks up to her father in an effort to win his favor, marks Goneril as a selfish, fake person in my eyes. Also, Goneril’s actions make he hesitant to trust her perspective in this scene. Are the King and his men really that much of a nuisance, or is Goneril just inhospitable? I hope her actions lead King Lear to realize that she doesn’t deserve any part of his estate. – Julie Cohen.