Cultural Context is an Important Form of Storytelling, in Relation to Power Discuss This in Relevance to King Lear.

In 'King Lear' cultural context is an important form of storytelling, in 'King Lear' cultural context and the theme of power are intrinsically linked, those who have power is relative to the time, this is present in King Lear due to the text being set set in the Elizabethan period the power is held by men and their legitimate sons. In this essay i will discuss power and who hold power in King Lear, through the characters of Cordelia, Regan and Edmund.

In 'King Lear', power is held by men. This is seen from the beginning, when Lear s dividing his kingdom between his daughters. The women are entitled to their inheritances firm their father because the are women, their inheritance belongs to their husbands . This establishes the position of women in this text and the little power they can hold.In this scene the relationship of power with gender can been seen when Lear disowns Cordelia and retracts her dowry. Lear as her father, has total control over Cordelia, he owns her until she is married off. Due to Lear disowning her and leaving her no inheritance which was meant to act as her dowry should be detrimental to Cordelia. And as a woman at that time, it is virtually impossible to be independent, her dowry should have been vital to her getting married. Lear holds all of the power over her and her life, he owns her and can at any time take away her dowry to prevent her from getting married, when he decides to do this she is left with nothing. In seconds Lear took everything away from her because he had total control over her.She was no power over herself and her life

As woman in the time of the text Cordelia has little power,when two suitors arrive, Lear asks the suitors France and Burgundy what is the lowest dowry they would accept to marry Cordelia for. she is traded because she was property owned by, first her father and then her husband, because Lear was upset with her he could take her dowry from her, her dowry reflects her value, as a person her whole value is this sum of money, which because she upset him Lear can totally irradiate. Cordelia is being totally controlled by Lear, she has no power. Her inheritance was never hers, from the beginning it belonged to her future husband. Her future husband has not been decided but he already owned anything she was entitled to. Cordelia has so little power this is reflected in the value she is seen by the men around her to hold, her value to Lear is very clear because it is reflected in her dowry. Cordelia's value (through her dowry) is totally controlled by Lear, showing what little power she has over her own life.

Cordelia's value is totally reflected by her dowry, this shows how little respect women had at the time."When she was dear to us we did hold her so". Having a sum of money reflect your total value is dehumanizing and reflects the societal view of women.Her value is reflected to her suitors through her dowry, by taking her dowry away all of Cordelia's value that is recognised by society is removed. However France sees other value in Cordelia, "She is herself a dowry". Other than her dowry, the men in the text recognise Cordelia's beauty as the other aspect of her that is valuable. As a woman her beauty is valued but she is not valued by society, she is seen as lesser and her beauty the only aspect of her that is valued. Because she is not valued by her society she is not seen as equal this is another contubuting factor to her lack of power in teh text. In teh text she is seen as lesser becuse she is a woman, therefore she cannot hold any power. 

The theme of power with relation to cultural context is also seen in the character Regan .Similarly to Cordelia, Regan does not own her inheritance from Lear.  Anything Regan is entitled to, belongs to her husband Cornwall. She has no power over her property or entitlement to gain power. When Lear is dividing his kingdom, he adresses Cornwall instead of Regan, "our son of Cornwall", Regan is blatantly excluded from the discussion because even though it is her property she will never touch it because she is a woman and belongs to her husband. She cannot hold any power because the society that she lives in will not allow her the same freedoms as the men in the text.

When in the final scene Regan decides to marry Edmund, she tries to exercises the little power she does have. She can decide if Edmund gets to rule with her. She seems to despise the men in her life, first her father Lear and secondly her husband. These men in her life hold power by

Comparative Essay

Both Matthew Warchus' 'Pride' and Shakespeare's 'King Lear' have the theme of power . In both texts the theme of power is relative to the time, with minority groups holding little power. In 'Pride', the minorty groups who do not have power are the miners (such as the the Welsh mining village of Dulais) and the LGBT (such as the LGSM) communities. In 'King Lear', the minority groups who do not hold power are women (such as Goneril, Regan and Cordelia) and illegitimate children (such as Edmund). In both texts there are minorities who old little power because of social attitudes and structures of the time and attempt to join together to help  each other overcome adversity.

Both 'Pride' and 'King Lear' have examples of characters who show the power minorities held at the time the texts are set. Joe from 'Pride' and Cordelia's in 'King Lear'  power and freedoms are restricted by their families in the text because of the cultural context. They defy the social norms and subsequently their families. In 'King Lear', Cordelia does not have a lot of power because she is a woman. Her father, King Lear, owns her before she is married because of the way society operated at the time. After she is married she belongs to her husband and her inheritance from her father belongs to her husband, France. She has little power and is not entitled to her own property. Cordelia cannot have power if she cannot be independent, her voice and opinions will all no hold the same weight as a man's because she is seen as lesser. Cordelia's life is always in a state of instability because she is a woman. This is seen in the first scene, where Lear strips her of her dowry . A similar situation can be seen in 'Pride'. Joe's life is in a state of insatiability because of his sexuality. He has little freedoms because he feels under control of his parents. Like Cordelia, he doesn't want to upset his family. But he has to in order to live his truth and be honest. Before he comes out he was little power, his choices are made with his family in mind, he wants to please them . As a young adult he is is very reliant on his parents like Cordelia is reliant on Lear and like Cordelia he tries to keep them happy by pretending to  be someone he's not. When Joe comes out he leaves home because his parents won't respect and love him the same . This shows the lack of power held by both Joe in 'pride' and Cordelia in 'King Lear'. 

Both texts have characters who experience oppression which is reflected in the laws at the time. Lear's daughters (Cordelia, Goneril and Regan) in 'King Lear' and Joe in 'Pride', are restricted by the laws of the time because in 'King Lear' they are women and in 'Pride' Joe is a gay man.The laws reinforce In 'King Lear', Lear's daughters are not able to own land or have significant power. Instead a man (either their husband or father), owns their property. The laws in the text restrict women and contribute to the unequal society which is seen in the text, where women hold little power. This situation is also  seen in 'Pride'. In 'Pride' Joe, as a gay man is held to a different standard than his straight peers. The age of consent is 21 for gay men . This like 'King Lear' shows a minority group being othered and restricted by the laws which are strict reinforcement of societal beliefs and norms. The lack of power held by minorty groups in 'Pride' and 'King Lear' is refected in the laws that reinforce the societal norms which are restricting both groups.

In both texts women's voices do not carry the same weight as the men in the text, the women in the texts fight to be heard and hold power equally to the men in the text. In 'King Lear' this is seen in Cordelia, Goneril, Reagan and the men who try to defend them. In 'Pride' it is seen in the lesbians in LGSM who feel like they aren't being listened to.In 'King Lear', Regan and Goneril desperately want the power that their husbands hold on their behalf. Cordelia is seen as a perfectly idealistic and moral figure for refusing to deceive her father to come closer to gaining power. Lear asking his daughters to express how much they love him is an exercise of power, he has so much power over them he can do what he wants and this degrading demand shows that. Regan and Goneril, while they are deceiving him, are trying to gain power in whatever way they can in a world designed to make sure they cannot gain power. The text its self frames Cordelia as a heroin and Regan and Goneril as villains and immoral A simliar situauion is seen in 'Pride'. In 'Pride' 

The Themes of Friendship in Pride (2014)

One of the major themes of the film Pride is that of friendship and unity.
Although the mining community in Wales and the homosexual activists in London are culturally opposed; they realize that through their unity, they are stronger against the opposition.
When the 'Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners' first arrive at the Welsh mining community, they are ostracized by the local members. Through the kindness, understanding and acceptance of Dai, Hefina and Cliff; the Welsh locals begin to accept and bond with the LGSM members and a bridge of unity is built between the two groups.

Lear's control and power over his daughters

         Lear's respect towards his daughters and the control he                                               has over them

The novel I've studied and will be writing about is King Lear by Shakespeare.

In King Lear, in terms of cultural context, we see just how much control and little respect fathers can have for their daughters.

Fathers had complete and utter control over their daughters, their life choices and usually had little respect towards to them because women were seen as inferior compared to men. We see this in King Lear through out the play.

 Lear has complete and utter control over his daughters and their future. The example that I'll be using is Act I, Scene II when King Lear is choosing his daughters suitors.This is cultural context in a sense that fathers got to choose their daughters husbands and the daughters had absolutely no say in whether they wanted that husband, let alone if they wanted that husband at all. This is completely normal for women and are very much so used to it as we don't see any of them protest against is, indicating they're used to have absolutely now power in their life and the choices they make. We can see that this affects women as Goneril hates her husband, Albany. We can see that she despises him because at the end of the play she falls for Edmund and orders him to kill Albany so they can be together. This could have been avoided if Lear had let Goneril choose a man who she actually liked but that realistically would have never happened in that time period.

Lear also has usually very little respect for their daughters and their dignity. The example I'm going to use is in the same scene, when Lear spirals into a fit of rage after Cordelia doesn't tell him how much she loves him. In the scene, we see how quickly Lear snaps at Cordelia even though he refers to her as his favorite. After calling her many hurtful names in front a room full of potential suitors, her sisters and important individuals, he then begins to offer to the remaining suitors. He doesn't do it a pleasant way but he makes her out to be burden and as if she's a cow getting auctioned off at a farmers market. "Take her or leave her" he says to Burgundy who turns her away considering she's now powerless and has nothing to her name. Cordelia probably isn't used to this considering Lear openly exclaims that she is his favorite. How much did he actually love Cordelia if he was able to disown her so quickly? This shows how little respect for her.

We sometimes see Lear intertwining the two (the two being having little respect and having power over his daughters. The example I'm going to use is when Lear curses Goneril to be infertile.This is a huge deal as back in Elizabethan times women were seen to be practically useless to society so their main purpose was to birth and raise children for the husband so for Lear to take this away from Goneril is an act of pure hatred towards her and power over her, not only because he's her father but also because he's King which makes him think he's got more more of an advantage when it comes to talking to the gods. I think that the reason why Goneril and Regan have so little respect for him when he really was vulnerable is because of how little he had towards them when they were growing up considering Cordelia was noticeably his favorite which must have made them feel worthless if your father, the one who's meant to love and protect you, makes you feel second best.

Comparative Essay:

The origin of parents respect and power over their children is seen in both texts. Both texts have characters who have parents who have so much control over them yet little respect towards them. 

In King Lear, Cordelia especially is the character who Lear had so much power over and so little respect towards. Even in the first scene we see how Lear gets to choose who Cordelia marries. He's choosing who Cordelia is going to spend the rest of her life with and isn't factoring in her happiness or who she actually likes. In terms of respect, when Cordelia refuses to tell Lear how much he loves her as she doesn't feel the need to, he spirals into a fit of rage and then somewhat raffles her off to the remaining suitors leaving Cordelia mortified as it was in a room full of her sisters and other powerful figures. Lear disowns Cordelia in a sense here. He no longer wants anything to do with her as she defied him and went against what he wanted. A similar situation is seen in the movie Pride. Joe, a gay man, is growing up in a homophobic England where being gay is the ultimate no-no. After Joe's dad find out he's gay his parents, especially his father, spiral into a fit of rage. We cant exactly tell what's being said because the scene is blurred out but we know that his parents are furious with him. They aren't factoring in that Joe can't help who he loves, but they want to force him to like women. Similarly, Lear is choosing who Cordelia and not factoring in her preference. Therefore, there is power and control over children in both texts. 

The Theme of Disguise in King Lear

Red =Example

Yellow = point

black =Analysis  

Introduction

The topic of this essay is based on 'disguise'. Alongside this Deception seems like the most prominent theme but behind this disguises like Kent's and Edger can open up opportunities for other subplots within the story. 

Disguise

There are two main parts in 'King Lear' were we see the Theme of disguise, we have Edgar and Kent.

both of them have changed their outward and vocal appearance to continue to serve the ones they are loyal too, even though they have been cast away by them before. Alongside this, both are using their disguise to protect themselves from a threat. Edgar from his father and brother. Kent from Lear and his evil daughters. 

Why has Edgar picked this disguise? Maybe he had no choice, maybe he liked it. My view is the status of the disguise. On our daily journeys, we see people that are homeless and that are less fortunate than us and we don’t acknowledge their faces or who they are we just pity them and move on. I think that’s what Edgar is trying to achieve in this situation not only hide but not be acknowledged so he can stay closer to his father and his issues without being found out by either, his father or hid evil brother Edmund.
Edgar if framed by his brother Edmund and is left to flee the kingdom as the "Poor Tom" the beggar man.  Edgar has really gone to quite the extent to achieve this disguise. 



Edgar loves his father, but Gloucester doesn't see that. Gloucester sees Edgar as the son who planned to rid him of his rule of Gloucester. Edgar is trying soo hard to stay with his father cause he loves him, but at the same time he can't risk being found out as his father has yet to find out the truth 













First is Kent, kent changes his appearance   Lear is in the middle of making his great decisions where he splits the land among his daughters. Kent tells Lear he is foolish and is immediately exiled from the kingdom. Although we know Kent cares about Lear as that is why he dares to speak out about him.

With Edgar's disguise, he was forced into it by his brother, Edmund, 

Comparative : G.V.V - Key Moment 1

Introductory statement

Quote

Linking statement

Concluding statement

Comparative
General Vision & Viewpoint

Beginning of "Pride" and "King Lear"

The General Vision & Viewpoint (G.V.V) is important in the beginning of both "Pride" and "King Lear". Both texts set the tone for the rest of the story because of the relationships established between parent and child. In "King Lear",  Lear has an altercation with his youngest and dearest daughter Cordelia. Lear is old and weary, and has decided to divide his land between his three daughters, against the better judgement of his advisers. This is similar to "Pride" when Joe and his parents fall out when they find out he's gay.  His inflated ego leads him to ask his three daughters how much they love him. While Regan and Goneril lie to Lear, Cordelia is honest and tells him she only loves him according to her bond. "I love your majesty according to my bond; no more nor less". This sends Lear into a spiraling rage. As a result, he expropriates her portion of the land. The court is in shock. Even Kent tells him he is overreacting. "Be Kent unmannerly when Lear is mad".  This problem by itself would be enough to cast an ominous shadow over the G.V.V, but as well as this, Lear offers Cordelia to two suitors - the King of France and the Duke of Burgundy. Cordelia has no say in this situation. It's as if in this scene Lear is discarding his own daughter. While this all unfolds, Goneril and Regan are plotting to solve the "problem" that is their own father. This is like "Pride" when Maureen turns on the mining community to drive the LGSM out of Dulais. They reckon he is a liability and they need to "do something" about him. These situations set a dark, negative G.V.V.  The viewer doesn't know how Lear's decisions are going to pan out, but they know that with Lear's other two daughters conspiring against him, things are not looking good.

Similarly, the G.V.V of the beginning of "Pride" starts out negative, but turns bright. In the opening scene of the play, we see the police brutalizing the striking miners. However, the rest of the introductory segment of the film is quite upbeat and positive. We are introduced to Joe, who has recently turned 20. There are celebrations in the house, and he is gifted a new camera. All seems well in Joe's family. On his way to college, he gets swept up in a Pride march, where he meets Steph and Mike. He goes to the pub with them after, and joins the LGSM (Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners). The G.V.V here is optimistic. Joe has a healthy relationship with his parents, which is contrary to Lear and his daughters he has found a new group of friends and he is embarking on an adventure with them. In conclusion, G.V.V is important to establish the tone of the film and highlight the relationships between parent and child.