There is this rampant sisterly rivalry and a tragically farcical plot in King Lear that I believe definitely draws attention to being motherless. The mother as a figure in the family is crucial for nurturing and without it the children could subsequently turn out maladjusted. Lear has three daughters- Goneril and Regan I vision being the elder and more close in age with the youngest being Cordelia who must have been considerably younger. The daughters are grown and there is no mention of their mother. I could say that their mother died when the girls were young but that would not make sense if I assume that Cordelia is so much younger.
I could deduce, however, that Goneril and Regan did spend more time with their mother and that perhaps the mother died in childbirth with Cordelia. Perhaps their mother was as coniving and avaricious as the eldest daughters.
That being said, I think that Lear's feminine side might be stronger than he comes to realize. I believe he loves his daughters but because he is detached from them in a men-are-from-mars kind of way, he does not understand them fully and just loves them for being his offspring. Whether it be dementia or just sheer absentmindedness, he does not grasp his daughters' feelings and, eventually, it confounds him. I think that he resents his wife's death because perhaps with her at his side he would not have been so betrayed. He is left short-changed and that could be what makes the tragedy. Even if his wife was as evil as his eldest daughters, he might have been able to forsee mutiny.
The lack of a literal and figurative femine side put Lear at a disadvantage and it was only when all was at a loss did he realize this. Lear is but a man, human and prone to making mistakes. I don't think he was afraid to evoke his feminine side; I think he just wasn't aware that he had one.
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Good point, I don't think he was afraid to evoke his feminine side; I think he just wasn't aware that he had one, I had not thought of it in that manner. I disagreed almost entirely that Lear was becoming more in touch with his feminine side as he was losing everything he held dear. I think Lear was simply reacting to the hand he was dealt. I feel he was being made more humbled not more womanly. I understand that emotions or tears are sometimes seen as a more feminine thing, but why...can this man not feel and show emotion as his world crashes around him without being pointed at as being feminine...I feel a bit strongly about this whole issue...I am uncertain why...Great blog!!!
ReplyDeleteI would like to argue on the other side, Morgan, that why is it when people point to his show of emotion and call it "feminine," that we, as females, are offended? I think society has taught us that being emotional and having a tendency toward tears,and other "feminine" qualities, are signs of weakness. Personally, I think those of us with a knack for being emotional show just as much strength, just in another way. We aren't afraid to show ourselves as we really think and feel.
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing wrong with being feminine, even in every cliche meaning of the word.
Oh, and please don't think that I'm insuating that you think there is something wrong with it. Just going on yet another rant because, like you, I feel strongly about this whole subject. :-)
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