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Essay / Subversion of the old order in King Lear by William Shakespeare
The tragedy ¨King Lear¨ by William Shakespeare allows us to delve into different subjects that were present in modern England. One of them is the ability to dramatize the collapse of providentialism. King Lear managed to achieve this in a variety of ways. At the same time, other characters display their way of questioning the old order. Throughout this essay, I will explore the aspects, reasons and consequences of the characters' behavior and, finally, conclude why and how the old order is overthrown. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Lear's tendency to believe that the gods will take his side leads him to make abrupt decisions regarding abandoning his inheritance . The idea of praising the gods reveals the true nature of Lear, who shows signs of blasphemy, as he swears by different gods, "Now, by Apollo." He expects the higher power to make his daughters pay for betrayal and greed, but in the meantime he is allowed to turn his daughters into objects of his discipline. Yet when Kent tries to enlighten Lear that his decisions have gone wrong, Lear stubbornly takes this as disrespect from Kent and warns him: "That you sought to make us break our vows." Lear also dramatizes the collapse of providentialism, renouncing its legacy during his lifetime. The Fool, for his part, warns him of his possible stupidity and its consequences, "Fortune, this damn flourish, / Never give the key to the poor". However, as the play progresses, so does Lear's "perception of reality." He begins to recognize that the gods are not treating him as well as expected and says, "Here you see me, you gods, a poor old man." Additionally, Lear begins to question his existential questions, as one gentleman says of Lear: "He bids the winds blow the earth into the sea / Or swell the water bent 'over the great river ", / So that things can change or stop". This leads Lear to think that the gods are indifferent to humanity, "as flies are wanton boys, so are we to the gods"; they kill us for their sport¨. Unfortunately, it is only by losing everything that he is able to admit reality as it is: "He only finds truth in madness, which represents the upheaval of the semiosis that he rejected . » In addition, some characters question the old order. For example, Lear is misogynistic and discriminates against women. He wishes to understand the girl's love and intentions in terms of materialistic forms. Lear gives his inheritance to girls who are good at speaking, but has no good intentions. Lear acknowledges his betrayal by saying, “Oh, how this mother swells to my heart! / Hysterica passio, down you climb sorrow! / Your element is at the bottom! —Where is this girl? ¨, showing disgust towards women and calling them a disease. Additionally, Cordelia is unable to express her love verbally and wonders, "What will Cordelia say?" Love and be silent. Cordelia has her own principles and wants to be honest, in this way she challenges the old order and is considered disrespectful by her father and the other characters. Edmund goes against Providentialism by acting selfish and being a complete “bastard”. Although this is no reason to be excused, he does this because his father has been disrespectful and made fun of him on several occasions, as Gloucester claims: "I have so often blushed to acknowledge it that Now I’m brave.” Keep in mind: This is just one..