Structural Analysis on King Lear
King Lear: Structural Analysis King Lear is a highly complex play filled with brutality and insanity, both of which take turns feeding off one another eventually culminating in the final scene, at which point the reader is left almost saddened and confused about the cruelty and injustice in the world. ... The main plot contains the tragedy of King Lear and his attempt to contain his two power-hungry daughters Goneril and Regan from gaining complete control of his kingdom. ... Gloucester spends much of the play trying to help Lear escape his demise and also running from his own cruel fate. It isn’t long before the two plot lines intertwine, which leads to Gloucester, his disguised son Edgar and King Lear all going crazy in attempt to stay alive and overthrow the injustice caused by their own kin. ... From the onset, King Lear comes across as a gentle, old man who recognizes his age is holding him back from continuing his reign as an effective and productive ruler. Almost immediately, Lear appears to possess the title of the protagonist as he is the one responsible for maintaining social order, in other words, the peaceful existence amongst the citizens in the kingdom prior to its division. ... Lear enjoys being the king, but he also realized his age is clouding the effectiveness of his rule. ... This would allow Lear the control he desires without the responsibility he despises. But, when Cordelia expresses her love through silence, Lear becomes angry, exiles her from the kingdom and so the initiating action is set in place. It is at this moment that Lear’s biggest flaw is revealed. ... She refuses to answer like her sisters, who fill Lear’s head with false emotions which will inevitably unfold the injustice behind their evil plot. ... Lear, in an attempt to preserve his ego, misinterprets this devotion of love for disrespect and winds up exiling the only daughter that truly loved him. Although Lear appears to be the clear-cut protagonist, Gloucester also stands out as a protagonist emerging in the sub-plot. His propulsion of the action is not as evident as is Lear’s, but he acts in a very similar fashion with his own two sons as Lear did with his daughters.