William Shakespeare s King Lear - 2234 Words

In the world of Shakespeare’s King Lear, the themes of justice and injustice pervade. Viewers are challenged by the dichotomy between man’s inherent goodness and man’s inherent evil. The concepts of justice and injustice are always rooted in the presumption of imbalances of some kind, and this is certainly the case in King Lear. It is littered with imbalances throughout, including the struggles between young and old, good and evil, rich and poor. The play can be seen as a series of trials eventually ending in what some may regard as justice and others may regard as grotesque nihilism (Snyder 3) at its finest. Whether or not there is any justice in the world of King Lear leads to the question of divine justice and its role in the play.†¦show more content†¦The play begins with the first trial and ultimately the first injustice. King Lear’s arrogant, foolish plan is to divide his kingdom up amongst his three daughters while still retaining the comf orts and honor associated with being king. Instead of divvying his kingdom up equally between the sisters, Lear decides who will get which portion of the kingdom on the basis of who can display the most filial love for him. Tell me, my daughters, (Since now we will divest us both of rule, Interest of territory, cares of state) Which of you shall we say doth love us most That we our largest bounty may extend Where nature doth with merit challenge? (1.1.49-54) Goneril and Regan extravagantly oblige their father and shower him in praise and love, and in return each receive a third of the kingdom. When Cordelia is asked what she can say to convince her father she loves him the most and is deserving of a large portion of the kingdom, she simply replies with â€Å"Nothing, my Lord† (1.1.88). Cordelia refuses to participate in this absurd contest and recognizes that it is an inane, ridiculous request. â€Å"A sort of shameful reticence seems to ally with her refusal to accept a rhetorical competitive context, which, according to Cordelia, excludes the possibility of expressing true feelings. It therefore happens that Cordelia s inability or unwillingness to compete with