Old King Lear

Acting

I watched a production of King Lear in high school, done by a high school, and I honestly assumed that once I actually started reading it I would suddenly have all of these "aha!" moments where I realized that the play I saw wasn't that great of a telling. Surprisingly, that has not been the case thus far. My initial thoughts about King Lear match perfectly with my thoughts of him as I read this play.

Anyway. One of the most interesting aspects of this play so far is the power struggle that runs through each storyline. Even down to the servants-Kent is trying to do right by his king, and instead gets treated like a cheap villain. That type of thing. Edmund wants the glory and power that his brother has, and Goneril and Regan want the power that their aging father is clinging to. The power that they seek overrules the familial connections that should be of the utmost importance. I was particularly intrigued by the treatment of Lear by Goneril and Regan during Act II, when they keep denying him access to their homes, and by attempting to reduce his number of servants, they essentially undermine his power and authority. As they take away the number of people who are literally there to serve and obey him, they are increasingly reducing his symbolic power over both them and the world. The fewer people at his command, the less powerful he is. I find it a great use of a tangible, quantifiable tactic that knocks him down a rung, more than once. And if you think about it, power is the ultimate undoing in the beginning as well. Lear isn't really that concerned with "love", in the traditional sense in Act I. He isn't asking them if they love him. He's a powerful king who wants to be sure that he adored, and that his love can be rewarded with monetary gain. Interesting commentary on power..