Blog 2

4. Leo Tolstoy tells us in the first line of his great novel Anna Karenina, “All happy families resemble one another, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Lear’s is obviously an unhappy family, as is Gloucester’s. Explore the source of the unhappiness in both of the families. What is it that has torn each one apart? Some sin of the fathers? Or of the children? Human nature? What is wrong here? Are there any similarities between the two, or are they indeed “both unhappy in their own way?”

Both families are unhappy because of unfaithfulness. King Lear is unhappy because, of the two daughters he divided the kingdom with, both have betrayed him, taken away all power, and stripped him of everything he had as king. It is partially his fault as he took a sin of gluttony and then took it farther as he only wanted verbal praise. This led to him disinheriting the only daughter that truly loved him. When the kingdom was split up the two daughters that received portions of it decided that they had no reason to keep respecting their father and could do what they wanted.

Gloucester is torn apart by the greed of a bastard son whose bastard way is going to cause his father and his other non bastard son to fight against each other. It is based on deception and false trust. It seems to be nature of different people but I would say that loyalty in this case is the ultimate reason for the betrayal.

Blog 1

How do you understand the relationship between Cordelia and Lear? He seems to love her, and she him, but how? Why is she unable to speak when her very survival depends on her speaking? Why is he unable to hear her truth?
To take the same concept from another angle…. While her sisters’ speeches are excellent examples of verbal manipulation, the one person (Cordelia) who goes in honestly with Lear’s best interests at heart is punished because she doesn’t want (or know how to) “play the game.” Have you seen situations like this? Have you used your powers of manipulation to get what you want? Have you been the loser in a game like this?

The relationship between Cordelia and Lear is one of love the only problem is that they both express their love differently. Cordelia tends to give herself to someone and is by them to show them that she cares while Lear wants someone that will flatter him as much as they can. Because Cordelia sees this as an untrue representation of love she cannot bring herself to flatter him. She instead says that she cannot express herself other than her actions. She also disproves her other sisters that are saying that they have given themselves to Lear even though they are married and in all reality they must have given at least part of themselves to their husband.

I have been in a situation like this where I am able to verbally make someone believe me. When this happened I simply took something completely unrelated to the subject and would bring it into the conversation. This simply draws attention from me towards someone else and also destroys credibility. Verbal manipulation really does not work too often simply because it is a fight of logic not of anything else