Loyalty is a fickle mistress. At times she is a guiding figure, giving heart to the protagonist’s quest. Other times she betrays the protagonist, turning those one trusts against themselves. Important to note is that loyalty is neither good nor evil, but a means to justify one’s actoins. Two classic examples of loyalty’s nature is The Aeneid and King Lear. In The Aeneid, Aeneas finds himself amongst the chaos of Troy’s death, torn between loyalty to his family and loyalty to his supposed fate. King Lear finds himself facing a sharp betrayal at his two supposed loving and loyal daughters. These narratives highlight the nature of loyalty, that it transcends good or evil, and instead is a means to justify one’s actions. King Lear finds himself in a conflict with his daughters due to his inability to properly assess the loyalty of them. At the start of the play King Lear poses a question to his three daughters, “Which of you shall we say doth love us most?”(Shakespeare, Act.Scene.Line) …show more content…
Loyalty entails an appreciation of the one that you are loyal to. To be loyal to someone is to trust, respect, and believe in what they are. Thus when Lear asks his daughters how much they love him, he is assessing the level of loyalty for him they poses. Tragically, as is the nature of King Lear, Lear misreads his daughter’s loyalty. Goneril and Regan offer up flowery language and lofty claims of their love, (Goneril to Lear) “I love you more than words can wield the matter…” and Regan’s words “I am alone felicitate in your dear highness’ love,” falsely portraying their loyalty to him (insert citation act.scene.line). Lear has fallen into the trap of thinking that loyalty is guided by morality. Loyalty doesn’t