Examples Of Greed In King Lear

The abuse of power and greed committed and possessed by various characters of the play including Lear allows for the disruption of the natural order that puts Lear himself in a position where he is, to a large degree, a victim of the forces of evil against him. The third act of Shakespeare’s famed tragedy, King Lear, demonstrates, what may well be the epitome of a tragic hero as defined by Aristotle, wandering the heath in self-pity and misfortune as he is stripped of power and abandoned by his own daughters, Goneril and Regan. The accuracy of Lear’s self-pitying proclamation of being ‘a man more sinned against than sinning’ however, remains an area of scholarly disagreement. Ian Johnston, a professor of Malaspina University, acknowledges the

Lear, who wishes to “to shake all cares and business from our age/Conferring them on younger strength while we/ Unburdened crawl toward death” (Act I, scene i) by dividing his kingdom, the manifestation of his authority and power, amongst his daughters. In the eyes of an Elizabethan audience, the very act of resigning the throne and giving up his kingdom would be regarded as sinful as it is seen as the repudiation of responsibilities to God. Therefore, the natural order which reigns over the forces of evil is disrupted by Lear resulting in a chain reaction of events that lead to his downfall. Furthermore, by passing on his kingdom to his daughters, Goneril and Regan, Lear unknowingly fulfils their thirst for power and gives them the strength to act upon their selfish intentions which happens to affect Lear. This is corroborated by Ian Johnston who states that, “They [Goneril and Regan] are ambitious women who have waited a long time to receive their power…and once they have the power, they are anxious to use it for their own immediate self-interest.” Lear’s sin, involving the abuse of power derived from his sovereign position, led to the creation of a chaotic environment in which his conniving daughters can act against him Hence, Lear brings upon himself the forces of