Greed, understood for the purposes of this essay as being an intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth or power, is both a theme and characteristic commonly utilised within literary works, both characterising villain characters and catalysing thought regarding individual morality and ethical ‘right and wrong.’ In both Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist and Shakespeare’s King Lear, greed is a key theme which defines both character relations and the flow of the work in general. Both authors, Shakespeare and Jonson, utilise the theme/trait in similar ways, highlighting the frailty of human composure and morals, shedding light on social ills and hypocrisy. Lear being a tragedy and The Alchemist being a comedy, these utilise the emotion of greed in disparate ways, and when compared, provide a comprehensive analysis of the various ways in which greed can be acted on and responded to. In both King Lear …show more content…
The folly of mistrust as committed by both men in Act I, scene i haunts both for the course of the play - eventually resulting in civil disorder and both of their deaths. The main characters infected with emotion, Goneril, Regan and Edmund, are not fully fleshed out characters, but rather then personifications of greed and vice. The embracement of greed and unflinching, unwavering pursuit of power and gratification lead to their personal destructions in addition to the destruction of social order within the kingdom of England. As psychoanalyst Erich Fromm posited, “Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.” As Goneril, Regan and Edmund independently pursue power and sexual satisfaction, they more and more forsake their humanity and those close to them; betraying their siblings, fathers and, in the case of the sisters,