The play, King Lear, by William Shakespeare centers on an aging king who decides to divide his kingdom within his three daughters, in order to prevent any conflict after his death. The king struggles throughout a journey of wisdom and humbleness before his tragic departure. The novel, A Thousand Acres, by Jane Smiley, calls this classic tragedy from a feminist perspective and over a modern-day interpretation of King Lear. Just as the king decides to divide his kingdom, Larry chooses to divide his farmland within his three daughters. The fact that these works of literature are parallel to each other, helps us, have a better and more deepened understanding of the similar characters with more complexity. In both, A Thousand Acres and King Lear, the characters portray distinct characterizations of many parallel structures. Within these characters, Goneril and Ginny, are one of the many pairs that stand out.
First, Goneril and Ginny are introduced in distinct ways; one better than the other. Through the negative image given, Goneril is referred to as the root of evil in King Lear. Albany, Goneril’s husband, views her as the devil and tells her, “See thyself, devil! Proper deformity shows not in the fiend /So horrid as in woman.” (IV,ii,58-60). In the other hand, Ginny is portrayed with a more pleasing picture. After her mother died, her sister, Rose, and her makes breakfast for him everyday and pacify his angry. Unlike the evil image of Goneril, Ginny is more of a peaceful and