Both King Lear and Sunset Boulevard scrutinize the idea of the progressive madness taken on by main characters, King Lear and Norma Desmond. Their insanity is taken on through different, self-imposed reasons. For King Lear, the King, himself, is at fault as he idly watches, in a credulous role, as his daughters steal his power. Likewise, Norma Desmond plummets to the ground, along with her acting career, as she is quickly overlooked with the introduction of voice into the film industry. Through ignorance and egocentrism, both characters are at fault for their own deterioration, and eventual madness.
King Lear’s tragic story seems to rest on the blame of his three daughters and their sinister acts of deception. Although Goneril and Regan’s
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They both firmly believed in their prominence even though society would argue that they had instead been washed out by modernism and younger influences. Norma persisted to act as though she was still highly regarded and loved by her fans as well as the movie industry, just as Lear refused to acknowledge his aging mind and decline from the throne. The two’s overly brash attitudes imbue the true macrocosm that surrounds them. Instead of being alert to the ever-changing ways of society, they chose to focus on the times of their dominance. In similar ways, both Norma and Lear construct a false reality that is salubrious to their madness. Norma shuts the doors of her gargantuan mansion to the outside world and lives in the glory of her past. King Lear decides to let his daughters bide for his love in order to encourage his ego. Of course, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. These decisions led to seclusion from society and the ones they loved. King Lear and Norma’s microcosms were based on distorted perceptions and caused the discrepancy between their old fashioned ways and their modern societies. Norma was ignorant to believe that she was still top dog in Hollywood and Lear was irrationally blind to his daughter’s