King Lear’s Foolishness Essay

King Lear is a metaphorical tale of an ailing man’s journey through hell in order to forgive his sins. Lear’s untimely, sinful surrender of his throne results in a chain reaction of events that send him through a treacherous journey. It is a tale that graphically describes the consequences of one man’s foolish decisions; decisions that greatly alter his life and the lives of those around him. Lear suffers terribly, as a result of ignorantly dividing his kingdom among his eldest daughters, Goneril and Regan. By the time he realizes his daughters’ tyrannical nature, it is too late, and they have already begun their plot to kill him. Amidst his increasing insanity however, Lear does become a wiser man, as he finally receives the ability to see people’s true faces, something he from which he had been blinded from for so long. Lear was foolish in many ways, and was viewed that way by many different people. His most foolish move was questioning the love of his three daughters, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. He created a contest which would reward the largest third of the kingdom to the daughter whom loved him the most, â€Å"Tell me, my daughters (since now we will divest us both of rule, Interest of territory, cares of state), Which of you shall we say doth love us most? That we our largest bounty may extend where nature doth with merit challenge.† (I, i, 47-53) He planned to divide the kingdom among the three to prevent strife, not realizing that it was an invitation to civil war instead. He asked his daughters to tell him how much they loved him in public. After Goneril and Regan flattered him with lies, Lear gave them third and second prize. When Cordelia, whom the largest piece of the kingdom was reserved for, refused to play the same flattery game as her sisters had done, Lear’s rage exploded. Cordelia could have easily like her sisters, however she did not care to be rewarded with land and riches under false pretences. Lear, being blind to this, disowned Cordelia and banned her from her homeland. Foolishly, Lear also banished his only loyal follower, Kent, for sticking up for Cordelia, â€Å"To plainness honour’s bound when majesty fails to folly. Reserve thy state and in thy best consideration check this hideous rashness.†(II, i, 36-42) Assuming God’s duty was Lear’s primary downfall. He was King of England because God had put him there, and it was God’s decision as to when he should be dismissed. Lear, however, put his  fate into his own hands, and attempted to pass on the kingdom himself. It can almost be said that Lear’s suffering was God’s revenge upon a man who refused the gift of supremacy. Even Lear’s fool, who many consider to be Lear’s own conscience, tells him that he has been foolish in his decision making: Fool: Though wouldst make a good fool. Lear: To take it again perforce! Monster Ingratitude! Fool: If thou wert my fool, nuncle, I’d have Thee beaten for being old before thy time. Lear: How’s that? Fool: Thou shouldst not have been old till Thou hadst been wise. (I, iv, 267-273) Immediately after Lear divides the kingdom in half among his two tyrannical daughters, Goneril and Regan seek revenge upon Lear, and begin to plot his death. Lear is incredibly ignorant, and honestly believes Goneril and Regan’s claim that they truly love him. Only when it is too late, does he realize that the only daughter who does in fact love him, he did outcast. After Goneril only allows Lear fifty of his hundred servants and soldiers to spend the night, Lear questions her actions, and in doing so questions her true love for him. Insulted, he goes to Regan, thinking that she will be kinder to him, however Regan acts much harsher than Goneril, and only allows him twenty-five followers for the night. Upon seeing this, Lear angrily realizes that his two eldest daughters are wicked and do not love him at all. As king, it can  almost be said that Lear was sheltered, as he never had to deal with problems himself, however now that he is simply seen a peasant, Lear no longer has the luxury of people making his decisions for him. He blindly draws the conclusion that though it probably isn’t much, Goneril must love him twice as much as Regan, if she will allow him twice as many followers, â€Å"Thy fifty yet doth double five-and-twenty, and thou art twice her love.† (II, iv, 291-292). As the play progresses so does Lear’s madness. After returning to Goneril’s and being locked out, Lear sets out for Dover with the fool. However as Lear becomes more insane, and his madness increases, he receives the vision that he had been blinded from before. Upon encountering Edgar, as Poor Tom, Lear becomes completely mad. â€Å"Here’s three on’s are sophisticated! Thou are the thing itself; unaccommodated man is no more but such a poor, are forked animal as thou art. Off, off, your lendings.† (III, iv, 109-112) Many misinterpret this scene as Lear’s final surrender to madness, however this scene is possibly where Lear becomes most sane. Lear realizes that sophistication is dressing up nicely to give the impression of being something you really are not. He sees Edgar in his plain clothes and starts to rip his own clothes off to get away from the trickery and the falsehood of the world, as he sees Poor Tom has done. His daughters dressed up their words with lies to get what they wanted and Lear realizes that without clothes you cannot distinguish the difference between a king and a beggar. King Lear’s vision is no longer hampered at the peak of his madness because although he is mad, the words he speaks make sense and have truth to them: Lear: They flattered me like a dog, and told Me I had white hairs in my beard ere the Black ones were there. To say â€Å"ay† and â€Å"no† To everything that I said! â€Å"Ay† and â€Å"no† was No good divinity. When the rain came to wet Me once, and the wind to make me chatter; When the thunder would not peace at my Bidding; there I found ’em, there I smelt ’em Out. Go to, the are not men o’their words! They told me I was everything. ‘Tis a like-I Am not ague proof. (IV, vi, 112-120) All of the pain that Lear suffers can be traced back to the single most important error that he made. Lear chose to give up his throne. Out of pain and anger, Lear banished Cordelia, and split the kingdom into two halves, divided among Goneril and Regan. This one sin bears massive repercussions upon Lear, and the lives of those around him, eventually killing almost all of those involved. Lear does not realize the mistake that he has made, until he suffers the banishment of his two eldest daughters. The fall of Lear is not just the suffering of one man but the suffering of everyone down the chain. Gloucester loses his status and eyes, Cordelia and Kent banished, and Albany realizes his wife’s true heart. Everything that happened to these characters is affected by Lear’s ultimate decision. If Lear had not banished Cordelia and Kent then the two sisters would not be able to plot against their father. Lear cannot see the true faces of people, and this is his tragic flaw. Th e pain and suffering endured by King Lear eventually tears down his strength and sanity, and leads to his ultimate demise, death.

Cultural relativism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Bio-psycho-social perspective Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Philosophy - Essay Example Their true forms, in Plato's mind, are permanent, eternal, and nonphysical. According to Plato, because sensory objects are not completely real, the empirical realm of tangible objects is not real. As such, any beliefs people derive from their experience with these objects are unclear and undependable; however, the principles of philosophy and mathematics, both of which are discovered through inner meditation on the Forms. These principles, according to Plato, represent the only true "knowledge." After taking Plato's views and descriptions of Forms, true knowledge is an attainable trait. Additionally, Plato asserted that knowledge is composed of two essential characteristics: certainty and genuine presence. Essentially, knowledge must be infallible and certain; there can be no room for interpretation or misunderstanding. True knowledge must be fool-proof and unwavering. Additionally, knowledge's corresponding object must be genuinely real as opposed to those objects that are present in appearance only. "Because that which is fully real must, for Plato, be fixed, permanent, and unchanging, he identified the real with the ideal realm of being as opposed to the physical world of becoming" (Plato, 2007, 9). These views resulted in Plato's... t to Plato's certain view of knowledge, Plato believed that those propositions derived through sensory experience have a high degree of probability; and as such, this experience cannot be certain. Additionally, the objects in the empirical realm, such as trees, are ever-changing phenomenon; they do not remain consistent and, therefore, the experiences will not remain constant. Plato's Republic contains his distinction between two levels of human awareness. These two levels are opinion and knowledge. According to Plato, any claims brought about by a person's experience in the empirical realm with a tangible object are classified as opinions only. Regardless if these opinions are founded on a solid base or not, opinions do not merit genuine knowledge. Knowledge, considered to be the higher of the two levels of awareness, entails logic and reasoning rather than experience. Logic and reasoning, if used correctly, will lead to intellectual insights. These insights are certain and, consequently, infallible. According to Plato, the representative objects of these intellectual insights are the eternal and permanent Forms. Therefore, according to Plato, the relationship between experience and knowledge is a complicated one. Experience does not, directly, lead to knowledge or equate to knowledge because experience is fallible and unreliable. One person may experience an event differently than another. What a person experiences at one time with a tangible object may change at a later time because tangible objects remain in a state of perpetual change. Alone, experience will result in the formulation of a person's opinions regarding an object. However, if logic and reasoning is applied to a person's experience, that person can reach a true knowledge about that object, and

Turkish Maritime Cabotage Rights Research Proposal

Turkish Maritime Cabotage Rights - Research Proposal Example The Republic of Turkey is strategically placed in an area between the Asian, African and European continents and the three sides of the country are encompassed by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Black Sea to the north and the Aegean Sea to the west. The Turkish Straits is the only water route between Black Sea and Mediterranean and have unique physical, hydrological and navigational conditions (Unescap, Turkey Report 2000/2009). It has been recently contended that the volume of traffic flow in the Straits have exceeded limits of safe navigation as there has been an increase in the number of vessels and quantities of dangerous cargo. Any accident could cause irreversible damage to the environment. In order to maintain safety of navigation, life and property in the region, the Turkish Government has adopted a set of regulations for maritime traffic in 1994. Turkey's approach to maritime transport is consistent with international regulations and principles of fostering free mari time competition, safety and environmental concerns. Turkey's maritime transport facilities are rather extensive. ... Turkey has merchant fleet with capacity more than 9.5 million DWT and about 899 ships and is in the 20th rank in the world fleet. Total capacity consists of 5 per cent public and 95 per cent private sectors. The majority of ships comprising total merchant shipping fleet are bulk carries (48 per cent), dry cargo ships (19 per cent), oil tankers (10 per cent). The other types of ships constitute 23 per cent of the fleet. (Information available from Unescap Report on Turkey, 2000/2009) Cabotage Laws and Rights: The maritime sector in Turkey is also subject to certain legal arrangements and Law 815 on Cabotage Auxiliary services rendered in Turkish ports and waters are subject to the Law on Cabotage. In accordance with the Cabotage Act, all commercial shipping and related activities between the ports and all trading in the coastal lines is reserved for Turkish-flag vessels and supply of services are given to Turkish companies only although all auxiliary services at the ports are available to all nationalities. Transportation that violates Cabotage rights is not accepted and negotiations on Cabotage transportation services in turkey have been very rigid. Turkish Code of Commerce is related to maritime transport and is harmonized in accordance with the arrangements of EU. The application and implementation of Cabotage rights is a very important milestone in Turkish Maritime Industry and this thesis will delve deeper into the maritime industry, the regulations in Turkish shipping industry and the role of Cabotage rights in helping Turkey to integrate its shipping industry with EU and international shipping standards. Turkish fleet

B202A Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

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Unemployment issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Unemployment issues - Essay Example Unemployment is one of the biggest evils engulfing society all over the world today. With most countries being in a state of recession, jobs are hard to find for even some of the most deserving individuals. This leads to major problems for the country and its population which include lower standard of living, poor health, lower GDP and national income, and a generally depressed society. However, this issue may have an even deeper impact upon a household in which the sole bread winner is unemployed. While such households may experience financial problems, they also experience an array of other types of distress. These pressures may be social, emotional, and psychological; the psychological stress and pressure that unemployment causes, may be its most undesirable and disturbing factor towards a person’s health and well being (Lien, 1988). This paper aims to explore the impact of unemployment upon the psychological position and state of an individual and their family members. It will explain the various psychological pressures that a person experiences while being unemployed and compare the mental health and thoughts of an unemployed person to an employed person. The paper will explore the realms of this issue and determine whether an unemployed person is mentally worse off than an employed person or whether unemployment has no intense impact upon a person’s mental state.... Hence, he/she can indulge in undesirable activities and develop a negative mentality. It is usually said, that people who have a lot of time on their hands are those that indulge in activities such as drugs, crime, fraudulent behavior, extra-marital affairs, and other negative thoughts such as disbelief upon religion or suicidal thoughts. Without a lot of positive and productive mental activity, a person’s mental health is seriously at risk. The availability of excessive free time causes a person to ponder over the smallest things and cause a great array of confusion for him/herself. This may cause a person to stray from their religious beliefs, lose hope in life, or start focusing upon the negative points of everyone around him/her. Such situations cause rifts between families, friends, and make a person difficult to live with. Moreover, having very little productive mental activity causes an unhealthy body as well, and vice versa (Eisenburg, 1988). Upon interviewing Mr. John , a Bachelors degree holder who was unemployed for two years, the following views were recorded: â€Å"I was unemployed for a period of two years after attaining my Bachelors Degree. When I say my friends pursuing successful careers, it gave me a sense of hopelessness and despair. I lost my self-esteem and my endurance to continue with life. I was in a deep state of depression.† Such views make it evident that unemployed people lose a sense of their self-worth because they are not able to prove themselves in any field. Hence, besides the financial problems that go along with the situation, it gives the unemployed person a sense of hopelessness and despair when they see other people succeeding in their careers and they are unable to make any improvements in their