ACT I notes: King Lear :: essays research papers

Act I, scenes i–ii Summary: Act I, scene i Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave My heart into my mouth. -Cordelia speaks these words when she address her father, King Lear, who has demanded that his daughters tell him how much they love him before he divides his kingdom among them (I.i.90–92). In contrast to the empty flattery of Goneril and Regan, Cordelia offers her father a truthful evaluation of her love for him: she loves him â€Å"according to my bond†; that is, she understands and accepts without question her duty to love him as a father and king. Although Cordelia loves Lear better than her sisters do, she is unable to â€Å"heave† her heart into her mouth, as her integrity prevents her from making a false declaration in order to gain his wealth. Lear’s rage at what he perceives to be her lack of affection sets the tragedy in motion. Cordelia’s refusal to flatter Lear, then, establishes her virtue and the authenticity of her love, while bringing about Lear’s dreadful error of judgment. The play begins with two noblemen, Gloucester and Kent, discussing the fact that King Lear is about to divide his kingdom. Their conversation quickly changes, however, when Kent asks Gloucester to introduce his son. Gloucester introduces Edmund, explaining that Edmund is a bastard being raised away from home, but that he nevertheless loves his son dearly. Lear, the ruler of Britain, enters his throne room and announces his plan to divide the kingdom among his three daughters. He intends to give up the responsibilities of government and spend his old age visiting his children. He commands his daughters to say which of them loves him the most, promising to give the greatest share to that daughter. Lear’s scheming older daughters, Goneril and Regan, respond to his test with flattery, telling him in wildly overblown terms that they love him more than anything else. But Cordelia, Lear’s youngest (and favorite) daughter, refuses to speak. When pressed, she says that she cannot â€Å"heave her heart into her mouth,† that she loves him exactly as much as a daughter should love her father, and that her sisters wouldn’t have husbands if they loved their father as much as they say (I.i.90–91). In response, Lear flies into a rage, disowns Cordelia, and divides her share of the kingdom between her two sisters. The earl of Kent, a nobleman who has served Lear faithfully for many years, is the only courtier who disagrees with the king’s actions.

What Do You Think About the View That There Are No Women in The Great Gatsby With Whom the Reader Can Sympathize?

Sympathy is defined as having feelings of sorrow for someone else’s misfortune. In a novel, sympathizing in a character allows the reader to relate to them. In Fitzgerald’s â€Å"The Great Gatsby†, there is no female character with whom we can sympathize. However, at various points within the novel we do offer our brief condolences to each character. Throughout the novel Daisy Buchanan appears enigmatic to the reader: why is she in a loveless relationship? Why did she leave Gatsby hanging on a thread? Many conclude that the ultimate chapters prove to us in many ways that she is incapable of loving. Shown by her choice to stay with Tom for his wealth and security; rather than choosing Gatsby, for she was â€Å"appalled by its raw vigour that chaffed†. She looks down on the vulgar nature of people that try and buy their way into the upper class as he has done. However, it is feasible to suggest that she chose Tom; after all he didn’t build his empire selling illegal alcohol like Gatsby. In addition, it is possible to argue that being in an unhappy marriage – shown by her reaction to Tom speaking to his mistress over dinner – is a liable reason to which we can feel empathy for her. Despite all of this, however, it is apparent throughout the novel that she is materialistic, promiscuous and immoral. As soon as Tom leaves she â€Å"kiss[es] him on the mouth† she is not only betraying Tom, but she acts â€Å"careless[ly]† with Gatsby’s emotions. He is a character in which the reader can sympathize – meaning she is hated. Ultimately, she chooses to run away with Tom, this is her last act that convinces we, as the reader, to deplore her. Jordan is an equally difficult character to whom we can sympathize; however, for different reasons. There is only really one instance in the novel that contrasts this view, and that’s when Jordan had â€Å"met another bad driver† in Nick. This does make her emotionally accessible to us; we can feel pity for her. However, this is overshadowed by her compulsive ability to lie. Apparently, she does not â€Å"give a damn† about the end of her and Nick’s relationship; an obvious lie, yet it implies that she will move on soon enough. We will never know if she actually met someone else during her and Nick’s meeting, yet it is unlikely, as she is a neurotic fabricator. Adding to this, we notice that Jordan is a highly destructive and careless character, rather like Daisy. She casually mentions to Nick that she â€Å"left a borrowed car out in the rain, and then lied about it† She is being careless with other peoples property, lying about it to ensure she is not affected by any repercussions†. It is apparent he that Jordan does not, as a whole, evoke sympathy with us. Myrtle does not draw any sympathy from the reader at a first glance. She is the lower-class mistress to Tom. She is a poor representation of the 1920’s woman as she carries â€Å"her surplus flesh sensuously†, meaning she is rather provocative, it is also the only compliment she receives in the book, inferring Tom’s only use for her is sex; not a particularly good role model for women. She is somewhat comparable to Daisy in that her only care is money and materialism, she wants to escape the upper class, and Tom is her refuge. Her â€Å"tremendous vitality† should aid her in this. However, we can sympathize with â€Å"Myrtle Wilson† when she fulfils her â€Å"tragic achievement†. This refers to her death, all she ever wanted to do was to escape her class and accomplish her American dream, but Nick morbidly realizes that the only way she ever would is through death. Much like Gatsby, her dream is forever doomed. Myrtle, in my opinion is a character with we can sympathize the most; her tragic story is rather like Gatsby’s. In that she had an unachievable, completely unattainable dream in her sight, but it was never to be – a doomed dream. I believe all the female characters in â€Å"The Great Gatsby† have characteristics that make us, as the reader to both love and despise them at the same time. Fitzgerald has portrayed them as merely humans with certain traits and bad decisions that moulds them into who they are. All three of these women are accessible to the reader, whilst at the same time completely detached and despised. I believe that the view in question is different for every reader, as they can make their informed opinion on each of these women. As for me, I do feel sympathy for them, but only to a certain extent.

history; how did hitler and mussolini gain and maintain...

How did Hitler and Mussolini gain and maintain power? Hitler and Mussolini both came in to power in the early days when their countries, Germany and Italy were facing problems after the Great War. Even then, both Hitler and Mussolini successfully gain and maintain power and control the country. In order to gain full control of the country they had to remove or eliminate their political rivals. Hitler used excuses to blame and imprison his political rivals. One good example would be when he used the Reichstag fire as an excuse to imprison many communist leaders, which stopped them from campaigning during the election so that he could win more seats and power. He also used fear and terror by creating a group known as S.S or Black†¦show more content†¦This massively improves the timing and trains were always on the right tracks following their schedule. Hitler was popular because he was the one who stood up and promised change and make Germany as powerful as it used to be. He was also popular because he brought back the strength and spirit of many Germans. He used propaganda to make Germans feel strong about their country using films about great battles that Germans won before. He also restored the spirits of many depressed Germans from the first war through speeches. The fact that Hitler restored the spirits of Germans who were down in the dumps due to the first war, it left the citizens with a positive image of Hitler; that he was a good leader and he was willing to fight for their rights and Germany. Mussolini, again is similar to Hitler, is popular because he was the one that offered helped when the Italians needed help. People wanted a strong government so that they could restore their former strength. He also succeeds in securing and improving the economy, transportation and job opportunity, which improved a lot of people’s lives. Fear and terror plays an important role in Hitler’s road to gaining power. He used fear to gain complete control over citizens or people who were against him. The German police were given complete control so that they could arrest or imprison someone for no reason at all. People also feared Hitler’s personal army, the S.S very much because they couldShow MoreRelatedHitler Was A Man Of The People1564 Words   |  7 PagesHitler was a man of the people. He was a great orator and was talented at public speaking. Using that gift he was able to rally a crippled Germany behind him to become one of the world’s strongest super powers pre WWII. Hitler was loved by his people and feared by his enemies. His following of those early philosophers was how he founded the Nazi party. He would have pleased Machiavelli with his ability to be both the fox and the lion. 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