Aging and Hubris - Jenny Ge, Helen Shen, Jason Zhang, Douglas Zhang (read e books online free .txt) 📗

the mental stress. These descriptive Shakespearean lyrics constructed a vivid image of Gloucester in these scenes; old, weak and yet painful. When Gloucester cries about his heart, it almost makes the audience feel his pain, and really understand the difference between elderly, and young. For Gloucester, pain is a symbol of aging. Not only the audience realizes Gloucester is old, so does Gloucester himself, Gloucester refer himself as an “old fellow” or an “old heart” throughout the play, however, to Gloucester, being old is not an discourage, but rather an advantage. Gloucester believes that aged people do not have less privilege, and should not be excluded from the society; Gloucester believes that old people with more credentials should remain static and proud. Gloucester’s over-pride is almost definitely brought by his feeling of aged of experience and credentials. This had lead Gloucester to suffer from his Hubris. Many of the things Gloucester had done, such as banishing Edgar and trying to save Lear are due to his arrogance, and feeling of righteousness. Gloucester believes that by being an elderly Earl, who had contributed so much for the kingdom, he deserves to have privileges, and escape any sorts of troubles. However, his hubrishad led him to his great suffering, When Cornwall and the sisters are punishing Gloucester for treason, Gloucester felt confident, and said

“Naughty Lady, These hairs which thou dost ravish from my chin, Will quicken and accuse thee. I am your host. With robber’s hands my hospitable favours. You should not ruffle thus. What will you do?” (3.7.39-43)

Even though being physically ravaged, Gloucester remained as a proud confident and loyal character, a true patriot to King Lear. His hubris definitely brought him more torture then he would have gotten, if he wasn’t being over-confident and scorn the sisters and Cornwall, he might have prevented himself being blinded. Gloucester is parallel to Lear in almost every way; his aging is undoubtedly the main factor for his hubris, and his hubris makes Gloucester another tragic hero.

Hubris in this play is a major theme, not only the aged king and Earl suffers from it. Edmund is also a victim of this adverse personality. Edmund in the beginning of the play portrays a character with a lot ambition, and feeling of injustice of society, his plan seemed to be perfect in every plot. Over the first 3 act, Edmund had succeeded all his plans, and gradually, became the dominating character in act 4. His power grows as the play progresses; unfortunately, his hubris develops along his journey for claiming power. Because of all the success Edmund had, Greed had pushed Edmund’s desire for power, as he became very confident with his plans, and as he grow stronger and stronger, his ambition becomes larger and larger, From being noticed in the beginning of the play, to gain power from his father, to plot murder of his brother and finally, to marry a royal blood and gain the throne. Edmund’s characteristics and his journey is almost identical to Lucifer in the epic poem “Paradise lost” Lucifer also had a great ambition of overthrow god and become the ruler of the heaven, Lucifer had some early successes with his plan, such as tricking Adam and eve to eat the forbidden fruit. However, in the end, Lucifer was defeated by god due to his great hubris and finally punished and been sent to hell for eternity. Comparing both Edmund and Lucifer, we can conclude that the social Hierarchy will always be justified, a peasant cannot replace a master, and if it does, chaos will rise, after years of struggle, everyone will be restored to its original place. Edmund’s early success might be the bless from Fortuna, according to the idea of Wheel of fortune, fortune does not remain among one person, it changes as time progresses. Edmund didn’t care about the luck factor in his success, carrying on more and more risky but profitable plans, finally, when he decided to marry the royal sisters, and murder Albany, his plan was disrupted by the appearance of Edgar, and after everything was exposed to Albany, Edmund faced the death execution, and his tragic hero journey stopped with his death. This proves the old saying “Ambitious leads to one’s demise”

Regan and Goneril

The two older daughters of King Lear, Goneril and Regan display much pride and hubris in their characters. They both act and think almost as if they were twins, all wanting to achieve the most out of their power, even competing for the same man(Edmund) leading to their ultimate destruction of each other in the final act.

By only focusing on themselves, they have ignored their father who desperately needs to be woken to the reality that he cannot simply give his powers up due to old age, destroying the social hierarchy in their kingdom. It is because of their own arrogance that they abuse their aging father and abandon him in a raging storm at the end of Act II.

Goneril and Regan are fully aware that there father is aging, especially
where Goneril notes to her sister about how they notice his instability mentally
more and more as he ages.

You see how full of changes his age is. The
observation we have made of it hath not been little.
He always loved our sister most, and with what
poor judgment he hath now cast her off appears too grossly. (I.i.290-294)

The conversation between Goneril and Regan at the end of scene I is important as it shows the true nature of the sisters. Instead of seeing the need to help their father, they take advantage
of the fact that his judgement is so poor that he has even disowned his most loved daughter. Regan comments to this that their father is going senile and has never really known even himself well enough.

'Tis the infirmity of his age. Yet he hath ever
but slenderly known himself. (I.i.295-296)

The hubris of the two sisters makes them disrespectful of their
elders, especially their father, when he wants to stay with them and have them
take care of him in his old age, to which Goneril responds to

I do beseech you
To understand my purposes aright.
As you are old and reverend, should be wise." (I.iv.244-246)

Goneril blames his one hundred knights for being too unruly for her home
and wants Lear to get rid of them, but her underlying motive is so that Lear
becomes more powerless making her more powerful by only permitting him to keep
the older knights who would be more weak to fight. She is feeding her pride at
the expense of her aging father, even though she has already instructed her
servant Oswald to be as neglectful as possible to Lear.

Put on what weary negligence you please,
You and your fellow servants. I’ll have it come to question.
If he distaste it, let him to our sister,
Whose mind and mine I know in that are one,
Not to be overruled. Idle old man
That still would manage those authorities
That he hath given away! Now by my life,
Old fools are babes again and must be used
With checks as flatteries, when they are seen abused." (I.iii.13-21)

Goneril complains that she is taking on the job of being like a caregiver
to her father, but in his old age, a child should be doing what they can to make
their lives more enjoyable as Cordelia would have, but quite the opposite
happens with Goneril. Even when Lear goes to see his second eldest daughter
Regan, she sides with Goneril and says to Lear

O sir, you are old.
Nature in you stands on the very verge
Of his confine. You should be ruled and led
By some discretion that discerns your state
Better than you yourself. Therefore I pray you
That to our sister you do make return.
Say you have wronged her, sir." (II.iv.145-151)

She is taking Lear's old age and saying how he should be more submissive
now that the prime of his life is over and to let the new generation do what
they know is good for him. They simply assume that because of Lear's old age, he
is unable to handle situations anymore and uses this to their advantage, to turn
the power towards them by making Lear apologize to Goneril. Just this act alone,
pointed out by Lear, would not balance the social hierarchy, even on a familial
level. He points out the flaw in this when he kneels down and says

Dear daughter, I confess that I am old.
Age is unnecessary. On my knees I beg
That you’ll vouchsafe me raiment, bed, and food. (II.iv.153-155)

In the former Elizabethan Era in England, society was run by hierarchies. This would mean that those of wealth and royalty were treated well and respected, but on a smaller scale the same would go for parents and elders. Through characters such as Goneril and Regan, the fragility of parents and seniors are shown as their power-hungry children only looked for ways to use and
abuse them to get what they wanted. The theme of Aging and Hubris demonstrated constantly throughout the play by the family ties of the three daughters and their father King Lear, shows how delicate society in the Elizabethan Era was that Shakespeare was trying to