One of the primary themes portrayed in "King Lear" is the harsh effects of betrayal by one's loved ones. Incorporated in this message is the fact that such betrayal can be avoided with sound judgment and temper, and with patience in all decisions. Shakespeare uses the motif of madness to aid in this message. Anger and insanity are coupled to illustrate the theme, and they both cloud the judgment of characters in various ways. A contrast between actual insanity and fabricated madness aids in the depiction of the main theme as well. King Lear's temper and madness in the form of anger are shown in Act I, when he is quick to banish Cordelia, under the false impression that she does not love him. Kent tries to warn him, and says "When Lear is mad, ... When majesty stoops to folly," implying that Lear's rage has blinded him from making the correct decision. Lear's anger is heightened when Goneril insults him and he decides to leave her castle. His anger consumes him until he is forced to scream to the skies, "O Let me not be mad... Keep me in temper." In Act II, after he is betray......

Word Count: 676
Page Count: 2.7 (250 words a page / double spaced)

View This Essay Now $19.99 (or $12.99 for membership)

What is Your Time Worth? Get INSTANT UNLIMITED ACCESS to this paper
and 15,000 other essays and term papers!

Search for other Motiff of King Lear essays, term papers and book reports.

Other Free Essays, Term Papers and Book Reports:

Soliloquoy from Henry IV free book report
Reputation in Othello free term paper
Honesty: Characters of Othello free term paper
Character Sketch on Juliet free term paper
Hamlet's Alienation of Characters free term paper
Troubled Years free term paper
Romeo & Juliet free term paper
King Lear: A Lesson in Loyalty free term paper
The Importance of the Friar and the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet free term paper
Mid-Summer Nights Dream free term paper
Fate on Juliet in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet free book report
The Role of the Friar in Romeo + Juliet free term paper
King Hamlet: The Devil in Disguise free essay paper
Hamlet free book report
The Tempest: Allegorical to the Bible free book report
Imagery, and It's Impact in the Play Macbeth free term paper
Falstaff + Hotspur = Prince Hal: Their Actions on the Battlefield free essay paper
The Temptresses of Unconcious Enticements free term paper
Euthanasia free book report
Is AIDS taking over the world? free essay paper

We have the best book reports, essays and term papers on Motiff of King Lear. For the cost of a pizza and some beer let us help you make your job of writing your paper easier. It's that simple.

Dear Free Essays:

Thanks for helping me with my term paper!
With so many essays and term papers on your service, I got a few ideas from mixing and matching and managed to write a great paper in 1/10 the time. My teacher thought so too because I got an A grade. Thank you so much!

Julia B.
Denver, Colorado

I'm very pleased with the quality of your term papers and essays. For all the time and worrying your service saved me from, it was well worth the $12.99.

Brandon W.
Columbus, Ohio

I totally waited to the last minute to work on my term paper and really started to freak. But your site totally came to my rescue and helped me out of a bind. I scored an 94 and was very pleased. Thank you!

Greg F.
UC San Diego

PRIVACY | TERMS & CONDITIONS | MEMBER LOGIN | CUSTOMER SUPPORT