A short close reading piece discussing how the chosen excerpt focuses on the break-down of relations between Lear and Goneril. An ideal example for a basis on writing close readings, as well as referencing appropriately using the Harvard referencing style.
The subject of this particular extract (Act 2, Scene 4, lines 214-227) is the breakdown in relations
between King Lear and his eldest daughter Goneril, as a result of her request for him to reduce the
number of knights he has in his court to a more manageable number than the 100 he currently has.
He casts her away as a result, calling her a “boil, // A plague-sore or embossed carbuncle // In my
corrupted blood.” and effectively saying to her that he wants nothing to do with her as a result of
her request.
The main use of the bodily imagery makes Goneril seem almost as though she is an infestation in his
body, with carbuncle meaning a tumour, suggesting that her behaviour in the eyes of her father is
almost cancerous, and is not good for him in any shape or form, lending itself further to the idea that
he wishes to be rid of her from his body as a result. Him also saying that she is in his “corrupted
blood” lends itself well to the idea of cancer, as cancer is defined in the Oxford dictionary as “[a]
malignant growth or tumour resulting from an uncontrolled division of cells,” (Anon., n.d.) which
then links back to the idea of the tumour already mentioned by Lear himself (or, rather, the
carbuncle). The idea of corruption was one echoed in another of Shakespeare’s plays, Hamlet,
through the use of imagery of ill health and an atmosphere of decay and disease. The main form of
corruption here comes from another King, Claudius, whose whole reign as King of Denmark is as a
result of a bloody means to get there, and the rotten area around him is also symbolic of the
“infectious quality of sin”. (No Sweat Shakespeare, 2016)
Another interesting point to note is the fact Lear has said “Let shame come when it will, I do not call
it.” This contradicts the shame he appears to feel as the father of Goneril as he begins his
monologue, and the idea of him not calling for it to affect her, even though he has already said that
he wants nothing more to do with her, casting her out and away from him as if he could care no
longer for her. He will not “bid the thunder-bearer shoot, // Nor tell tales of thee to high-judging
Jove,” meaning that although he appears to have a lack of empathy for the girl after she has
attempted to make his demands more manageable, he still will not give mention of her misdeeds to
Jupiter (then known as Jove), who was known for his tendency to cast down thunderbolts if angered.
(Merriam-Webster, 2018) From this, it is noticeable that health and shame are two main underlying
themes in this particular extract, especially as Lear is growing older and more susceptible to making
bad decisions.
Bibliography
(Anon., n.d.: , (Anon., n.d.),
(No Sweat Shakespeare, 2016: , (No Sweat Shakespeare, 2016),
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