King Lear

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Historically the representation of women has always been perceived with a negative connotation. Women for a long period of time have been subjected as materialistic objects are solely created for the purpose entertainment for men or to nurture a family. In King Lear this theory is further elaborated upon as he challenges his daughter to compete for the Kingdom. Lear tests the traditional perception of woman which ultimately leads to his downfall failure as a King.

Romance is displeasing as it is just a manipulative method used by woman to lure men in. Throughout the play there is no contextual reference ever made to Lear’s wife, to give the reader an insight of what their relationship may have had been like. However, when the Fool takes note …show more content…
Women are considered to be manipulative and cunning throughout the play which results in power failure for any man. As Goneril and Ragen compete to wed Bergundy solely based on his wealth, which leads him to losing war. Furthermore the same two daughters heatedly compete against one another to proclaim their false love towards their father. As it is evident women and men do not share the same status level. Women are continuously exploited as sluts, veins, selfish, inconsiderate etc. Additionally the topic of masculinity becomes very controversial throughout the play at one point, when Lear begins to lose himself. Masculinity is considered to be a very noble trait that most women crave in a man, however when Goneril reduces Lear’s groups of knights, his masculinity feels as if it has been threatened or stripped off of him, in which he accuses Goneril of “shaking [his] masculinity” as soon as his luxurious power and authority have been given to Goneril. In contradiction women hold the same perception of men, that they should be masculine but for their own intended selfish purposes.Goneril implies that her husband, Albany, is too “mild mannered” as he fails to deal with Lear’s impulsive behaviour, to which she refers, Albany’s, masculinity as “milky gentleness” essentially calling her husband a coward for not facing the problem at hand. Many implication begin to arise when Lear doesn’t act like a man, leading to the downfall of his failure as a
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