Shakespeare’s Reasoning Behind Misogyny in King Lear

...

of women, the entire story plays off the idea that women are evil beings. From the sweet deceitful lies of daughters Goneril and Regan, to the overthrowing of their father and his kingdom, this cruel idea of women is the heart of the major themes in King Lear. Initially, Lear gives his land to the daughter’s that he thinks love him the most. How could he not after they professed their love so beautifully, each attempting to top the other. “Sir, I love you more than word can wield the matter; / Dearer than eyesight, space and liberty; / Beyond what can be valued, rich or rare; / No less than life” (1.1.56-58). After such heartwarming thoughts it is so immensely ironic that Goneril and Regan; those who claim to love their father the most, are the ones to bring him to his demise. Lear is so blinded by his daughters that he is fooled not once, but twice, expecting that after his first daughter shuts him out his second cannot possibly do the same. “Ha! Let it be so. I have another daughter, / Who I am sure is kind and comfortable. / When she shall hear this of thee, with her nails / She’ll flay thy wolvish visage” (1.4.302-305). In both instances Lear is played by his two evil daughters developing the idea of appearance versus reality. The women that seem most loving and true are the ones that cause the most harm, and ironically the opposite is true. Lear despises his once favourite daughter for not speaking of her love for him, and believes she is devilish ungrateful and cruel. The fact of the matter is, she is the sweetest of all the women and never once betrays the King. As Kate Hickey from the Grand Valley State University says, “The play includes a polarization of women into angels or demons, madonnas or whores” (Hickey). Shakespeare’s negative connotation of women, and portrayal of them as devils or the occasional saint, enhances the themes of irony and appearance versus reality throughout the play.

King Lear; a play of power, relationships, jealousy and misogyny, where all of these aspects, in their own way, enhance and develop the story. Specifically, Shakespeare uses an evil depiction of women to deepen the plot, characters and themes of the play, doing so with craft and skill. Although some accusations and views are prejudiced towards women, they are made solely for the purpose of the literary work and not to degrade women. Yes, as a sex, women tend to be viewed as lesser than men, however Shakespeare does not intend to support this view by any means other than utilizing it to make his writing better.

Works Cited

Hickey, Kate Downey. ""Struck with Her Tongue": Speech, Gender, and Power in King Lear." Thesis. Grand Valley State University, 2015.Scholorworks.gvsu.edu. GVSU, 12 Dec. 2015. Web. 22 Oct. 2016

Hoover, Claudette. "Women, Centaurs, And Devils In King Lear." Women’s Studies 16.3/4 (1989): 349. Advanced Placement Source. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.

Shakespeare, William. King Lear, Second Edition. Ed. Ken Roy. Toronto: Harcourt Canada, 2002. Print.