Literary Lessons in Love Essay

If William Shakespeares work can be considered a foundation of literary exploit and theatrical excellence, the write up of shaft must be one of its fundamental cornerstones. In many Shakespearean plays, love life is an effective theme that is carefully sculpted to yield the desired audience reaction or the required moral lesson, and can enhance both comedic and tragic works.Most prodigiously, the portrayal of love as a theme on st eld is able to establish deep roots of meaning within the lives of the audience, drawing parallels between imaginary characters and the striking reality of human emotion. In the Olivier film version of Shakespeares poof Lear, the director makes careful decisions about character portrayal, camera angles, and lighting to accentuate particularly significant examples of self-love, visibleistic love, and parental love in drawing the conclusion that love, as exhibited by many characters in the opening act of his play, is thoroughly flawed.One of the jus t about prominent situations supporting the directors selection to demonstrate the defective pursuit of love in King Lear occurs when the ageing King, overwhelmed by his desire for flattery, decides to disassociate his expansive kingdom among his three daughters with the pursuit of self-love at heart. Lear asks his daughters, Which of you shall we say doth love us most? (1.1.46), and plans to give the greater portion of his kingdom to the daughter who showers him lovingly with the most bountiful praise. Loving himself so highly that he blinds himself from seeing the right way to make a decision, Lear exposes the fact that making inexpedient choices based on flattery and self-absorption is foolish. For example, the director of the film demonstrates the idea of Lears love for himself by depicting the daughters as Lear, himself, would view them following their differing declarations of love. Using costumes and makeup, the director depicts both Gonerill and Regan as elegant, mature women in many-sided gowns, agree to their overly flattering claims of love for their father.However, Cordelia is dressed simply in white, and plainly shows her nervous emotions, corresponding to her honest and straightforward answer to Lears question. As a result of Lears uncontrollable love for his own reputation, he disowns his favourite daughter, Cordelia, stating harshly, Better thou/ Hadst not been born than not t seduce pleased me better. (1.1.229-230) Lears other daughters, Gonerill and Regan, lead astray to believe that he is growing insane, and undermine their father by limiting the number of loyal knights that he will be allowed to keep at the castle. Clearly, Lears preoccupation with flawed self-love leads him to irreparable damage in his most meaningful relationships.In addition to Lears love of himself, Edmonds love of material possessions contributes to the theme of defective love in this film of King Lear. Edmond, the illegitimate son of Gloucester, desires so str ongly to become his fathers heir to gain material possessions that he resorts to lies and trickery. Edmond visits his father with a false letter, allegedly from his brother, Edgar, describing Edgars supposed plan to kill Gloucester in order to gain early access to his fathers assets. According to the letter, Edgar believes that, this policy and reverence of age makes the/world bitter to the best of our times, keeps our fortunes from us/till our oldness cannot relish them. (1.2.45-47) Edmonds acquisitive desire plausibly originated from his shame as an illegitimate son, and demonstrates the imprudence of devising such cruel schemes as a result of loving material possessions.As a result of Edmonds submission to a deep love of money, he sends his brother away out of mock fear for their fathers supposed rage, thus intermission the bonds of trust and love within the family. Edmonds selfish plan rooted in materialistic love also causes Gloucester to turn against his own legitimate son, calling Edgar an unnatural, detested, brutish villain. (1.2.69) The director of the film chooses to portray Edmonds disastrous pursuit of acquisitive love using a camera angle centred on Edmond throughout the soliloquy in which he details his selfish scheme. This camera shot represents Edmonds egocentric oral sex frame, with his sights set only on his own financial satisfaction, and alludes to the fact that Edmonds attention to love is horribly off-course.Finally, the exploration of familial love in the film illustrates Gloucesters flawed ability to understand certain parental love. It is evident that Gloucesters love of his two sons, Edmond and Edgar, is both inconsiderate and distrustful. For example, in spite of the expected value that parents keep their childrens sensitive emotions and best interests at heart, Gloucester thoughtlessly discusses Edmonds accidental conception in Edmonds very presence. Avoiding the thought of his sons possible embarrassment, Gloucesters shamefu l claim of having, so/often blushed to acknowledge Edmond (1.1.8-9) proves him to be a bold and insensitive father. As a result of Edmonds frustration and feeling of inferiority towards his legitimate brother, he devises the deceitful scheme that tears apart the familys trust. Furthermore, Gloucesters instant acceptance of his son Edgar as the author of Edmonds false, vindictive letter yet demonstrates his imperfect fatherly love, and proves him to be a gullible and distrustful parent.For example, Gloucester states spontaneously, as he skims the letter, Ill check Edgar. /Abominable villain, where is he? (1.2.70-71), jumping to conclusions and affirming that the letter must be Edgars, even before he even has a chance to confirm the situation with his accused son. The director of the film depicts Gloucesters flawed familial love using a dark and shadowed lighting arrangement as the play begins, representing the dim, imperfect relationships within the family. This lighting arrangemen t also foreshadows the gloomy fragmentation of the family as a result of Gloucesters flawed fatherly love and his tactlessness for Edmonds feelings about his illegitimate conception.In conclusion, the theme of love as illustrated by Lear, Edmond, and Gloucester in the film portrays the message that human love is often selfish, insensitive, or otherwise flawed. This theme speaks to the very root of human behaviour, as much stress in daily life stems from the frustrations associated with lean relationships of love. As is evident from the subsequent effects of each characters defective love in this play, blindly misusing ones power to love can easily harm other individuals, and whitethorn put ones own happiness at stake. Not only are Shakespeares plays valuable as entertainment they are vessels of moral education. By learning from these characters misunderstandings about love, humans collect a chance to recognize faults and improve their own relationships. It may take little more tha n or so basic literary lessons in love to raise human tolerance, to learn to appreciate one another, and to begin to make a difference in our world by loving genuinely and selflessly.