King Lear and Illigetimacy :: essays papers

King Lear and Illigetimacy Shakespeares treatment of bastardy in the play King Lear can be interpreted in many ways depending on the audience. The situation of illegitimacy is portrayed through with(predicate) the relationships of the characters the Earl Of Gloucester and his two sons Edgar and Edmund. Edmund is the illegitimate son while Edgar was born within the law. We produce of Edmunds illegitimacy in the opening scene in the freshman act where The Earl of Gloucester is holding a conversation with Kent while Edmund is nearby. Gloucester speaks flippantly and lightly of the way his illegitimate son came into the world while introducing him to Kent saying, Though this jackstones came something saucily into the world before he was sent for, yet his catch was fair, there was good sport at his making, and the whoreson must be acknowledged (Act I, Scene I, Lines 19-24). There are several peculiar things active this dialogue. One of the interesting aspects of Gloucester and Kents discussion is the readiness of Gloucester to admit he has fathered a child out of wedlock. This may be influenced by the item that Edmund had obviously grown into a son that a father would be proud to have. At first meeting he seems polite, courteous, and loyal. Perhaps these admirable character traits are cause for Gloucesters willingness to publicly claim Edmund as his own. Another unusual occurrence in the opening dialogue is that Gloucester calls Edmund a whoreson and a knave while he is close by and probably in hearing distance. This seems odd because Gloucester professes to feel only sleep with for his son and no shame but he seems to almost gibe him in this situation. One explanation for this behavior may be that duncish down Gloucester still harbors some discomfort about the relationship in the midst of himself and his son despite his verbal proclamations of shamelessness. This could be inferred from Gloucesters statement, His breeding, sir, hath been at my charge. I have so often blushed to acknowledge him that now I am brazed to t. (Act I, Scene I, Line 9). Again, depending on the audience the attitudes displayed in the play by the characters and Shakespeare himself by his writing can be interpreted in a variety of ways depending on the observer. Originally Shakespeares played were viewed by people alive during the Elizabethan era.