rash - he divides up his kingdom quote (1.
-- he banishes his favorite daughter.
nave -- he is fooled by Goneril and Regan's speeches of their love towards him.
-- Goneril and Regan are plotting against him and he doesn't realize it .
-- quote (1.1.356-358).
arrogant - he divides up his kingdom but still wants to be king.
-- he is not taking any responsibility and he is very selfish.
-- quote (1.1.148-151).
Works Cited:.
- Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of King Lear. New York: Pocket Books 1993.
In the play King Lear by Shakespeare, King Lear is one of the major and most.
important characters. He is the ruler of England during the Elizabethan times and portrays his characteristics through his actions. His actions throughout the play indicate to us that he is rash, nave, and arrogant.
In the beginning of the play, we see that Lear makes rash decisions very quickly without putting any thought into it. When he is introduced in the play, he is already deciding to divide up his kingdom amongst his three daughters without thinking it thoroughly. "Know that we have divided/ In three our kingdom, and tis our fast intent/ To shake all cares and business from our age - (1.1.39-41). He does not realize that by giving up his kingdom he will lose everything he has including his power. He shows his rashness again when he banishes his once favorite daughter Cordelia and his loyal man, Kent. When Cordelia had refused to flatter him and express her love with fancy words, King Lear immediately banishes her thinking that she did not love him enough to prove it. He makes a faulty decision by throwing out the daughter that truly loves him and not the ones that just say they do. Kent, realizing his blindness tries to get Lear to change his decision of banishing Cordelia and he too is also banished with another rash decision from Lear. Lear continues to make rash decisions in the beginning of the play but when he realizes what he has done, it is already too late.
