Monday, April 18, 2011

King Lear (Rashomon Style!)

Hello All,

For today's in-class blog, retell King Lear through the eyes of one character. Describe the actions and plot as this character sees it, with commentary.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cordelia probably feels as though her father is blind to how deep her love for him is. She is accepting the situation of her being exiled. While she's away she felt like her sisters would abuse their power. She is willing to take a stand by building an army to win the land back from her sisters. She tries to prove to her father with actions, rather than with words.

- Brian Martinez, Brian Garcia, Kathleen Rodriguez, Eddie Torres

Anonymous said...

Edmund starts off by plotting to get rid of Edgar and Gloucester to gain control of his father’s, Gloucester, empire. He feels like he deserves more credit because he does not understand why he is a bastard child and why being a bastard child is bad thing. Edmund wants to gain the respect he feels he deserves by becoming the ruler of the kingdom. He begins his plot to gain control by forging a letter supposedly written by his brother, Edgar. The letter said that Edgar was attempting to overthrow his father and he wanted Edmund’s help to do so. He fools his father into believing that Edgar is corrupt and eventually he convinces his father to try and get rid of Edgar. To gain control of the kingdom, Edmund turns Regan and Goneril, the two rulers of England, against each other and their empire starts to crumple. In the mist of the all the turmoil, Edmund fully achieves his goal. Unfortunately, he dies.

Trey Lovett
Evan Vizcarra
Brian Escalante
Stephanie Santos

Christina Cecil & Elizabeth Vega said...

Our father King Lear is getting old and is asking us how much we love him in order to determine how he is going to divide up his kingdom among us three daughters. Therefore, we tell him the most beautiful loving speeches that move his heart. This causes him to split his kingdom between us. Our sister Cordelia said she didn’t love our father as much as we do so she wasn’t given any of the land. Discussing among themselves they worry about their father’s condition since he is getting old in his age and has kicked his favorite daughter Cordelia out of the kingdom. Because of this they worry about their father getting mad and them and kicking them out as well. Their father invades their homes and his followers do as they wish to their servants. Goneril gets feed up with it and King Lear and kick him out of her house. King Lear goes to Regan’s house he asks if he can stay there and Regan suggests that he make up with her sister Goneril. The sisters start to fight over who will let their
father stay in their house.

Anonymous said...

King Lear from Kent’s perspective

Kent’s first realization that King Lear is going mad is when Lear divides his kingdom unjustly between only two of his daughters. He is willing to suffer public humiliation at the hand of Lear in order to stand up for Cordelia. He defends his position as Lear’s faithful servant, yet Lear banishes him anyway. Kent is afraid for Lear because he recognizes the deception of Regan and Goneril. Kent maintains his loyalty to Lear and watches events unfolding in kingdom and waits for proper time to return. He feels need to return to kingdom under disguise for fear of similar fate as Gloucester. He maintains his ruse until his confrontation with Oswald and then when he is taken before Lear in stocks Lear does not recognize him and Lear’s mental state had deteriorted, but Kent managed to convenience Lear of his mistake in dividing his kingdom.
After the deaths of most of the main characters Kent remains with Lear until his death, upon Lear’s death Kent feels his mission is complete and he can die unburdened of fear for Lear’s safety.

-L.S. Niederauer
Fernando Barrios
Angel Velasquez

Anonymous said...

Dominica Martinez
Gladys Mayra Delgado
Jessica Gonzalez
Erika Perez

Cordillera felt that her father is blinded by the fact that her sisters are pandering to him. She stated that her love for her father was simple as it should be between daughter and father that would be divided between her father and her soon to be husband. She felt horrible because her father had banished her forever because she did not pander. The fact that she was also judged by men to see if she was suitable to be there wife was also a toll on her. After her banishment she still demonstrated her love for her father by the fact that she had Kent keep her in the know of the state of her father.

Anonymous said...

King Lear feels in act 1 that he has to give up his kingdom because they are going to throw him or kill him. So he decide to share it with his three daughters. He moves in with Goneril and bosses her around believing he is still the king. King Lear goes madness and he starts imagining things about his surroundings.

Noreida Iniguez
Grecia Solano
Roberto Picos
sandy ornelas
Madison McKenney
Emanuel Garcia

Anonymous said...

I, Gloucester feel like Edmund, my younger son should take over my empire because the older son Edgar wrote a disrespectful letter about my behalf. Edmund apparently is more loyal to me and Edgar is not. I cannot believe that he is just seeking my death so he can take over my fortune. I was very displeased such unfortunate thing would happen and no matter how much Edgar would deny, the more I believe my bastard son, Edmund.

-Howard Lin, David Gonzalez

Anonymous said...

King Lear Kent Perspective
I was trying to save the king from doing a terrible mistake by dividing his Kingdom into two equal parts for his daughter and also banishing his youngest daughter from the kingdom. For trying to defend Cornelia’s love for her father I was banished from the kingdom. Now I have disguised myself as someone else named Caius and trying to get in good with King Lear. Then now I am trying to save my lord King Lear from the hellacious storm that is going on in the kingdom.

Michael Gomez
Raul Mendoza

Anonymous said...

my father King Lear is dying and wants to give his kingdom to one of us, his daughters. My father wants us to tell him how much we love him but my sisters are cruel and take advantage of him and lie to him by going over the moon and beyond with their feelings for him but everything they say is not true they just want the kingdom all to themselves. i truly and deeply love my father and i will be true with my feelings for him. Father exiles me from the kingdom because he did not hear what he wanted but i still love him. my sisters are taking advantage of their new place in the kingdom.Father doesn't understand what I was trying to tell him. I was trying to point out how ridiculous my sister's claims were; can't he see how hyperbolic they were? Thank goodness that France still took me as his wife. Only through this union of ours was I able to respond to the horrible news I was hearing of back home.

With me out of kingdom and all my father's power foolishly given away to sycophants he has fallen into madness without me. Now I prepare to go back to my old home backed by the power of the French army to win back what is rightfully mine and my father's.
carlo B, edwardo F, gisel H, duran D, Sabrina M, irene H

Anonymous said...

I, Gloucester feel like Edmund, my younger son should take over my empire because the older son Edgar wrote a disrespectful letter about my behalf. Edmund apparently is more loyal to me and Edgar is not. I cannot believe that he is just seeking my death so he can take over my fortune. I was very displeased such unfortunate thing would happen and no matter how much Edgar would deny, the more I believe my bastard son, Edmund. I'm trying my hardest to help my loyal friend out and give him shelter, but I ended up getting caught and punished. I tried my hardest yet I got eyes taken out and I got betrayed by my younger son and I finally found out the truth. I'm just a blind man with no guidance but I "seen" the truth now.


-Howard Lin
-David Gonzalez

Anonymous said...

Edmund

Although I am the illegitimate son of Gloucester, I feel that I am entitled to inherit his fortune. I do not understand why my illegitimacy results in my being unmerited for fortune. I am equal to Edgar, yet, my father, Gloucester, ridicules my mother and brings me down along with her. I had to devise a plan in order to achieve retribution. It was imperative. I forged this letter, in the handwriting of Edgar, stating that Edgar is going to attempt to overthrow Gloucester, and needed my help in order to be successful. My father read the letter and was shocked that his beloved Edgar would plot such a thing. Turning my father against Edgar was only the first step. I also turned the two sisters, Goneril and Regan, against each other... Which ever sister stands her ground in the end, will be mine to marry. I will finally get the respect I deserve. However... A problem remains; Regan told my father that I was the one who betrayed him- letting others know that I told Cornwall his secrets. I have yet to figure out what my next move will be, but I will succeed.

-Leticia Orozco

Anonymous said...

After I decided to retire as a King,, I tested my daughters by asking them how they admired me. Regan and Goneril gave me a pleasant answer, but Cordelia gave me bizarre answer, which I didn’t accept. Then, I asked her to think of another answer to give me; it wasn’t what I was looking for, so I didn’t give her any of my wealth. Kent tried to convince me that I made a mistake, so I banned him from position as a nobleman. I moved to Goneril’s castle to live with Goneril for a while. I didn’t get the best treatment here, and Goneril’s servants started to treat me and my attendants rudely.

-Khulood Hussin
-Beatriz Dominguez
-Maria Bravo
-Erik Figueroa

Unknown said...

Fred Soza
Vera Nard

Goneril
My father has decided to retire as King. Since we have no brother to take his place as king, dad choose to separate his kingdom into equal divisions amongst myself and my sisters. Since I am the oldest, my father asked me to profess my love for him first, so he could determine my portion of his kingdom. I watched as my sister, Cordelia, lost herself her inheritance but no telling father how much she loved him and expressing how deeply she loved and cherished him. Father also casts out and exiles his long-time and most trusted aid, the Earl of Kent. After my father’s retirement my sister and I have played host to our father and his minions, at first it was wonderful having father around but that quickly turned old. But as Me and my sister have begun working against our father, why should we help him, we already have gotten what we want out of him, and I don’t want play host to his entourage. It has become cumbersome to house my father and all of his men, both my sister and I have asked father to release at least of his men. My sister and I have put out a decree that no one shall offer my father any help or shelter. This does not go heeded so the Earl of Gloucester, has to be punished. Then there is news that my sister Cordelia, is coming to father's aid.

Anonymous said...

I, King Lear, am retiring my throne soon and I am passing down my kingdom to my three daughters, Cordelia, Regan and Goneril. Before I do so, I want to know which one of my daughters' love me the most so they can inherit the biggest gift. To Goneril and Regan that have expressed their unconditional love to me, I declare they'll receive a big portion of land and a third of the kingdom; but to my youngest daughter Cordelia, whose love to me is unclear and questionable, I disown her and banish her as my daughter so she is no longer connected to my family ties.


-Y. Clay & I. Matip

Anonymous said...

I am king Lear and ready to leave my throne to all of my daughters. I believe one of my daughters can run my kingdom. I want to give all three an equal amount of power,but Cordelia is my favorite daughter. The other two of my daughters are married and believe that they just want my power and don't love me as much. I move in with one of my daughter, Gonrill, and wants to keep bossing them around. The servants were attending me really bad and i want to move out.
-Uber Garcia Jr

Anonymous said...

I plan to divide my kingdom up into 3 parts, with one part going to each of my three daughters. Goneril and Regan both told me how much they love me, but Cordelia failed me. She will not be getting her part. If she can’t even tell me how much she loves me, I shall banish her. I will consider her a stranger, even though I planned to spend the rest of my life with her caring for me. Now I feel as if no one wants to let me stay with them.

Curtis Fago
Nancy Flores
James Wolfenstein