Fate in Shakespeare’s King Lear Essay Example
Fate in Shakespeare’s King Lear Essay Example

Fate in Shakespeare’s King Lear Essay Example

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  • Pages: 2 (355 words)
  • Published: December 22, 2017
  • Type: Article
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Fate In Shakespeare’s King Lear Throughout the play King Lear, fate plays various roles. Most of the characters in king Lear believe in a prearranged life since they are of course of a royal background and blame fate whenever they fail or any accidents happen.

Fate decides where people will go, how they will live and how they will die. Each character in the play believes in god or a higher power that is responsible for the good and unfortunate events in their lives. Fate places situations on each of them and it is up to the characters to decide how they will play out of the situation. Each character blames the gods for their ill fortunes and complicated lives. However while some parts of the plot seemed to be destined, others seem to be caused by the charac

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ter’s free will. The fate of the characters in King Lear is referred to fortune or misfortune, as it is easier to interpret fate for the characters this way.

They turn to the gods or the higher power in the play when they seek their answers. Shakespeare continues on to prove that in King Lear good, honest people are abused and unkind people prosper no matter the consequences. “As flies to wanton boys we are to the gods; they kill us for their sport (Act 4 scene 1, 37-38)”. Gloucester is blinded after helping Lear escape but still blames fate for his misfortune.

He believes that some higher power or divine force is controlling his life. In King Lear fate is often related to the power of the gods. However certain parts of the play happen not because o

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a higher power but because of free will. Throughout the play, Shakespeare justified certain events actions and misfortunes by using celestial beings in his text.“By all the operation of the orbsFrom whom we do exist and cease to be—Here I disclaim all my paternal care,Propinquity, and property of blood,And as a stranger to my heart and meHold thee from this for ever (Act 1, Scene 1, 113- 117).”Here Lear makes it clear that he swears to...

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