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Asif Ali
Preeti Singh
Term Paper
201-Shakespeare
Disobedience in King Lear

According to Christian religious beliefs Disobedience was cause of all suffering to

human kind. It was the act of disobedience by the first human ancestors that brought which
misery and wretchedness in the entire world and caused Adam and Eve Expulsion from
paradise. It also occurs in Bible frequently as Romans 5:19- For as by one man's
disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made
righteous. Disobedience has been an inherent conflict causing phenomenon that has been
widely used as an element by English playwrights. It is worth noticing that this may or may
not be intentional but it executes an obvious religious consciousness that has been
traditionally part of literature since the time immemorial. Shakespeare too in his play King
Lear uses biblical portrayal of disobedience in similar fashion. The narrative of the play has
a mainstream plot which revolves around King Lear the father and his children whereas the
sub-plot is woven around Gloucester and his two sons. The narrative is a tragedy in its genre
where the tragedy arises out of disobedience and foul play of the children towards their
respective parents. It is worth mentioning that King Lear was set and it was written in times
when children were not expected to disobey their parents as they firmly believed in Bible that
commands Ephesians 6:1-3- Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

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In the very beginning if the ply the king asks all of his daughters namely Goneril,
Regan (both are the older ones) and Cordelia (the youngest and dearest). Goneril and Regan
wisely do away with their flattering rhetoric and they win the appraisal of the king and parts
of kingdom as their gifts in return of the flattery. On the other hand Cordelia shows much of a
totalitarian approach towards expressing her love for her father. She tell him that she loves
him no more nor less followed by Lears command Mend your speech a little, lest you
may mar your fortunes but Cordelia still refuses to allure him with flattery putting her
fortunes at stake which enrages the king as it hurts his Ego as a father and also the King,
whom all subjects are supposed to love. This leads Cordelia to be abandoned by the King,
followed by the division of the kingdom that takes place between the two elder daughters.
Cordelias straightforwardness and her lack of interest in material gains win her a marriage
with prince of France. Goneril and Regan are greedy wicked children who plan to disown the
king. Cordelia bids farewell to the rest and Goneril says to Cordelia that You have obedience
scanted, And well are worth the want that you have wanted she questions her obedience. It
is worth noticing that the order of wicked and nice children as being Goneril and Regan and
Cordelia respectively is much similar to the order of Cain and able in the Bible where Cain
the eldest son is the wicked one and the younger Able is loved by God.
What follows is the sub-plot where Edmund the bastard and dear son of Gloucester,
whines over his illegitimacy and is jealous towards Edgar the legitimate son of Gloucester.
He plans to Trick his father and his father into taking Edgar as a traitor, so that he can be the
heir.
King Lear finds himself unwelcomed in the house of Goneril. He is met with
mistreatment which enrages him and he strikes the steward Oswald calling forth the anger of
Goneril. Goneril in turn chides him and says that

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Not only, sir, this your all-licensed Fool,

But other of your insolent retinue
Do hourly carp and quarrel, breaking forth
In rank and not-to-be-endurd riots.

This disheartens Lear and he says

Does any here know me? This is not Lear.
Does Lear walk thus, speak thus? Where are his
eyes?
Either his notion weakens, his discernings
Are lethargiedHa! Waking? Tis not so.
Who is it that can tell me who I am
As pre-planned with Regan she makes effort to make Lear uncomfortable at her place so that
King Lear would leave and proceed towards Regans house where he await similar scene to
come. It is worth mentioning here how authority is reversed; the king is dependent on his
children where his children were previously dependent upon him. The language of King Lear
that boasted of authority and power is now transformed into language of a weak helpless man
who is questioning his own identity.
The narrative develops with King Lear being the protagonist against Goneril and
Regan as antagonists and disobedient children at the same time. It is in proper
synchronization with the Bible which states Exodus 21:17- And he that curseth his father, or
his mother, shall surely be put to death. After some bitter arguments with Goneril and
Regan, King Lear leaves them saying his last words as
I will not trouble thee, my child. Farewell.
Well no more meet, no more see one another.
But yet thou art my flesh, my blood, my daughter,
Or, rather, a disease thats in my flesh,
Which I must needs call mine. Thou art a boil,

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A plague-sore or embossd carbuncle

In my corrupted blood.
On the other side Edmund continues with his plans to abandon Edgar from being heir
to Gloucester tricks Edgar into an exile. Gloucester, who learns that French are preparing to
help Lear against his daughters, reveals the same to Edmund and expects him to help in his
desire to help Lear. Edmund spills the beans to Duke of Cornwall the husband of Regan who
promises Edmund of higher rewards in return. Gloucester helps the company of the King to
reach Dover and meet French. On his return to the castle Gloucester is taken to be prisoner by
Cornwall and blinded. Here another parent and disobedient children comes to surface when
Gloucester learns that Edmund was the one who revealed the fact of his being helpful to Lear.
In these lines
Gloucester: All dark and comfortless! Wheres my son
Edmund?
Edmund, enkindle all the sparks of nature
To quit this horrid act.
Regan: Out, treacherous villain!
Thou callst on him that hates thee. It was he
That made the overture of thy treasons to us,
Who is too good to pity thee.
Here again reversal of authority takes place when Gloucester is
reduced to position of a child as he is dependent on others and at the
same time Edmund rises to power. In this equation of protagonistantagonist we can observe that Edmund is Gloucesters bastard son and
in those times bastards were suppose to be bad, in turn Edmund is merely
heeding the social conscience.
Towards the end of the play we find that Cordelia, who has found her
father Lear in a pitiable condition, takes care of him as an obedient child

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and swears to avenge his mistreatment on the other side of the narrative
Edgar is the obedient one who takes care of Gloucester after he is blinded.
Adultery is another religiously condemned sin that Regan and Goneril
attempt with Edmund. The end of the play is such that Obedience is
glorified where as disobedience is condemned and meets the wickedness
of the fate. The order of obedience is also found to be reversed at the end.
As we found Cordelia to be disobedient in the beginning and Edgar was
portrayed to be a traitor by Edmund, both end up on the other side of the
just actions.
We can conclude that the filial obedience is one of the key themes
played out in the play; obedience also directs the internal structure of the
narrative. The order of authority keeps shifting in the play along with the
order of the recognized obedience. Obedience also governs the privileges
that are bestowed upon the seemingly or truly obedient one. The play also
depicts the religious way of determining ones character which is in no way
seems perfect as Goneril and Regan were portraying wicked obedience. It
is actually obedience and filial piety discourse, and the question that what
should be the criteria to determine loyalty.

Works Cited
Shakespeare, William King Lear Arden Shakespeare Editions, 2009

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Bible, King James Version 1611