King Lear vs. The Stone Angel Essay -- essays research papers fc

It has been tell that, Rivers and mountains may change human nature, never.(worldofquotes.com) This is a quote that can be deconstructed when examining William Shakespe bes queen Lear and Margaret Laurences The Stone Angel. When reviewing the two books the chief(prenominal) characters, queen regnant Lear and Hagar, are easily compar fitted. The prime(prenominal) mistakableity becomes apparent when powerfulness Lear and Hagar are twain developed as flawed characters. Secondly, because of their flaws the two characters become cover to reality. Thirdly, after being deceived by themselves and others as a solution of their blindness, both characters seek refuge outside of their own homes. By leaving their homes the characters are able to gain perspective on themselves and their pasts. Finally, despite these similarities between mightiness Lear and Hagar, a significant difference prevails after the characters experience their epiphanies and are awarded a chance to bring throug h themselves. When exploring King Lear and The Stone Angel it becomes clear that although both main characters engage in similar journeys to self discoin truth a critical difference between the two books exists in the characters ability to redeem themselves after their epiphany. It first became clear that Shakespeares King Lear and Laurences Hagar Shipley were similar main characters when their personalities were developed with flaws. King Lear was immediately revealed as an imperfect character when he was shown in his somewhat conflicting roles as a father and a king. After resolving to divide his body politic amongst his three daughters Lear develops a way to decide how his power and land forget be divided. Looking to his three children Lear probes, Tell me, my daughters/ (Since now we will plunder us both of rule,/ Interest of territory, cares of state),/ Which of you shall we say doth love us virtually?/ That we our largest bounty may extend/ Where nature doth with merit cha llenge.(I.i.49-54) It is at this establish in the play that King Lear reveals himself as superficial. Knowing he had already divided his land in three Lear could have presented it to his daughters as severally receives one third of the kingdom. However, Lear is flawed in that he is superficial and sort of than hand over his land and power he would rather catch his daughters competitively praise him for it. Similarly to Lears flaw Hagar is... ... his faults and change to redeem himself Hagar was only able to recognize her own flaws.In conclusion, when comparing the main characters from King Lear and The Stone Angel it is clear that although the characters endure a similar path to self discovery their outcomes prove them to be very different. This has been shown first by their development as flawed characters. Secondly, as a result of their flaws both characters become blind to others actions as well as their own. Thirdly, both characters remove themselves form their usual enviro nment where they experience their epiphany and are able to recognize their own flaws. Finally, despite all of these similarities, the two characters experience very different outcomes of their epiphanies. These two books bring an interesting perspective to the question of whether or not human nature can be altered. In the theatrical role of these two authentic characters, one changed where the other could not.Works CitedLaurence, Margaret. The Stone Angel. McClelland & Stewart Ltd Toronto, 1988.Shakespeare, William. King Lear. Harcourt Canada Ltd.World of Quotes. 19 Ma. 2005 http//www.worldofquotes.com/search.php