The destruction of the old, personal, familial, social, natural and divine orders is evident in Act I of the play. The kings never ending spiral dive lead him deeper into destruction, eventually ending in tragedy. The inhabitant of power by Regan and Goneril is the first destruction of personal old orders. The rejection of cordelia leads to familial disorder, and after Regan and Goneril’s inheritance of the king’s authority and land results in a social anarchy. The final destruction within the older of divinity, king lear’s decision to step down before his time.
The evidence of old personal order destruction becomes clear when he hand down his power by diving his kingdom, he hands power to those who are plotting against him. i “Meantime we shall express our darker purpose. Give me the map there. Know that we have divided? ln three our kingdom” (1. 2) . king Lear is blinded by manipulative personalities of his two daughter’s Regan and Goneril, he fails to reveal their true intentions of humiliating him and take advantage of him in order to benefit themselves. Being blinded by the eed to be loved by his daughters king Lear delegates his authority to them.
The desperation of the king who wanted to hear his daughter declare their love for him is the sign that the king is lost, his a lost king who puts his needs and wants before governing his kingdom. His more interested in being flattered by people who surrounds him. The passing down of power to those who wants it for their own selfish reason leads to social disorder and anarchy. The disorder arises when Lear declares that he will divide his kingdom to those who claims to love him more by etting boundaries for what a father daughter relationship should be. Let it be so; thy truth, then, be thy dower: ? For, by the sacred radiance of the sun, ? The mysteries of Hecate, and the night; ? By all the operation of the orbs? From 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 me? Hold thee, from this, for ever. The barbarous Scythian, Or he that makes his generation messes? To gorge his appetite, shall to my bosom? Be as well neighbour’d, pitied, and relieved, ? As thou my sometime daughter. (1. 1. 10). the disorder arises after Lear divides his kingdom between two very opinionated women. The destruction of the old social order is evident after the king’s decision of splitting the monarchy. A clear disorder within the family arises when Lear raptures familial value by disowning his own daughter, he fails to realize that Cordelia was the only one who truly loved him and cared for him. She confronted her sister’s plan of destroying and humiliates the king. “Love well our father. To your professed bosoms I commit him.
But yet, alas, stood I within his grace, I would prefer him to a better place” (1. 1. 273). after the discovery of the cruel plan to destroy the king tension arises between Cordelia and her sisters, without Lear’s decision of splitting the kingdom and banishing his favorite daughter this tension would never have expressed and the family wouldn’t be on the verge of absolute ruin. Lear creates division within his family by disowning one daughter and creating competition among his daughter. It’s a matter of time before the family falls apart, nd it is all created by Lear himself. ather, he rushes out harsh punishment cuts ties with her. His pride forces him to go against his natural instincts, he goes against biological love the father has for his daughter. Lea shows no remorse for his loss, only anger because he did not hear what he wanted to hear. Two daughters overthrowing their father shows break of the natural order. After Lear discovers the true intentions of his daughter, tension rises and eventually his own daughters surprisingly turns their back on him and shunting him.
How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child! ” ( 1. 4. ) the natural bond between father and daughter has been broken by Lear and by his two daughters, Lear does so by cutting ties with his last child Cordelia, and the daughters he thought loved him more, chose to go against their nature and wish him ill and betray him. The old heavily order which has been followed for generation by European monarch is broken down when Lear decides to hand down power based on who loves him most. “Tell me, my daughters, since now we will divest us both of rule,
Interest of territory, cares of state)/which of you shall we say doth love us most, that we our largest bounty may extend/Where nature doth with merit challenge? ” (1. 48. 53). the king breaks the old divinity of handing down the power, the old belief was that the god choses who becomes the king and a new king came in power after the older king dies. By hanging down power to someone who was not chosen by god, Lear looks like he is above anything divine. Lear’s pride leads him into making a poor decision of breaking the kingdom into two, he exchange power for lover, sadly he chose wrong y handing down power to these who later betrays him.
The king didn’t think though the decision nor did he ask for advice in doing so, his pride, and his desperation to be loved sends him into decline that ends up in tragedy. Lear himself upsets and destroys the old personal, familial, social, natural and divine orders. He creates tension, corruption and sets himself up for tragedy. If the king would have seek advice and though the decision everyone would have benefited from him rather than suffering because of his action.
