《李尔王》英文版读书报告Reflections on King Lear
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Reflections on King Lear
After reading this book—King Lear, it seems
that I have seen an impressing movie in which I
hold my breath lest I miss one scene. No
fierce fight, but the plot has haunted in my mind
so far.
With two main stories involved—one
about King Lear and his daughters, the other
concerning Earl of Gloucester and his two
sons, this great tragedy not only exerts a strong
effect
on me, but also motivates the readers
to conceive its underlying connotation.
I’d
like to explain my thoughts in the following two
parts.
I will give priority to language. The
play, King Lear, definitely proves the saying that
language has its own power. What the
characters say reflects their inner world,
together with their
standpoint, and thus
present a vivid scene in my mind. From what the
characters say, I am able to
be furious as
King Lear to be when he is abandoned by his two
daughters. I can even experience
the huge
regret and anxiety when Gloucester knows that he
is beguiled by his bastard son Edmund
to kill
his biological son Edgar.
Moreover, different
language, more accurately, different words
represent distinct characters.
Therefore, the
various portrayals are authorized to have their
own lives. They are tridimensional
rather than
rigid. So, I almost integrate myself into the
play, I cry when they weep, I am gloomy
when
they are filled with sorrow.
When Goneril
asked King Lear to reduce his knights and banished
him who gives her one
third of his kingdom
where she possessed, King Lear said desperately:
“Suspend thy purpose, if thou didst
intend
To make this creature fruitful!
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Into her womb
convey sterility!
Dry up in her the
organs of increase,
And from her
derogate body never spring
A babe to
honour her! If she must teem,
Create
her child of spleen, that it may live
And be a thwart disnatur’ d torment to her!”
Such words are full of antipathy, such a malicious
curse that no loving father shall say to his
daughter. From his words the readers are
informed that the King’s heart breaks into pieces.
Apart from those elaborate sentences to show
the characters’ complex psychological
activities, those sentences described the
surroundings also become the highlight of the
tragedy. No
matter using those sentences to
create a depressing atmosphere, or to liken the
natural storm to the
characters inner world,
especially King Lear’s psychological fluctuation,
those sentences have the
magic to magnetize
the readers. For instance, a short part to
describe the atrocious weather is also
a
mirror reflecting King Lear’s miserable inner
world:
“Bids the winds blow the earth
into the sea,
Or swell the curled water’
bove the main,
That things might change
or cease; tears his white hair,
Which
the impetuous blasts, with eyeless rage,
Catch in their fury, and make nothing of
…”
Next, I’d like to analyze some characters
according to my understanding.
There is no
doubt that King Lear was a tragic figure. He
convinced those wicked hearts
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under the cloak of sweet words.
Therefore, he expelled his beloved
daughter—Cordelia and his
loyal earl—Kent.
Maybe that was the beginning of the tragedy: evils
laughed because they got
what they dreamt of,
however, the kinds were being calumniated. If he
had realized what blunder
he had made, such a
tragedy would be avoided. But, until his two
daughters refused to take care of
him did he
know that he is cheated. He was addicted in the
exalting words instead of judging by
fact and
his own wisdom.
Reflecting on King Lear, I
remember a philosophical truth, that is: The
essence is always
hiding behind the
phenomenon. Through King Lear’s tragedy, the
significant perception I get is:
Do not
bewitched by those attractive phenomena, judge
everything by your own awareness,
fairness and
righteousness. Those who love you and support you
never change their minds as time
goes by. So,
what you cannot judge or resolve immediately, just
leave it to the time.
Touched by Kent and
Edgar, I can understand humanism which Shakespeare
extolled in the
period of the English
Renaissance. It was evident that Kent and Edgar
were innocent, they were
misunderstood and
calumniated. Although they were in such agonizing
situation, their loyalty and
love never
changed.
Kent disguised as a servant to
accompany King Lear without complain and
dissatisfaction.
Edgar pretended to be insane
in order to survive. When he came across his
father Gloucester
whose eyes were put out, he
didn’t lose temper to blame him, instead, he
comforted his father,
supported him and helped
him to survive. What he did ascribe to his
enduring love to his father.
On the one hand,
Shakespeare criticizes foolishness and ignorance.
On the other hand, he
reveals the kind and
benevolent side of human beings. To some extent,
Kent, Edgar and Cordelia
stand for moral
achievement which Shakespeare calls on in that
society. Cordelia said:
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“O dear father!
It is thy
business that I go about
…
No blown ambition doth our arms incite,
But love, dear love, and our ag’ d father’s
right.”
What she says is the value of
humanism: respecting people and pursuing
happiness. As Kent
says, “To be acknowledg’ d
, is o’ erpaid.” To Kent, if his loyalty could be
understood, that’s his
comfort and happiness.
Similarly, Cordelia’s happiness lies in loving her
father forever.
Usually, people learn more
from failure than success. Though the background
of the play
doesn’t apply to the modern world,
the play is a sort of treasure waiting for people
to read and take
it into deep consideration.
Like Francis Bacon says, “History makes men wise.”
Besides
experiencing by yourself, reading ,
reflecting ,together with summarizing provide you
with unique
and undistorted thoughts towards
the world and people.
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