Lear's Contribution

There are numerous family dynamics explored in Lear, and their effects on society are critical. However, those effects are not fully presented in the book. There are two main families to consider: Lear and his daughters and Gloucester and his sons. In Lear’s case there is no mention of a mother. Therefore, when considering the actions of his daughters, that element of the family unit must be considered. Additionally, we notice that the main conflict between Gloucester, Edgar, and Edmund stems from the mother. Because Edmund is illegitimate, his mother was not actually Gloucester’s wife (technically not part of the family). Edgar’s mother, though, is Gloucester’s wife (part of the family). This clear chasm in the family unit noticeably impacts the society around it along with the family members. The dissention that fills Edmond’s heart stems from his illegitimacy. He craves the meaning and inheritance that is promised to him in a proper family, a legitimate family. Therefore, he takes whatever actions he can to ensure a future of power and authority, of honor and meaningfulness. Therefore, this desire appears to come from his broken family. His desire for meaning and legitimacy is a result of a divided family where affirmation and encouragement seem to have been void. Consequently, the effects of Edmonds insatiable search for power can be attributed back to his family upbringing. Those effects are, division, violence, deception, and to the extreme, war and death. Edmund plays a role in all of these, and although these results mainly affect his immediate companions in the book, one can assume that the larger society is also affected similarly. Furthermore, when regarding Lear’s family and its influence on society, similar parallels exist. The original pride of Lear prompts partition between his daughters. His favoritism results in division in his family, which results in division in society. The power struggle prompted by Lear’s initial irrational, results in division, violence, deception, war, and death (similar to Gloucester’s family contributions). In both cases, elements of division in the family unit appear to reveal the cause of societal clashes. In Lear’s case, there was favoritism and in Gloucester’s, there was adultery. Both divisions, however, seem to result in negative outcomes. Thus, family unity would logically seem to result in positive outcomes.