King Lear: Act 2 Q. 2

Act 2
Question 2:
What is it—what could it conceivably be—that would make children turn against their parent as completely as Goneril and Regan have turned against Lear? They’ve gone beyond irritation and its consequent neglect to outright cruelty. You may consider this question either specifically in reference to the two women (imagine their backstory the way you did Edgar’s) or consider it in general. Where do the terrible resentments of children for their parents come from? What is so very powerful about that relationship?

Goneril and Regan turn against Lear in the fourth scene of Act 2. It’s not too difficult to see the reasoning behind their actions. Lear handed the kingdom over to them, and still wants to have all the perks of being king. This creates a huge amount of conflict between his daughters and him; he expects to be respected and have authority over something he handed off. I think this is where all the resentment stems from. It would be like giving a 16 year old a brand new car, and then wanting to drive it everywhere. Lear needs to realize that it’s not his kingdom to run anymore. These sisters are incredibly selfish and are motivated to show their father who is boss. They want to live independently and have a feeling of control and power. This drives them to overturn their father.

When Regan and Gonerial act out Lear becomes very angry, which is what they want. The first instance we see this is when Regan refuses to see her father when he arrives at the castle. Her reason is because she is exhausted from traveling. It’s a huge slap in the face to Lear and shows her lack of respect. More so when they eventually come down, Lear questions why Kent is in stocks; by putting Kent in the stocks Regan clearly indicates the extent of lack of respect she has for her father.

Lear then makes a huge fool of himself and beings talking about hating Gonerial and says he wishes she were never born. Regan pushes her father over the edge and tells him to get over himself and to stay with Gonerial. After she does this, Gonerial enters and holds Regan’s hand. This shows they are united and Lear is on his own. Regan is clearly undercutting his authority even more.