The Most Villianous Character in King Lear

It is difficult to determine who the most villainous character is, for many characters are evil. The wicked characters are Goneril, Edmund, and Regan. However, out of the three of them, I’d say Edmund is the most infamous. He deceives every person he comes in contact with; Gloucester, Regan, Edgar, Cornwall, and Albany. The most obvious betrayal of Gloucester ultimately leaves him blind and suffering.  By deceiving his brother, he forced him to live the life as a peasant. However his disguise as poor tom ultimately led him to save his father from suicide. Turning against his blood makes Edmund especially evil. His greed for power and wealth outweighs the bond of his family. If his is willing to betray his own blood, Edmund seems willing to deceive anyone who stands between him and his power.

                Edmund pits Regan and Goneril against each other by being flirtatious with both girls. By trying to sleep and ultimately marry either sister, he will achieve royalty; his ultimate goal. Going after one sister for her money is one thing, however being promiscuous with both exploits his greed. He can be compared to a prostitute, sleeping with women in order to gain wealth.

                By flirting with both Goneril and Regan, Edmund ultimately undermines their husbands, Albany and Cornwall. Cornwall dies in a fight over Gloucester which, at the root, is caused by Edmund in the first place. Edmund’s attempt to get with Regan betrays Cornwall, who so willingly accepted him after Edmund threw his father under the bus.  By engaging with Goneril, he hoes against Albany. So far, He has misled everyone who has trusted him, making him very dangerous. This is especially because the characters seem pretty gullible and Edmund portrays himself as trustable.  The two combined make a very villainous character. 

Bereft Explication

     Frost opens the poem with a simple rhetorical question, suggesting his questioning of his current position.  The definition of Bereft is deprived which mirrors the narrator in this poem, for he deprived of the one he loves.  He compares his lover to summer and day which “was past” (6). This could also mean that the best times, or his youth is now behind him. The narrator has passed his peak of life and is headed “down hill”. The use of the words “somber” and “sagging” suggests that the narrator is displeased by this; not only is he alone but it’s almost as if he has no hope in finding a lover for he thinks he is too old. This leads to a depressing tone. Frost also alludes to other aspects of nature. The roaring wind echoes his loneliness and grief while the frothy shore is not ideal, as one would like to picture a shoreline.

 The rhyme scheme, AAAAABBACCDDDEDE, is very interesting. It is unconventional yet it flows nicely. In a sense, it mirrors the narrator; although he is upset about his loneliness, life goes on. Although he is alone, Frost uses personification to make it seem as though nature is stays by the narrator’s side. The leaves sound like a snake when he says, “leaves got up in a coil and hissed,/ blindly struck at my knee and missed” (9-10).  Nature is portrayed in a negative light, and the idea of a serpent is emphasized by the repeated “s” sounds. This is negative for perhaps, like King Lear, the narrator blames nature for his misfortune; his old age and loss of his love. The snake is portrayed as “sinister” (11) yet as company none the less. It is however, paradoxed with his belief that god is there for him. Believing in the powers of nature and the powers of god seem contrasting yet Frost puts them hand in hand, balancing each other out. 

King Lear's Relationship with Nature

King Lear’s relationship with nature is bizarre. He interacts with nature at night, in harsh conditions, not typical of when people normally indulge themselves in the outdoors.  The crazy weather mirrors Lear’s temperament, mood and thought process; he is losing it! He sees nature differently, for he thinks that, like his daughters, it is going against him. Like his ever increasing age, he cannot control the weather. This lack of control is what drives Lear crazy.  

                It can be argued that his ultimate enemy is nature, for that is what makes him old. He has no power over it; one of few things Lear cannot control. He is unaccustomed to this lack of control and does not like how age is affecting him. Age, which can also be considered nature, has taken his sanity, his kingdom, and ultimately his daughters. By blaming nature, he does not have to blame himself. In a sense, this blame makes nature a scapegoat for Lear, which is not surprising considering his large ego.

                Rain means change, yet Lear has had no change of heart. This could foreshadow an action to come in which Lear might take action against his daughters. The fact that he finds protection in this storm is strange, for most people seek protection from storms, quite the opposite of how Lear feels about the storm.

                Personally, I enjoy nature especially during the summer, when it is bright, warm, and gorgeous weather. I wouldn't dare go out in a storm as bad as the one King Lear faced.  The mere act of him braving the storm suggests how he is trying to prove himself as an able body, capable of fighting off the toughest of storms.  This may be foreshadowing a future event.

                                                                                                                                      

The Deceitful Edmund

Edmund primarily deceives his father and his brother; however, by doing so he gains the pity and trust of others. By setting up his brother in a way in which it looks like he is trying to protect Edgar, he make himself appear trustworthy and like a good sibling to Edgar. This is, in fact, quite the opposite of the truth. In reality, his deceitful manner exposes how his selfishness and his greed. His willingness to sacrifice his brother for material items shows just how little affection and empathy he has.

            By deceiving his father, he gains Gloucester‘s trust, affection, and ultimately a larger inheritance. Gloucester cared little for either of his sons but after Edmund displays his act of “loyalty”, Gloucester favors him. This is interesting, especially considering the fact that Edmund is the illegitimate son. However, being illegitimate gives Edmund more motive to betray his brother, for Edgar would most likely get a higher inheritance for being legitimate. His acts are not justified and although he was first pitied by the audience he is no longer a favorable character of mine. His acts are greedy and spiteful. His seemingly respectable demeanor cannot be upheld for long.

            All the people he tricks are quick to judge and reluctant to question. All praise Edmund as a hero and none question his story. This is true for both his father, brother, and those that interact with them.  It shows how gullible they are and just how sneaky Edmund is.  Cornwall is an excellent example in how much trust all the characters have in Edmund. This is especially true when he praises Edmund, saying, “For you, Edmund,/ Whose virtue and obedience doth this instant /So much commend itself, you shall be ours./ Natures of such deep trust we shall much need./ You we first seize on” (2. 1. 116-120).  

The widow’s Lament springtime by William Carlos Williams

Springtime and a “widow’s lament” are quite contradicting.  Springtime symbolizes new life and happiness, the opposite feelings evoked by the loss of a husband. Williams uses imagery to express the beauty of spring, possibly suggesting life after death.  She alludes to white objects such as the “plumtree” and “trees of white flowers”, two plants blossoming with the start of spring, which represents purity among new life. The focus on nature further accentuates the idea that there is new life after death and that life goes on. Choosing the colors yellow and red, Williams expresses the narrator’s confusion and anger towards her husband’s departing. Yellow symbolizes corruption, suggesting that his death was untimely and unjust while red correlates with her alarm that he is diseased.  Describing the new grass as “[flaming] as it had flamed” suggests the idea that hope, symbolized by green grass, is engulfed, leaving despair. Towards the end of the poem, this sense of despair turns into a peaceful form of nostalgia n which the narrator alludes to committing suicide by “[sinking] into the marsh”. She “[feels like [she] would like/ to go there in the “[distant]” future. The word choice suggests that she sees herself committing suicide in the horizon. The fact that her son told her about this could mean that her son is suicidal as well or that he is aware of the fact that his mom is sad and tries to give her a way out.  Although suicide is not a pretty, calm, nor peaceful action, the Williams makes it seem pretty and almost natural, for she would “sink” into the march, surrounded by white flowers, suggesting that her suicide would be just the overarching theme of spring makes gives the poem an appealing, nostalgic feeling, highlighted by the use of imagery about the nature blossoming during this time. 

Preference of Characters from Hamlet

Horatio- I don't have an opinion of Horatio, he does nothing to change the plot and barely affects the play.  I see him in a positive light but that's about as much of an opinion as I have of him.
1. Laertes- Laertes does nothing to deserve his fate. His reaction to his father’s death is considered typical and he seems just a victim of circumstance.
2. Ophelia- Ophelia is a victim of being on both sides- on one side she loves hamlet and on the other she goes against him in support of her dad. Committing suicide could be considered cowardly or heroic, making Ophelia an intriguing character because of her ambiguity and the fact that she did not commit any crimes herself.
3. Ghost- the ghost influences Hamlet to take his revenge. He is the main reason Hamlet feels as though he has to act- the main plot of the play.
4. Hamlet - Hamlet committed unnecessary acts of murder that made him reach a low comparable to Claudius. His cowardly way of going about the murder of Claudius does not deserve heroic respect because it was not intention to kill him going into the scene. I believe he had no real intention of ever killing.
5. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern- these two men come in faith because they betray Hamlet for the king’s benefit. They do not support their longtime childhood friend but rather go against him to earn approval. Betraying Hamlet backfires, leading them to their ultimate death which does not seem fair to them.
6. Polonius- he is contradicting and fake towards other characters, choosing Claudius' approval over everything. I don't think his death was just but in another respect he did not deserve to continue being a snake.
7. Gertrude- I am not Gertrude's biggest fan. I believe she is aware of the poison and purposefully commits suicide. I think this is cowardly on her part. She deserves to live with her sins.
8. Claudius- Claudius is by far my least favorite character. I think he is selfish, indirect, and cannot deal with the consequences of his actions. Furthermore he is never satisfied nothing will ever be enough for his greedy personality. He doesn't deserve to live.

Explication of Desert Places by Robert Frost

      Its mere title has a play on connotation and denotation. A desert is barren, dry and lifeless- quite the opposite of “ground [that is] almost covered smooth in snow”. Snow and desert-area contrast, making it clear that by desert, Frost implies barren, empty, and alone, ultimately deserted. Words and phrases like “absent-spirited”, “loneliness”, and the repetition of “lonely” solidify the solitude he is describing. Even a snowy field suggests this because looking at a field covered in snow, there is nothing. It is almost an eerie feeling. Even the animals are hidden away, “smothered in their lairs”. These animals could be both in the wilderness or humans, for both conceal themselves during winter.

                In reality, what effect do these empty, deserted places have on Frost? He feels a sense of loneliness and isolation, true, but it is not everlasting. I believe this is why he uses snow, for all winter is creates a bareness but it can change: once it melts, it gives way to new life.

The overall tone of the poem is peaceful. However, Frost implies being overwhelmed in his last stanza. He uses the pronoun “they”, personifying whatever it is that is trying to “scare [him] with their empty spaces”. I don’t think Frost is truly afraid, but instead he has a hard time comprehending all that is out there in the earth. People tend to be afraid of the unknown, which is the suggested connotation of scared. Talking about empty spaces, he brings up space it’s self which is unimaginable when thinking about its size and what fills it. We can only see stars from earth, and these stars are little lights surrounded by darkness. Their light amongst darkness is hopeful however Frost dismisses this for it is intangible and it is too vast, and too far away to worry about. He has other “desert[ed] places”, close to home, which intimidate him.