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How William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Winter Tale, and King Lear Represent Rulers and Parents
Introduction
Shakespeare is arguably one of the most celebrated ever to exist. The works of the revered England wordsmith were accurate in capturing the spirits of his time. His works have been translated into over 100 languages and some of the words which he coined still shape how people speak. His plays, Hamlet, Winter Tale, and King Lear, are no different. He makes reference to the role of kings and queens as leaders and as parents. Through taking a look at the relationships that children share with their parents, who are queens and kings, one understands the consequences of parenting on children. In Hamlet, for instance, the role of parents is significant throughout the plot as they inform both the underlying and apparent plot. The parents drive the actions of the children leading to unexpected plot twists. It also makes the plays more interesting as the audience will witness the tragic turn of events and interactions between children and parents take place. In King Lear, Shakespeare uses parent-child relationships to build the themes of love and rejection as the King begins to push away his daughter. In Winter Tale, Shakespeare also explores different kinds of relationships between family members, spouses, and friends hence building the themes of love and friendship. This essay talks about the important qualities that most good rulers possess. Furthermore, the text explores how those qualities helped or hindered the relationships the rulers had with their children.
Kinship and Parenthood in William Shakespeare’s King Lear
According to William Shakespeare’s King Lear, justice, compassion, and integrity are some of an effective king’s most significant character traits. In the play, the King comes off as more of a physical evidence of strength rather than a United Government. The King is usually a representative of God on earth hence he serves as an example of behavior for the subjects that look up to their king for hope, guidance, and strength. If a king does not have essential components demanding kingly behavior and the authority of the traits, his subjects tend to increasingly turn towards deception, violence, and treachery as a means of government. In the first scene, Lear comes off as a strong ruler. His plan being to divide the kingdom equally among his three daughters seems rather self-serving and short-sighted. The decision led to him placing his two son-in-laws Cornwall and Albany, in charge of safeguarding the outlying sections of the kingdom. The one single benefit that came from the division led to various problems. Lear abdicates his responsibilities and purpose and, at the same time, is creating chaos. To attain the goal, Genoril, Cordelia, and Reagan are left with no option but to carry out a love test to help them determine their inheritance. In all places, division of labor comes with its own share of risks, but even before the action gets a chance to create diversity, Lear establishes competition which further complicates an already dangerous decision.
In nature, competitions end with a winner and a loser. Cordelia ends up losing after declining to participate in the game. Lear also loses after he retires and abdicates his role as a king. It is impossible for Cordelia to be a Ling without a kingdom. The country which is set to be subdivided and will have less principalities will not have the strength and unity to survive as separate entities. Insurrection and civil war tend to be always the inevitable repercussions of Lear’s actions. The loves test forces Goneril and Regan to continue competing against their younger sister, who was favored. Eventually, a dead conflict arises amongst Lear and his daughters. The long-standing competition that existed between the sisters sparked conflict amongst the ruling faction hence dividing the kingdom even further. Dissent was in the air even before Cordelia returned. In the second Act (II), the report about Cornwall and Albany strife by Curan help with the illustration that King Lear’s move to divide the kingdom was huge mistake (II.1.10). At this point, there does not appear to be any conflict between Regan and Goneril. Additionally, because of her banishment, Cordelia is out of the scene. Although Albany and Cornwall do not demonstrate any signs of being uneasy, there is a clear discord with the potential of escalating into a conflict and maybe civil war (Park, 194). Eventually, Reagan and Goneril join forces against a common enemy, who is their own father. It is reasonable to assume that Regan and Goneril would eventually turn their anger against each other after having disposed of Cordelia. In V.1.55-69, it is evident that Edmund was banking on this event as he let it be known that between Regan and Cordelia, he would marry the one that would emerge winner in the struggle for absolute control.
Kinship and Parenthood in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet
One of the character traits of a good leader that Shakespeare makes reference has to do with having influence on people. Undoubtedly, the leaders in Hamlet display influence as they have an influence on their children. One of the rulers that play an important parental role is Old Hamlet. The King had a significant role in his life. He was also a major driving force for Hamlet’s insanity. This incident sets off the play’s plot. Hamlet was overcome by the love he was feeling for his father. Anger drives Hamlet into a plot against Claudius in the entire play. After the death of his father, Getrude, decides to get married to Claudias. In doing so, Getrude gives Hamlet more reason to distrust women and make them feel weak. The relationship between Hamlet and his mother is strained by the fact that she decided to get remarried to Claudius. Hamlet seems to have an unusual interest in his mother’s love life and sexuality. Her actions had led her son Hamlet into being disgusted by the entire idea of her as a sexual being. Hamlet felt that she had betrayed his father by getting married to his mother. This drove a wedge between Hamlet and his mother even further.
When a parent dies, one requires all the care and support they can get, but his mother rushed into getting married. She did not spend time with him after the King died. She needed to be there for him and remind him that someone loved and cared for him. On the other hand, his father, King Hamlet, loved his son just like any father does. Their relationship might not have been perfect, but Hamlet was proud of his father and admired him enough to look up to him (Zamir, 23). Hamlet’s life changed significantly after he learned about his father’s death. His father’s death struck him hard. He left like a part of his life had been stripped from him because of the bond they shared.
Kinship and Parenthood in William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale
Children play a significant role in this play. The relationship between children and their parents are mostly at the centre of all dramas. This is no surprise, given the significant role that this relationship plays in everyday life. As regards, parents-son relationship, Leontes and Hermione share a relationship of good nature with their son. Despite the fact that Hermione’s jealousy is growing, Leontes is passionate in the way he speaks about him.
As parents, Hermione and Leontes both have very different and unique qualities as parents. Hermione has a strong character in the play, a trait that makes her a strong and good mother. Leontes on the other hand possesses qualities that are totally different. His mistrust and jealousy towards his wife Hermione, and best friend Polixenes, alongside his severe paranoia made him a rather poor parent. His attitude makes him comes off as a poor parent. Leontes’s mistrust towards his wife has a detrimental effect on them as a whole. Leontes, however, starts to redeem himself as the play continues. As a parental unit, Hermoine and Leontes are not very effective. The reason behind this is that they are raising a natural-born princess who cannot have it any other way. When the play starts, Leontes has only one son called Mamillius. Leontes sees him as the best thing to ever happen to his life. Shakespeare views Leontes as being a good and stable parent as the play continues to unfold, we learn that this is not truly always the case.
Conclusion
In closing, throughout the plays Hamlet, Winter Tale, and King Lear, William Shakespeare paints a unique picture about the characteristics of a good ruler. Shakespeare uses the relationship between the main characters in his play to push the plot further forward. One of the character traits of a good leader that Shakespeare makes reference has to do with having influence on people. Justice, compassion, and integrity are some of the most significant character traits of an effective king, according to the play King Lear. In the Winter’s Tale as parents, Hermione and Leontes both have very different and unique qualities as parents. Hermione has a strong character in the play, a trait that makes her a strong and good mother. Leontes on the other hand possesses qualities that are totally different. His mistrust and jealousy towards his wife Hermione, and best friend Polixenes, alongside his severe paranoia made him a rather poor parent.
Works Cited
Park, Eonjoo. “Sympathy for Old Age in King Lear.” ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes and Reviews 34.3 (2021): 193-198.
Zamir, Tzachi, ed. Shakespeare’s Hamlet: philosophical perspectives. Oxford University Press, 2018.
