The Drawbacks of Morals /// Bug Olsen
Throughout the play,
almost every character engages in some form of betrayal, deceit, or other form
of wicked deed without batting an eye. They seem to have no sense of right or
wrong, or rather choose to ignore what is clearly right in favor of what will bring
them the most glory and power. The ability to disown your daughter, betray your
brother, or abandon your father without a second thought seems to be some of
the benefits of living without morals throughout the play. This can clearly be
seen in Goneril’s interaction with her husband Albany in Act 4 Scene 2, in
which Albany finally confronts Goneril about her recent wicked actions. Goneril
responds by calling him “a moral fool” (4.2 line 57), which contains multiple
levels of meaning, especially when considering what actually constitutes a
“fool” throughout the play. However, it most clearly shows that morals in this
play, as well as in real life, are at times the things keeping people from
achieving what they really want.
By calling Albany a “moral fool”, Goneril implies that it
is in fact Albany’s morals and good-will that hold him back from ultimately
achieving the power and wealth that Goneril seeks. Unlike her husband, she is
willing to do anything it takes- abandoning her father, betraying her husband,
and later poisoning her own sister- to get what she wants. If she, and any of
the other treacherous characters throughout the play, had listened to good
reason and to their morals, they never would have been able to accomplish the
things they did. Instead, their greed and ambition led them to entirely ignore
morals and to betray and kill one another to obtain what they wanted., while the
few moral characters in this story, namely Kent and Edgar, are forced to
disguise and hide themselves so as not to be caught by any of the numerous
wicked characters throughout the play.
The way those with morals are treated when compared to
the way those without morals are treated is very symbolic of the way Christians
are treated throughout the world today. At times it seems as though the evil
people of this world are the only ones who prosper and get what they want,
while Christians are left to hide and suffer at the hands of the amoral. To
live of this world may seem easier, but as Christ says in Matthew 7:14, “small
is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life”. Ultimately, the evil and
reckless lifestyles of the characters throughout the play catch up to them, and
they receive their just reward in death, much like those who do not know Christ
will find their punishment in the next life. Therefore, it is better to be “a
moral fool” than to lower oneself to the level of those who will do whatever
they please to get whatever they want, and to ultimately receive the punishment
that they are due.
I commented on Emily Otts's and Raygan Boster's posts.
Wow Bug! Amazing job. I agree; while the character's morality may hinder them from succeeding in power hungry objectives, it also saves them from the ultimate consequences those actions would have merited. Shakespeare did an amazing job of showing how Edmund, Reagan, and Goneril all suffered those consequences. But I think you did a better job of shedding some Truth on why morality for Christians isn't a stumbling block, but a stepping stone. I hadn't even thought about the Biblical concepts we can find in King Lear. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWhile I think that the morals Christians hold most definitely stand out against the backdrop of our current culture, Christians never have and never will be the standard for good morals. There are people who have nothing to do with Christ or the Church and yet have more right morals than some Christians. On top of that, many American Christians differ from Albany because they aren't being treated badly or disliked because of their good morals, it's usually because many who claim to know Christ and are convinced they are Christians speak and react in ways that do not reflect Christ at all.
ReplyDeleteI like how you bring this play into the modern conversation without twisting it to fit your statement. Even in 1605 you can see how moral people often find themselves pulling the short straw next to other's unhindered ambitions. Albany does make for a good example of good morals being mocked as they often are in today's world. The idea that morals are for fools and unambitious people is clearly seen through Goneril, Regan, and Edgar. I had not personally even thought about how the seemingly moral characters were forced into immorality by disguising themselves and lying attempting to keep their lives.
ReplyDeleteThe irony in Goneril's insult "moral fool!" is something that did not occur to me in my own reading of it, but now that you point it out it seems to me a common theme of the play. The most cunning and selfish characters see themselves as the smart ones because they're willing to do whatever it takes to further their own ends and make their way to the top. However, the wisest and most admirable characters in the story all reject this premise and appear to those around them to make themselves fools. The most clear and obvious example of this is the character who bears "fool" as his name, disguising wisdom as folly to a King who seems only keen to listen to the latter. Cordelia is seen by her sisters as foolish because she doesn't take the obviously better self-serving route of lying to appease her father. Kent instead of doing the most "reasonable" thing by obeying Lear's orders and leaving instead chooses to disguise himself as Lear's servant risking his own skin in the name of the rights thing and protecting the King he clearly cares about. Finally, Edgar takes on the facade of a fool and a madman throughout the play, yet he is the closest thing we have to a noble hero in this story.
ReplyDeleteTo the selfish, worldly eye morality will seem like foolishness, because doing the right thing and putting others above yourself is not logical on the surface. Instinct and our human nature compels us to place others' wellbeing below our own, yet when we overcome that compulsion and instead place others' needs above our own (as Albany and the "foolish" characters do) truth and justice win out in the end (even if everyone didn't live happily ever after)