In Act 4, scene 2, Goneril and Albany are making conversation with one another. Goneril beings the conversation by asking Albany, her husband, if he is now worthy enough to be speaking with her. Albany, who knows what Goneril and Regan have done to their father, is ashamed to be associated with Goneril. Albany tells Goneril that she cannot be trusted due to the wrong doing of her father. Albany says, "That nature, which contemns its origin cannot be bordered certain in itself. She that herself with sliver and disbranch from her material sap perforce must wither and come to deadly use" (Shakespeare 179). Albany tells Goneril that he cannot trust anyone who abuses their own father, who is their flesh and blood. He compares Goneril to a tree branch, saying that any woman who breaks the relationship with their family, can be seen as a branch that tries to break away from the tree. Ultimately, the tree branch, and the woman, will wither and come to an end. Albany continues to tell Goneril that she and Regan are tigers, not daughters to the king. The king was once a kind father, but the Goneril and Regan have driven him to be insane. Albany tells Goneril that if the two daughters are not punished, the world will end. And human being will become cannibals, like monsters of the deep sea.
Is it true that if Albany had spoken his mind earlier in the play, the daughters would have changed their feelings towards their father? It is clear that Goneril does not plan on changing her mind because she tells Albany that what he is saying is foolish. Yet, Goneril calls Albany a coward for not stopping the daughters before they had done the damage to their father. Have Goneril and Regan done enough damage to their father by lying to him, telling him that they love him, only to inherit his land and fortune? I believe it is Goneril and Regan who have driven the king insane. It upsets the king that he had to banish his most loyal daughter, Cordelia. This also makes him crazy, but Regan and Goneril push this limit by allowing for their father to move in, under the circumstances that he cuts his army of helpers in half.
It makes sense for Albany to be upset with his wife. If he had not stood up for what he believed in and tried to show Goneril that she was corrupting the king, who knows what she would have done next? I guess only time will tell to see if Goneril decides to open her mind to what others have to say and change the image of her father. Unfortunately, some people never change and no amount of time can help the change.
I agree that Regan and Goneril are the reasons why King Lear became insane. However, if Albany had spoken his mind at the beginning of the play I do not think it would have made a difference. Both daughters were greedy and fake from the beginning of the play. When King Lear asked them how much they love him, both Regan and Goneril lied and said anything to receive a piece of the land. They never loved Lear as Cordelia did. They were not even lenient to having his 100 servants stay with him. To answer your question, I do not believe that their feelings would have changed, since they were only lying to him to receive what they wanted from Lear.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Even though Albany had spoken about his feeling toward King Lear to Goneril, Goneril's mind would never been changed. Because she never loved Lear as Cordelia did. I am sure that Regan and Goneril are the reasons why King Lear became insane. Also it is true that Regan and Goneril are broken branches from the body of tree, because they ruthlessly abandoned the relationship with King Lear, only to satisfy what they wanted from Lear.
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