King Lear: Cordelia's Farewell
By Edwin Austin Abbey - Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain,
If you haven't been here before, please take a look at the Introduction to Generations, the Generational Attributes and the Four Stories in order to get up to speed on how all this works, and the terms being used.In case you aren't up on the plot, Lear is a more-tragic-than-usual tragedy. Which is to say, the title character makes one main mistake, one that isn't even that obviously wrong, but which leads to downfall for his family and his land. Hamlet changes his plans far too often, Macbeth keeps killing to gain the throne, but Lear mostly screws up at the very start.
The king, looking to retire, decides to divide his kingdom among his offspring - three daughters. It doesn't work out well. He asks for declarations of love, with which the two older daughters gladly flatter him. The youngest daughter, Cordelia, refuses to wax eloquent on her love for him, for which he disowns and banishes her.
Once the transfer of power is complete, of course, the other two daughters abandon him, leaving him to wander the land with his Fool and the disguised Earl of Kent. The daughters eventually go to war, the abandonment drives him insane, and while Cordelia eventually makes it back to her homeland, it's only to be captured and imprisoned. Her rescue does arrive eventually ... just a little too late.
In the generational framework, this story doesn't require much investigation. The possible options appear quickly.
Once the transfer of power is complete, of course, the other two daughters abandon him, leaving him to wander the land with his Fool and the disguised Earl of Kent. The daughters eventually go to war, the abandonment drives him insane, and while Cordelia eventually makes it back to her homeland, it's only to be captured and imprisoned. Her rescue does arrive eventually ... just a little too late.
In the generational framework, this story doesn't require much investigation. The possible options appear quickly.
Setting: A tale of civil war, strife in the royal family, and a king overthrown has the marks of a Crisis all over it.
Story: Artist. Everyone is Doomed or Damned, almost from the first act, done in by their least favorable attributes.
Characters: In the midst of a Crisis, there should be older Prophets, mid-life Nomads, and young adult Hero generations. The elder daughters Regan and Goneril certainly work as Nomads, nothing but Bad from the start. (For those who think them Ruthless enough to be Prophets, note that they are driven by greed and jealousy, with principles never having any influence on their actions.) Cordelia, the third and youngest daughter, loyal and unconcerned, seems like a Hero.
We don't have an elder Prophet, though. With "four score years" behind him, in the midst of a Crisis, Lear's age matches that of an Artist. His attempt to settle his kingdom in a just manner ("...that future strife/ may be prevented now") supports this. Additional Artist attributes, such as being neurotic, indecisive and process-driven, make appearances as well.
We don't have an elder Prophet, though. With "four score years" behind him, in the midst of a Crisis, Lear's age matches that of an Artist. His attempt to settle his kingdom in a just manner ("...that future strife/ may be prevented now") supports this. Additional Artist attributes, such as being neurotic, indecisive and process-driven, make appearances as well.
Taken together, this is another a notable story that has consistency across generational attributes: Story type matches with primary character, and Setting matches with the Characters as a group. Perhaps that's a basic way to keep your story believable and understandable.
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