The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-01-31
A Lindsley Institute Boys Essay or
King Lear.

hlnE Lear.
From the Lindsey Echo. -.
This play is probably one Of the grand
est productions OF shakspeare's genius,
portrayipg tbestruggles Ola reason over
whelmed by flliaI ingratitude, and totter-
ing upon the brink Of insanity, until fin
ally submerged in its depths.
Tho main plot OF the play is taken from
one ef,the numerous legends Of ante.his-
torfcal Britain. -
In condensed form the legend runs us
follows:
Leir, the son OF Baldub, was king OF
the Britons in the year OF the world 3l05,
or about 900 BsC. He was noble prince,
ruling in great wealth, and had three
daughters, named GOnorilla, Regan and
Cordilla, the youngest.
Whenh was come 10 u great oge, and
wishing 10 know the affections Of his
daughters, aud to prefer her who loyed
him best to the succession, he asked them
leach|how well they loved him. Gonorilla,
The eldest, first replied, protesting that
she loved him more than her own life,
which by right aud reason should be most
dear to her. liegan; the second daughter,
answered that She loved him more than
tongue could express, and far above all
other creatures in the world. But Cor
dilla very simply said that she loved him
so much as she was in duty bound, and no
more. The father being well pleased with
the first two answers, but dissatisfied with
the last, married lis eldest daughters, the
one 10 the Duke OF Cornwall, the other to
tho Duke OF Albania: and divided his
realm between. them, reserving nothing
for Cordilla. But Aganippns, Prince OF
(iallia, took her in marriage, although she
went dowerless.
After Lear was fallen into age, the
Dukes that had married his two eldest
daughters rose up against him in arms,
and deprived him OF all the attributes OF
king. But his greatest grief was from
the unkindness Of his daughters, who
seemed TO think that even thus their
father still had too much, and at length
brought him to such misery that he fled
the land and sailed into Gallia, where he
was h6norably and lovingly received by
Cordilla, and treated as though he were
king OF the whole country. Aganippus
also prepared mighty army and great
navy, and passing over into Britain dis.
comilted the dukes in battle. and restored
Lear to his kingdom.
Such is the legend upon which Shaks,
pearc based this great play, although he
also introduced into it the minor episode
OF Gloster and his two sons, which was
probably suggested to him by chapter in
Sir Phillip Sidney's Arcadia" entitled
"The pitiful state and story OF the unkind
king and king son first related by the son,
then by the blind father.,
So here in the same drama Shakespeare
has portrayed tilial ingratitude and heart
lessness, as well as filial piety and love,
In two entirely separate cases. The mad
ness OF the old king is superb in its grand
eur. He cares nothing for the wild storm
raging about him; the storm within his
own breast renders him insensible TO all
exterior Ills.
The two daughters, to whom he has
given all, have treated him with contempt,
and even spurned him from their houses.
into the raging storm; his torture is aug
mented by the thought that his youngest
daughter, whom he treated with such in
Justice, would not have acted so cruelty to
him. But still he cannot persuade him
self to seek hospitality at her hands when
he remembers how much more cause she
has for ill.using him that her elder sis
ters This thought OF his evil treatment
to Cordelia seems 10 haunt him contin-
ually, and to be the last leather in the
scales to turn the balance OF his reason.
The dramatic excellence OF the play Of
King Lear Is shown by the hold the stage
has hadit upon ever since 1t has left the
great master hand 1t is played by all
the star tragediAns, and it can be safely
said that no drama affords o greater field
for fine acting than "King Lear"