King Lear :: essays research papers

exponent Lear is one of William Shakespeares greatest tragedies which involves acommon story of three daughters vying for the love of their father. Jane Smiley parallelsthe story of King Lear in her novel A Thousand Acres. Though this novel is derived fromthe roots of King Lear and the basic plot is similar, the readers reaction to each move ofliterature varies greatly. One may wonder why the readers perspective on the play KingLear changes so drastically after practice session the novel A Thousand Acres. A couple of thereasons include the pieces of literature being told from two different view points and howthe paralleling characters in the two works shoot roles than are unexpected and seemunlike the comparable characters in the other piece of literature. However, Scott Holstadstates the reason for the differing responses best by saying, Smiley is successful becauseshe fills in so many another(prenominal) of the gaps left open in the play. She gives us new and differentperspec tives (Holstad 1).King Lear is a more or less unusual play in that it only deals with the present and neglects the prehistoric and the future. The reader is not informed about an earlier time period in the play. The play opens up with Lear immediately choosing to, express our darker purpose (I, i,35). There is no mention of any of the three daughters childhood. In contrast, Smileymakes a point of adding description to her novel. She constantly describes the threegirls childhood, their ancestors, and other memories from the past. In the beginning ofthe novel, Ginny elaborates upon her great-grandparents and, when they came the firsttime to Zebulon County, in the spring of 1890, and saw that half the land they hadalready bought was under two feet of water (Smiley 14). Ginny also remembers whenshe used to take care of Caro aviation, I had such commit for her, such a strong sense that whenwe sent her out, in whatever capacity, she would perform well, with enthusiasm andconfidence that were mysteriously hers alone (Smiley 262). The description of the pastis the most powerful part in A Thousand Acres. It reveals hidden roots that shape anddefine behaviors of the characters. This hidden knowledge and exposure of secrets isexemplified in Edgars line in King Lear, In nothing am I changd But in my garments(IV, vi, 9-10). It tells the reader that although things may appear to be a sure way,reality will prove them to be different. The major difference between King Lear and A Thousand Acres is that the past comes