Explore Shakespeare’s presentation of family in King Lear. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors and ideas from your critical reading.

Shakespeare illustrates that at the beginning of the play, Lear’s views on how family love is expressed and measured is corrupt as his two insincere daughters are rewarded while his most loving and most loved daughter is cast out. This is the first instance where Lear attempts to measure the love his daughters have for him, in this case using words. He asks “which of you shall say doth love us most?” (1.1.50) and decides that his daughters’ insincere responses, using abstract nouns such as “liberty” (1.1.55) and “honour” (1.1.57) as well as comparing their love to material objects like “metal” (1.1.68), are an accurate representation of their love.  These extravagant declarations of love were common at the time, highlighted by a letter from Princess Elizabeth to her father James I, in 1613, which highlights the manner in which princesses were expected to address their fathers, she writes that her father is her “most precious object” and describes herself as “very affectionate, very humble, and very obedient daughter and servant”. Furthermore, Lear’s belief that love can be measure objectively is expressed when he believes that Goneril’s offer to house fifty knights and Regan’s proposition of only twenty-five determines that Goneril loves him more: “Thy fifty yet doth double five-and-twenty,/ And thou art twice her love” (2.4.58-59) . The use of numbers implies that Lear thinks that his daughters’ love for him is quantifiable. As the events of the play unfold it is clear that Lear is completely mistaken in his calculations as it is the daughter who offers him “nothing” (1.1.88) who loves him the most, illustrating that Lear’s idea of family is misguided. 

Furthermore, Shakespeare suggests that the collision of family with power and property partially causes the chaos that ensues as the play progresses. Lear believes that by relinquishing his “shadowy forests and … champains riched,/ With plenteous rivers and wide- skirted meads” (1.1.64-65) to his daughters, “future strife/ May be prevented” (1.1.43-44). However, it has the opposite effect and the promise of land and power only works to create competition between the siblings in both the plot and the sub-plot which eventually leads to sororicide and fratricide. The competition between Goneril and Regan is first highlighted in Lear’s love test when Regan declares “I find [Goneril] names my very deed of love;/ Only she comes too short” (1.1.70-71). In Richard Eyre’s 1998 production of the play the actress delivers this line looking at Goneril with her eyes narrowed and a sarcastic smile, this highlights the rivalry between the sisters as Regan attempts to better her sister’s response. Additionally, it is the desire for power and property that motivates Edmund to act in the way he does towards his brother: “legitimate Edgar, I must have your land” (1.2.16).