I've had a harder time getting in to "King Lear" than the other plays read this semester, maybe it's just the time of year. I'm not sure.
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| Belle's sisters from 1946 production |
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| Cordelia, Regan, and Goneril |
There are a few things that I have found kind of interesting though. The beginning of the play with Lear and his daughters reminded me of the original "Beauty and the Beast" story. There are three daughters. One Cordelia, like Belle is the most beloved and the most "real". Goneril and Regan are like her sisters who are only interested in what their father's money can give them, and once they have it, like in "King Lear", or it disappears, like in "Beauty and the Beast", they abandon their fathers because he is no longer useful to them. The difference, one of the many, is that "King Lear" is a tragedy and "Beauty and the Beast" is not.
The next thing that caught my attention was the word "Flibbertigibbet". In Act III Scene IV Edgar says, "This is the foul fiend Flibbertigibbet." Now I've heard this word before, but I never really knew what it meant, so I decided to look it up. The regular definition usually means a flighty, frivolous, gossipy, babbling woman. But while looking at the
history of the word, it was said that Edgar/Shakespeare's usage of it was to mean a demon or an imp. Personally, I feel like the two definitions are basically the same.
The next thing that caught my attention was the word "Flibbertigibbet". In Act III Scene IV Edgar says, "This is the foul fiend Flibbertigibbet." Now I've heard this word before, but I never really knew what it meant, so I decided to look it up. The regular definition usually means a flighty, frivolous, gossipy, babbling woman. But while looking at the history of the word, it was said that Edgar/Shakespeare's usage of it was to mean a demon or an imp. Personally, I feel like the two definitions are basically the same. 
I love the Beauty and the Beast connection! You are so right about it and how it ties together.
ReplyDeleteI've never read the original Beauty and the Beast, but now I want to! And I love that you looked up flibbertigibbet. Such a fun word. And even more fun when you know what it means! It's interesting how word meanings change so much over time..
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