King Lear VS Paradise Lost

For a long time, humanity has been fascinated by the concept of evil. The idea of evil and its study is central to many works of literature, and it is a recurring theme in both King Lear and Paradise Lost. In its most fundamental form, evil is defined as moral corruption, which is both painful and undesirable. Yet, while this is an excellent starting point for describing the concept, it may be insufficient. For the vast majority of people, good is a concept that should always triumph over evil. Unfortunately, this is frequently not the case because a multitude of factors contribute to this victory or failure. In King Lear, Shakespeare posits that human beings are not inherently evil but rather, evil is an acquired concept, which one obtains through experience. Similarly in Paradise Lost, evil is among the most dominant themes and here, Satan, a former Angel turned rogue, is typified as the embodiment of evil. Like Milton and his Satan character, Shakespeare uses a variety of characters to exemplify evil with this theme primarily evidencing itself through the action of Regan and Goneril. In both texts, evil is demonstrated not to be an inherently existent element but rather one that is fomented by the characters’ actions. However, whether these characters are evil or not is a matter of persuasion since it can be argued that actions are a means to an end and as such, one may posit that they are only evil because they lost.

In Paradise Lost, Satan, the primary character, exemplifies evil through his never-ending battle with God. The name Satan, which means “nemesis of God.” was given to him after his ignominious exit from heaven, where he had previously held the position of high angel under the name Lucifer. The cause of Satan’s fall from grace and subsequent banishment from heaven is falling out with God that culminated in the battle in which Satan and his forces were defeated. Satan’s war against God was born out of a deep-seated jealousy of the privileged position occupied by God’s son. This jealousy combined with a selfish desire to lead causes him to rally a force of like-minded allegiants with whom he is banished to hell. Whereas one would expect that Satan would be contrite having been struck down from his lofty position, the truth is that he is anything but penitent. Instead, he arrogantly declares that he would rather reign in hell than serve in Heaven.

Deceit and the prudent use of lies are perhaps Satan’s greatest weapons in getting others to do what he wants. Satan lies to the fallen angels about his ‘vice-regency’ and the Son’s position so he can obtain their (the angels) support. Additionally, he employs deceit by disguising himself as a serpent when he approaches Eve in the Garden of Eden. This disguise fools Eve into complying since if he had appeared in his true form, it is unlikely that Eve would have been as easily sold on it, as was the case. Satan also demonstrates an immense amount of destructiveness and anger when he plans on how to revenge against God. Satan at one time posits ”To do ought good never will be our task, But ever to do ill our sole delight ”(Milton 1.160). In this statement, Satan exhibits sadistic qualities since it is apparent that he revels in the downfall of other people. Consequently, it is evident that Satan stands for evil in both his thoughts and actions.

Whereas in Paradise Lost Satan appears to be the originator and chief schemer of all evil plots, this is not the case in King Lear where several characters exhibit an evil nature. However, these different characters demonstrate varying degrees of evil, which means that none of them can be considered inherently evil. King Lear, the play’s protagonist, is an aging British king who is used to absolute power and abhors any form of dissent to which he often responds with a heavy hand. King Lear’s evil emanates from his narcissistic and egoistic nature, which causes him to lash out at people who oppose him. Lear has a high propensity to anger and a king-centered ideology, which are the two elements that inform his perception of evil and good. In his narcissistic mindset, any dissent is an evil act that must be punished whether it comes from his daughter or an ordinary subject.

However, King Lear is not the only character that Shakespeare uses to embody evil in its various forms. In fact, King Lear is arguably one of the least evil characters in the entire play and his evil actions pale in comparison to those of the other characters specifically Regan and Goneril, who are arguably the characters that demonstrate the most malice in the entire play. The wife of the Duke of Albany, Goneril, is also the first-born daughter of King Lear. Reagan, who is Goneril’s younger sister, is the middle daughter and doubles up as the wife of the Duke of Cornwall. The two who share a similar jealous, manipulative, and vindictive nature are considered betray their father on numerous occasions, with their self-centeredness at the heart of all their actions.

The evil actions of the two sisters begin early on in the play when they profess their love for their father, a love that is nothing but a blatant lie. Like Satan in King Lear, Goneril and Regan regularly employ deception in their activities as a means to an end. For example, the two pretend to be obsequious in character when in the presence of their father demonstrating a very subservient attitude while simultaneously scheming against him behind his back. An example of this deceit in practice is when the King requests that they admit their love for him and Goneril in typically exaggerated fashion responds that her affections for him are ”Dearer than eyesight, space, and liberty” (Shakespeare 1.1.56). This sycophantic utterance is purely a façade and mirrors the actions of her younger sister with the underlying intention being to endear themselves to the King and thus bring them closer to the land, houses, and knights promised for their loyalty. However, the sisters later renege on this deal, which represents yet another evil action. They conspire to drive the King mad in a bid to strip him of his title and power. Eventually, the two succeed in driving King Lear to a raging fit and convince Gloucester, a loyal nobleman, not to help the King (Shakespeare 2.4). However, the sisters’ wickedness does not stop at this and Goneril engages in an adulterous relationship and sets about scheming how to murder her husband. Regan, on the other hand, incites Cornwall to gouge out Gloucester’s eyes, and in the process, Cornwall suffers stab wounds that ultimately lead to his death. However, as is usually the case with greedy individuals, the two sisters eventually come to a conflict over Edmund, whom they both desire, ultimately leading to their downfall.

Another character who is just as nefarious as the two sisters is Edmund. The younger albeit illegitimate son of Gloucester, Edmund is deeply resentful of his bastard status and plots how to acquire his father’s title and wealth and usurp his elder brother’s claim. Edmund is a cunning and manipulative character who ultimately manages to bring most of his schemes to fruition. Again, like Satan in Paradise Lost, Edmund is a master manipulator who has perfected the art of using deceit to his advantage. Edmund sets up his brother Edgar for supposedly plotting to overthrow Gloucester thus causing Edmund to be banished. Once his brother has been dispensed with, Edmund is free to continue with his scheme to overthrow his father, who now views him with lots of trust. Edmund goes on to betray his father causing Cornwall to pluck out Gloucester’s eyes. However, Edmund’s evil actions do not stop here and instead; cognizant of the two sisters’ interest in him Edmund refuses to choose either and instead decides to play them against each other. Edmund is smart and knows that selecting one of them would weaken his power. Consequently, he decides to let them battle each other since this leaves him free to consolidate his power even further.

Whereas the central characters in the two works undoubtedly engage in evil actions, which on the face of it would make the individuals evil in nature, a closer look demonstrates that most of these actions are more patently strategic than evil. For instance, Satan, who is cast as the villain of Paradise Lost, is initially an Archangel who falls out of favor for being daring enough to question God’s system. In Paradise Lost, the universe’s layout is as much about obedience as it is about hierarchy. At the top of the existent social hierarchy sits God who is followed in command by the Son, and then the archangels and the cherubs.

Satan, however, refuses to recognize the Son’s superiority, which amounts to a questioning of God’s authority. Thus, one can argue that Satan’s deception and subsequent rebellion is not driven by inherent evil but is merely an act of protest against an unjust system. When Satan and his band or rebels are defeated and subsequently banished, they are made out as being evil troublemakers, but in actual sense, they are only freedom fighters out to correct an injustice. Because the story of this battle is narrated from the victor’s perspective, it is unsurprising that Satan comes across as being evil whereas God, the Son, and their victorious angels appear to epitomize good. However, some of God’s actions such as his vindictive banishment of a defeated Satan would generally fall under the scope of evil, and yet no attention is called to them, as is the case with Satan.

Nevertheless, even after being banished, Satan does not give up his fight, and instead, he continues to use the one weapon that he has, which is his cunningness, to fight back. Whereas disguising himself as a serpent and convincing Eve to eat the fruit amounts to lying, which is evil, there is a greater purpose to the lie. The purpose of the lie is to help open Eve’s eyes to the fact that God has unfairly denied her a chance to feed from that tree yet no explanation has been provided for this denial. Thus, a lie told for a good cause is not as inherently evil as the story would have us believe.

Similarly, in King Lear, it is easy, on the face of it, to view the actions of Goneril, Regan, and Edmund as being patently evil, which is however not the case. Goneril and Regan are deceitful in their relations with their father because they understand that it is the only way to survive. A dictatorial tyrant, the two sisters have already seen their youngest sister, who is probably the only one demonstrating genuine love, punished for her actions, they are undoubtedly reluctant to go down the same path. Additionally, those actions, while quite selfish, are ultimately necessary because they help to depose King Lear and end his reign of terror. Thus, while one may view these characters as self-seekers who take advantage of others for their own benefit, there is a case to be made that their actions are born of necessity, and the sisters are merely doing what has to be done.

Like the two sisters. Edmund is an evil man who has been judged rather harshly. Edmund is castigated for being a bastard, which is something he has no control over. An innocent child, Edmund is forced to look on bitterly as his brother; the heir apparent is treated like royalty while he is treated like an outsider. Evidently, Edmund has to find a way to make things change, and while setting up his brother is an evil thing to do; it is also a necessary one since it serves as a means to an end. Additionally, his decision to allow the sisters to fight over him is not evil because it is their choice and not an enforced action.

Milton’s religious and political thoughts are evident in Paradise Lost. A highly educated yet deeply religious man, he opined that all poetry played a religious philosophical and social role. In his opinion, it was imperative for all poetry to advocate for religious values, glorify God, and enlighten readers while guiding them to be better Christians (Su-fang 381). These beliefs are evident in Paradise Lost since eventually God’s will is demonstrated to be paramount and the overarching message is that obedience to God is supreme. Milton’s political beliefs also shine through in this play. A firm believer in absolute individual freedom, Milton had a profoundly ingrained mistrust of institutions coupled with the belief that all persons who wielded power were corruptible. These beliefs, which were revolutionary during Milton’s time, are evident in Paradise Lost where Milton who abhorred the corruption in the Catholic Church, severely criticizes the institution. In his other work, titled Lycidas, Milton uses an image of hungry wolves leaping into an enclosure full of sheep, which mirrors the image in Paradise Lost where Satan jumps over the wall of Paradise.

Conclusively, it is evident that a central theme in both Paradise Lost and King Lear is the concept of evil. Evil in its fundamental conception is a term that describes actions of moral corruptness. Both authors depict various characters as epitomizing evil from King Lear, Goneril and Regan in King Lear to Satan in Paradise Lost. However, whereas these individuals are considered evil because of their actions, it can be argued that many of these actions are driven by necessity and are thus ultimately beneficial while being selfish. Evidently, there is a thin line between what is evil and what is acceptable and this line is dependent on individual perception. For example, if one perceives Satan as a bad person, then he may be considered evil. However, an alternative contemplation of him as a hero and rebel makes him appear like an almost palatable character and certainly a less fearsome one.

Works Cited

Milton, John. ”Paradise Lost.“ Complete Poems and Major Prose, edited by Merritt Y. Hughes, Macmillan, 1957.

Shakespeare, William. ”King Lear.“ The Riverside Shakespeare, edited by Gwynne B. Evans, Houghton Mifflin, 1974.

Su-fang, Wang. ”John Milton’s Ongoing Project of Protestant Enlightenment in Paradise Lost.“ Journal of Literature and Art Studies, vol. 6, no. 4, 2016, pp. 380-387.