King Lear Post

In Shakespeare's play, King Lear, Lear constantly tries to achieve happiness, but he fails in the pursuit. He gives his land kingdom away to his daughters to make them happy and live the rest of his life with them, however, when they turn him away, he seeks his other daughter's hospitality. He goes to her to find happiness from the one daughter who ever truly loved him. Although he is happy with Cordelia, she dies and he is left again unhappy. Lear challenges the idea that it is possible to create your own happiness, or at least to maintain that happiness. He worked so diligently to be happy and to live a good life, yet fate and other circumstances continually challenged his ability to create his happiness. He also presents a new idea: Even if we can create our own happiness, is there any possible way to sustain it, or must it be constantly renewed?