Stream on Amazon Prime - Episode 3
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| Alexander Barnett as Lear; Aaron Strand as Fool; Peter Holdway as Kent |
1.3
As Goneril informs Oswald of her
intentions to put an end to Lear’s careless and erratic behavior, we see the
true extent of her ambition. Goneril is indeed resentful of Lear for favoring
Cordelia and disgruntled having endured a lifetime of his rule, but that is not
why she acts. Nor does she wish to punish him for the rowdy behavior of his
knights as she claims to in the next scene; the reasons she states are excuses.
The knights are a nuisance, but she sees them merely as obstacles, not
adversaries. Goneril is fed up, but it is from having to hold herself back. Her
eagerness to render Lear impotent and cast him out of the kingdom comes first
and foremost from her inner drive and ardent desire for power and independence.
