Passion for Power in King Lear

Analysis of the “Passion for Power” In King Lear Act III Scene VII



Act Three, Scene Seven of King Lear presents a fierce battle between power, justice and madness. The character of The Duke of Cornwall in particular uses his powerful status, and ability to make rash decisions, to exert his authority and influence above the rest. He sends Goneril to give an incriminating letter to her husband and his men to find the Duke of Gloucester, whom he considers a traitor; his status and passion for power drives him to these actions, without consideration for the consequences he has to face. The torture and blinding of Gloucester is down to Cornwall, who also kills a man who tries to stop him. With the essence of a true Shakespearean tragedy, The Duke of Cornwall provides the audience with the sense that he isn’t what he appears to be; he has little control over his actions, and his desperation and passion for power doesn’t stop him gouging out the eyes of Gloucester and using the heel of his boot to mutilate them.



Cornwall’s authoritarian status can be seen through his direct, almost impolite use of speech. “Pinion him like a thief, bring him before us” uses short, sharp words; it is easy for an audience to understand his thought process, his speech is almost list-like, his words are barked and there is no element of patience in his words. The use of the noun “thief” in particular is degrading, and for Cornwall to use it towards someone of a similar status to himself shows that due to his passion for power, his regard for social hierarchy is slight – he believes himself to be beyond the concept of politeness and patience. Cornwall’s greed for power almost engulfs him, and with that comes a loss of self respect and self control also. As an audience, there can be little to no sympathy for the character of the Duke of Cornwall; he can only be seen as a madman in this scene, his actions are rash and present more problems rather than a solution. Act Three Scene Seven shows the decline of a strong character who has been infested with the need for power, and in the traditional catastrophic style of Shakespeare’s tragedies, this causes the death of an innocent man.



A disregard for the feeling of others is also shown in Cornwall’s speech. The greed he has for power takes over his morality, and when Gloucester pleads, “Do me no foul play, friends” The Duke of Cornwall merely dismisses him: his reply, “Bind him, I say” shows the audience that his need to fulfil his powerful role overrides his ability to forgive and empathise with others. In itself this is tragic; Cornwall has almost lost his humanity beneath the layer of power, self-indulgence and greed that has now taken over him. Furthermore, it is almost as if Cornwall feels it is acceptable to use “heroic code” as an excuse for his madness. “These revenges we are bound to take upon your traitorous father are not fit for your beholding” gives the impression that the Duke feels honour-bound to commit the punishment, however, I believe that because his passion for power has taken over his mind so heavily, it is almost as if he will enjoy carrying out the punishment. Cornwall glorifies in his role as the punisher; his thirst for power has lost him the ability to absolve.



The passion for power in Act Three, Scene Seven, cannot just be focussed on the Duke of Cornwall; both Regan and Goneril act as “sidekicks”. They appear throughout the scene as not just followers, but persuasive devices to Cornwall, influencing him and providing him with ideas as if trying to worsen the situation further. At the beginning of the scene, the use of short, direct phrases from both Regan and Goneril provide Cornwall with the notion of harsh punishment for Gloucester. “Hang him instantly” and “Pluck out his eyes” both provide the audience with morbid imagery; in the speech of the two women, the semantic field of death is almost always present. They appear to revel in the punishment of Gloucester. Goneril in particular appears to enjoy the macabre of the situation. The use of the verb “pluck” when referring to the removal of eyes gives the impression that perhaps Gloucester is to be treated like an animal and does not deserve the attention of a human being – the plosive phrase, although giving us the image of a short punishment, also plants the image of immense pain in our heads. As an audience we are disgusted at the idea, but Cornwall, engulfed in his own madness, is thoroughly affected by the words in a different way, and decides to go through with it.



The use of the exclamation mark is also highly prevalent through the speech of the two women; it is as if their words are shouted in order to get their ideas through to Cornwall in the most concrete way. “O filthy traitor!” and “How now, you dog!” both revolve around the solid idea of hate; and as Cornwall obviously listens to these two women, his temper and madness are further fuelled. What also has to be taken into consideration is that although these women are clearly a bad influence on Cornwall, they also care for him as their leader, and there is opportunity to redeem them through this. For example, after Cornwall is injured, Regan concernedly asks, “How is’t my lord? How look you?”. Despite her leading the lord astray, she cares for his health, and this gives the impression that although she herself has a thirst for power, like the Duke, she also has some of her humanity, and her morals remain in tact. Neither of the women are as submerged in their passion for power as the Duke of Cornwall is.



King Lear, Act Three Scene Seven, is a representation of how the passion for power, and the need for social priority, can take over a man and submerge him. The greed that Cornwall has engulfs him and almost forces him to ignore his morals and abuse the rights he does have. The scene is tragic in the sense that the Duke loses his true character to the desire he has to better himself.