English author Graham Greene once said: “The great thing about being a writer is that you can spy on people. You stand there, listening to every word, but part of you is watching. Everything is useful to a writer. Writers draw inspiration for their work from a multitude of sources. Whether it is an event the writer experienced or something he saw in a dream, the inspirations can be very diverse. William Shakespeare, like many playwrights, found inspiration in various sources which led to the creation of many of his most famous works. Although these sources can vary from other literary works to historical events to oral legends, they all influenced Shakespeare in one way or another. Some of the main sources Shakespeare used for inspiration for King Lear were two different folk tales. Shakespeare constructs King Lear from these folk tales with a few key differences, including the lack of a happy ending in Shakespeare's play. Shakespeare also uses another play as his main source of inspiration. Again, Shakespeare differs from this play by changing many things, including the ending. After analyzing Shakespeare's original sources, the reader wonders why he would choose to end King Lear on such a tragic note. One of the main reasons why the ending is so pivotal and radically different from its source material is that the family dynamics of King Lear are distorted from the source material. Although Shakespeare combined various sources to develop the ideas used in King Lear, the play is unique because of Shakespeare's depiction of family dynamics. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay While reading King Lear, the reader may notice similarities between the play and folk tales. The most obvious resemblance is that between King Lear and “Cinderella”. The basic premise of the Cinderella story is that a girl, Cinderella, is left motherless after her mother dies and her father remarries a woman who already has two daughters. These girls are cruel in nature and treat Cinderella horribly. In the end, a prince falls in love with Cinderella and saves her family and they live happily ever after together. In King Lear, we only recognize that Lear's wife has died when he says to his daughter Regan: "If you were not happy,/I would divorce your mother's tomb,/would bury an adulteress" (II. iv). .124-126). This line, in which Lear tells Regan that he knows she is happy to see him because otherwise he would divorce her mother's grave, shows that Cordelia, Regan, and Goneril are orphans like Cinderella. Although Cordelia clearly represents Cinderella, the main difference between the two characters is that Cordelia's evil siblings are her sisters by blood and not by marriage. Regan and Goneril are definitely perfect examples of evil sisters. Like the terrible stepsisters in “Cinderella,” Goneril and Regan prove that they only care about themselves. At one point in the play, Regan insults Goneril by saying, "I'll never stand her" (V. i. 15). The fact that Goneril and Ragan kill each other over a man shows how twisted the family dynamic is in Shakespeare's version. Another key difference between the typical Cinderella story and that of King Lear is that the father is somewhat oblivious to his daughter's suffering; while King Lear is the direct cause of Cordelia's suffering when he banishes her from the kingdom and renounces his love for her.Another underlying theme that would radically separate King Lear from "Cinderella" is the scandalous theme of incest. Folklorist Alan Dundes believes in an interpretation of the play that involves the idea that Cordelia has a sexual love for her father, but is unable to express it. Dundes states: "The interpretation explains not only why there is no Queen Lear, but also why Cordelia's husband appears so little in the play." The play is about a daughter-father relationship, not a wife-husband relationship” (237). This underlying sexual tension adds another factor to the sibling rivalry that exists throughout the play. By keeping the setting of “Cinderella” in mind, the reader can see the influence of the folk tale on the story, even though the family dynamic has been changed. “Cinderella” isn’t the only folklore that influences Shakespeare’s King Lear. The premise of another folk tale can be seen throughout the play. While "Cinderella" has more general similarities to King Lear, the British folk tale "Cap O' Rushes" has more specific similarities within the play. "Cap O' Rushes" features a princess who is banished from her kingdom after her father, the king, asks her and her sisters to declare how much they love her. While the two eldest daughters respond to the king's satisfaction, the favored youngest daughter responds that she loves her father as much as salt loves fresh meat. The king is offended by her response and banishes her from his kingdom (Friedman np). This same scenario is found in the opening scene of King Lear. This "test of love" is somewhat standard in many folk tales, although it is specifically seen in "Cap O' Rushes" (Dundes 232). In the opening scene of the play, King Lear is seen asking his daughters to describe how much they love him in order to determine who gets the most out of his kingdom. Even if Cordelia doesn't answer that she loves it as much as salt, she clarifies that she has nothing in particular to say. Then, when asked, she simply admits: "Unhappy with what I am, I cannot lift my heart into my mouth." I love Your Majesty/According to my bond, neither more, nor less” (I. i. 89-91). Cordelia's response to Lear was harsher than in the story "Cap O' Rushes" (Skura np). If read literally, his response is appropriate and chaste. However, if the reader takes Dunde's theory of incest into account, then Cordelia simply finds it difficult to express her sexual love towards her father. Another aspect of folklore found in both “Cap O' Rushes” and King Lear is “the outcast child type” (Perret 10). In both cases, the youngest daughter is banished from her kingdom because she did not “pass” the test of love. "Cap O' Rushes" ends with a happy conclusion where the princess falls in love with another king and marries him. She then invites her family to dinner at their palace where she serves all the food without salt. His father finally realizes how crucial the salt is and the story ends happily ever after. This theme of the favorite daughter and the king reconciling in the end is the normal ending of folklore (Dundes 233). On the contrary, King Lear ends on a tragic and depressing note. Although Lear and Cordelia reconcile once they are both captured as prisoners, there is no happy ending to their story. Cordelia is murdered in her prison cell and Lear is so sad that he dies of a broken heart. By departing from the framework of the popular tales “Cinderella” and “Cap O’ Rushes,” Shakespeare has the literary skeleton of folklore transformed into tragedy. Folklores weren't the only thing that inspired Shakespeare when he wrote King Lear. In fact, another literary work has stronglyinfluenced what was written in the play. The play The true historical chronicle of King Leir and his three daughters; Gonorill, Ragan and Cordella was written by an unknown playwright about a year before the first performance of Shakespeare's King Lear. Shakespeare closely followed this play by writing his own interpretation of King Lear, although he made many changes. One of the many changes is seen in Lear's character. In the True Chronicle Historie of King Leir, the king is "a weak old man, sketched without depth or complexity, who, after his outburst against Cordella, endures without anger, except for an occasional flash of bitter irony" (Bullough 297). Shakespeare's Lear has many explosions throughout the play. Lear is arrogant, intemperate and insufferable. These three qualities are all demonstrated in Lear's speech to Kent after Kent attempts to reason with the king about giving the kingdom to Goneril and Regan. Lear said to Kent: If on the tenth day following your banished trunk be found in our domains, the moment will be your death. Far! By Jupiter this will not be revoked (I. i. 174-177). In the previous quote, Lear makes it clear to Kent that he only has a limited number of days to leave the kingdom and if he is discovered in the kingdom after those days. days then his death is imminent. Lear swears on Jupiter that he means what he says and that his threat will not be revoked. The fact that Lear would banish Kent, who was only trying to help Lear, seems insane. Lear literally goes mad in Shakespeare's play only to regain some of his sanity, then die of a broken heart after Cordelia's death. As previously stated, King Lear does not have a happy ending. In contrast, the True Chronicle Historie of King Leir ends on an optimistic note with Lear telling Cordella: "The modest answer, which I took badly:/ But now I see, I am not at all seduced,/ You have loved me tenderly, and as befits a child” (32. 18-20). There is no undercurrent of incest noted in the True Chronicle Historie of King Leir. The story ends on a happy note when Leir realizes that Cordella's modest response was spoken with honesty and not deceit. The ending of the True Chronicle Historie of King Leir directly contrasts with the tragic ending of King Lear. Although the family dynamics are tense in the True Chronicle Historie of King Leir, they are not as bad as the family dynamics in Shakespeare's play. Each member of the Lear family certainly has their flaws. As previously stated, King Lear's main flaw is his impertinence and inability to control his emotions. Goneril and Regan only value power and being superior to everyone. They are ruthless and have no problem betraying a family member to succeed. Cordelia can be seen as the only sane person in the family, although if the reader chooses to adhere to Dundes' interpretation, her motives are not healthy but lustful and incestuous. Besides literary works, King Lear is another possible source for Shakespeare. the inspiration was the story. A few years before King Lear was written, a parallel situation arose with an older servant of Queen Elizabeth and his three daughters. Bryan Annesley was a wealthy Kentish courtier who had three daughters: Grace, Christian, and Cordell (Geoffrey 270). Grace attempted to take over Brian's estate by stating that he had "fallen into such imperfection and detemperature of mind and memory... [He is] totally unfit to govern himself or his estate" ("The case of Cordell Annesley” 160). Bryan's youngest daughter, Cordell, protests that he is not a crazy person and should not be treated.