King Lear: Parallel Lines
Understanding the Main Plot and Subplot
Shakespeare’s masterful tragedy “King Lear” employs a sophisticated narrative structure that interweaves a main plot with a parallel subplot. This technique not only adds depth to the story but creates powerful mirrors between characters that reinforce the play’s central themes.
What are Main Plots and Subplots?
Before diving into the specifics of King Lear, let’s understand what these literary elements mean:
• Main Plot: The primary sequence of events that forms the backbone of the story, developing
the central characters and showing their evolution over time.
• Subplot: A secondary narrative that runs parallel to the main plot, developing supporting characters while reflecting and enhancing themes from the main storyline.
The Parallel Worlds of King Lear
What makes King Lear particularly fascinating is how its subplot functions as a mirror image of the main plot. Both storylines feature:
• Patriarchal figures who are blind to the truth about their children
• Loyal children who are mistreated or cast out
• Deceitful children who betray their fathers
Character Parallels
The Patriarchs
King Lear ↔ Earl of Gloucester
Both men are powerful father figures in a patriarchal society who fail to recognize which of their children truly love them. Their mutual “blindness” to the truth (Gloucester’s becoming literal later in the play) leads to tragic consequences.
The Loyal Children
Cordelia ↔ Edgar
• Cordelia is the central virtuous character in the main plot, while Edgar plays the same role in the subplot
• Both are unfairly cast out (Cordelia without a dowry, Edgar forced to disguise himself as a beggar)
• Both remain protective and loyal to their fathers despite this mistreatment
• They represent goodness and moral integrity throughout the play
The Antagonists
Goneril & Regan ↔ Edmund
• Goneril and Regan serve as the antagonists in the main plot, while Edmund plays this role in the subplot
• All three characters share similar traits: deceitfulness, hunger for power and wealth
• They embody the evil forces working against the protagonists
• Their machinations drive much of the conflict in both storylines
Dramatic Impact
Shakespeare’s use of this parallel structure creates several powerful effects:
1. Reinforcement of themes: By showing similar events happening to different
characters, the play’s central themes about loyalty, power, and family are
emphasized.
2. Dramatic irony: The audience gains greater insight by watching similar patterns
unfold in both storylines, often knowing more than the characters themselves.
3. Enhanced emotional impact: The mirroring between plots allows audience
members to experience the emotional journey from multiple perspectives.
Conclusion
King Lear’s sophisticated use of parallel plotting demonstrates Shakespeare’s mastery of dramatic structure. By creating these character and situational mirrors, he delivers a more profound exploration of human nature, power, and family relationships than a single storyline could achieve.The next time you read or watch King Lear, pay special attention to how the main plot and subplot interact. These parallel narratives don’t just tell two stories—they create a complex dramatic experience that continues to resonate with audiences more than four
centuries after it was written.
This blog post was created as a study guide for students exploring Shakespeare’s use of
parallel plotting in King Lear. For more literary analysis and Shakespeare study
resources, subscribe to our blog!