Two English literary works, one a comedy and the other a tragedy, written by two different authors from different centuries, both have their fair share of characters which illustrate the admirable and the not so admirable of dispositions. Jane Austen's socially satirical novel Pride and Prejudice from 1813 and William Shakespeare's poetic poem King Lear from 1606 correspond very closely in the context of how good character is revealed. In each play, the authors present readers with a contrast between the marvelous and the terrible and act as puppeteers in the competition for the common object of desire; the "prizes" given to Shakespeare's dramatic characters are power and wealth, and although Austen's characters also aspire to wealth, their main concern is the high esteem of others. In terms of Pride and Prejudice, all of the unfavorable characters commit various offenses against agreeableness in their quest for a flattering reputation, but Austen manipulates their actions so that each comes across as extroverted. Similar terms apply to King Lear in that Shakespeare's shameful characters act grandiosely and employ dishonesty in their attempts to prosper. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned'?Get the original essayAs Pride and Prejudice's villain in disguise, Mr. Wickham sets out to convince his new acquaintances in Hertfordshire that he is a victim from a heartless Mr. .Darcy. He begins a discussion with Elizabeth about Darcy's wicked character and dares to claim to her sympathetic ears: "I can never be in the company of this Mr. Darcy without being afflicted to the very soul by a thousand tender memories. His behavior towards myself was scandalous” (59). Elizabeth later discovers that Wickham's accusations are false in a letter from Darcy confiding to her that Wickham “recommended himself to Georgiana [so] that she was persuaded to believe himself in love and to consent to flight; she was only fifteen years old. [...] His main goal was undoubtedly [his] fortune." (155). Wickham's deception lies in his projection of a false self, which deviates greatly from his real self. Some extroverts in the novel push their ostentation to a higher degree and make spectacles of themselves, earning the label of "fools" in the minds of those they hope to impress. This is the case with Lydia, Mrs. Bennett and Miss Bingley. the most reckless of Bennett's daughters, Lydia, runs away with the sordid Wickham and finds the ordeal so amusing that she writes to a friend "You need not let them know at Longbourn that I am going, for that will be a surprise." It's even greater when I write to them and sign my name Lydia Wickham. (221). Lydia's reckless state of mind is modeled on that of her mother, Mrs. Bennett, who boasts that "Jane's marriage must put them in the path of other rich men" (77) Miss Bingley is just as shallow as the two Bennetts in hoping to win the favor of the wealthy Darcy. She ridicules Elizabeth, but only irritates Darcy when her wanton stroll around the room follows the interruption of the man's reading (41-42). Wickham, Lydia, Mrs. Bennett, and Miss Bingley all desire to arouse the envy of others, but their overt selfish tendencies prevent them from achieving any sort of respectability. The members of King Lear's "bad team" are comparable to Austen's extroverted characters in that they are ostentatious in their designs to attain the objects of desire, which are wealth, land, and esteem. Regan andGoneril, Lear's ungrateful daughters, each vie for control of Lear's kingdom. Regan overrides her sister’s exaggerated claims of devotion when she tells her father, “[Goneril] names my act; only it is too short for me to declare myself an enemy of all other joys and discover that I am the only one to congratulate myself on the love of Your dear Highness. " Lear then entrusts his well-being to his daughters, but Goneril describes his father as an old fool with the vulnerability of a baby (I,iii,20). When a power struggle arises between the sisters, the wicked Goneril prefers in fact losing the battle to Regan's victory by gaining the favor of the equally wicked Edmund (V, i, 19), Edmund is a second-rate heir, but does not. does not deserve the pity of readers In the first act, he cleverly draws a false letter to his father's attention, detailing his plans to usurp the earl the letter is signed in the name of Edgar in the hand of the mischievous Edmund (; I,ii,48-57).King Lear himself places a ridiculous demand on his children when he commands each to profess the amount of love she has for him as if love were quantifiable. turns into a praise contest for the three girls, because for the child who claims the greatest devotion, "the greatest generosity can extend where nature defies merit" (I, i, 54-55) . Goneril's opinion that Lear is a fool is an accurate judgment after she disowns Cordelia, the only sincere daughter. Lear, already in possession of wealth and a kingdom, is selfish and seeks to be worshiped in his old age while Edmund and the two false daughters have material greed. A commonality among the evildoers in King Lear is that bad character is seen through perversity and corruption. self and parent-child relationships. Regan and Goneril's deceptive temperaments prove self-destructive (their betrayal for power leads to their executions) as well as destructive towards their father. Family is so influential in Pride and Prejudice because it is a domestic novel that one would expect to find a similar form of ill will in Austen's work. However, in general, all characters, high and low, have a certain regard for their elders. Rather, the lack of good nature is only perceived through a corruption of the individual, which is evident in the way characters like Lydia and Miss Bingley only manage to damage their own reputations in their efforts to gain admiration. The fault of Austen's low-value characters is not in their desire for a good reputation; Most Pride and Prejudice players seek admiration, some more than others. The distinction between a character like Wickham and more valuable characters like Jane, Darcy, and Elizabeth is that the latter group is much more subtle and modest in their actions and never makes a fool of themselves when they command attention. Jane, Bennet's older sister, is almost saintly since Elizabeth describes her as the only person she knows "who is frank and unostentatious" (10). The Gardiner family leaves their children in the care of Jane and not Mrs. Bennet for a week because she is the girl who has "a steady sense and gentleness of character exactly fitted to care for them in every way --- teach them, play with them, and love them” (183). Mr. Darcy does not have Jane's benevolent character, but there is a hidden side of compassion in him, despite Wickham's false accusations (59). Only reluctantly does he expose the true ugliness of Wickham's character in a confidential letter to Elizabeth (150-156). From the third volume of the novel, Darcy takes it upon himself to pay thedebts of his antagonist, Wickham, so he marries Lydia, thus restoring the reputation of the Bennet family. His intentions are modest; he tells Elizabeth "That I will not deny the wish to give you happiness. But your family owes me nothing. [...] I only thought of you" (280). Elizabeth also wants to appear beautiful in the eyes of others, which is evident in the concerns she expresses to her father regarding Lydia's behavior: "Our importance, our respectability in the world, must be affected by wild volatility... » (176). However, she is a faithful sister who walks through the harsh elements of wind and muddy fields to be at the side of sickly Jane (23-24). Elizabeth is modest even in her performance at the Netherfield Ball because "she had been listened to with great attention." plays on demand (17) Although Elizabeth and Darcy are not as warm-hearted as Jane, they all have good character due to the introversion of their good character in King Lear, retain a sense of duty. towards their superior after banishment and, unlike their evil counterparts such as Edmund and Goneril, they have no ulterior motive in their generosity. Edgar lives off the land as a recluse. mad » Tom O'Bedlam (I, i, 146-147), he even goes so far as to feign madness, but later his father, Gloucester, loses his sight and depends on Edgar for his life Always posed like Tom. , the kind son supports Gloucester with the caring but deceptive words “Give me your arm, poor Tom will lead you” (IV, i, 80-81). his true identity, but it is the anonymity of his charity which reveals him as a noble character. Lear's youngest and only honest daughter, Cordelia, risks her father's disavowal when she does not follow her sisters' examples of eloquent devotional speech (I, i, 89-91). She chooses to express honestly to her father: “You fathered me, you raised me, you loved me. I perform these duties as is due, I obey you, I love you and I honor you most” (I, i, 97-102). His oath is true when his weak father needs a caring soul; “Oh, look at me, sir, and hold your hand in blessing upon me,” she said to him during his descent into madness and disability. Lear also denounces his servant Kent for siding with Cordelia. Kent's efforts to reason with the king by intervening with "Royal Lear, whom I honored as my king, loved as my father, as my master followed" are in vain (I, i, 142-145). Even Lears' cruelty cannot deter Kent's devotion as he returns to Lear's side in disguise and solicits himself as the king's servant (I, iv, 1-44). Alongside Edgar and Cordelia, Kent passes the ultimate test of loyalty by willingly coming to the aid of the hand that once repelled him. If Shakespeare's villains lack respect for parents and elders, then Cordelia and Edgar demonstrate complete loyalty to their respective parents, especially in moments when the eldest is most vulnerable2E. However, Edgar and Kent do not act honestly due to their false, but harmless, identities. Austen undermines Shakespeare in that high-value characters, such as Darcy and Elizabeth, show respect to their superiors but do not view them in a positive light. Darcy even apologizes to Elizabeth for the unrefined manners of his aunt Lady Catherine, who holds a noble position. The good characters in Pride and Prejudice and Kent and Edgar from King Lear sometimes don't match their words with their actions, but it's always with tasteful intent. Although King Lear and Pride and Prejudice, 1998.