The Acquisition of Wisdom In King Lear and Tuesdays With Morrie
Key Question 15: Comparative Essay
The Acquisition of Wisdom In King Lear and Tuesdays With Morrie
Wisdom is a trait mostly associated with the elderly and highly valued in today’s world. However, do all old men truly possess wisdom merely because they can see their own deaths in the near future? In both King Lear by William Shakespeare and Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, the protagonists acquire wisdom after undergoing trials of sufferings and tribulations. Despite learning similar lessons, both of these men begin their quest as completely different people. Morrie, the main character in Tuesdays with Morrie emphasizes the value of family and love, while King Lear on the other hand sees these values as insignificant pursuits which at best can be used to elevate his ego. Morrie is disappointed by the way things are in his society; contrarily King Lear initially shows no sign of concern nor does he significantly care for his community. Morrie’s views on death suggest that it is a natural process that is essentially an ideal way to live, whereas King Lear still strives to live a kingly life in spite of his agreements to divide his land between his daughters. Although King Lear and Morrie differ completely in both character and beliefs, initially the two men come to acquire true wisdom and knowledge by experiencing a fact of life which one can regard as a phenomena; death.
Both Morrie and King Lear differ in values when it comes to understanding the principles of life. Morrie’s beliefs are simple suggesting that death is a greater sentence in life rather than having lived without any love: “"If you don't have the support and love and caring and concern that you get from a family, you don't have much at all. Love is so supremely important. As our great poet Auden said ‘Love each other or perish’"(Albom 91). Morrie’s theory proposes that it is better to die than to live a life barren of love. Due to Morrie’s pervious lack of affection in his life as a
The Acquisition of Wisdom In King Lear and Tuesdays With Morrie
Wisdom is a trait mostly associated with the elderly and highly valued in today’s world. However, do all old men truly possess wisdom merely because they can see their own deaths in the near future? In both King Lear by William Shakespeare and Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, the protagonists acquire wisdom after undergoing trials of sufferings and tribulations. Despite learning similar lessons, both of these men begin their quest as completely different people. Morrie, the main character in Tuesdays with Morrie emphasizes the value of family and love, while King Lear on the other hand sees these values as insignificant pursuits which at best can be used to elevate his ego. Morrie is disappointed by the way things are in his society; contrarily King Lear initially shows no sign of concern nor does he significantly care for his community. Morrie’s views on death suggest that it is a natural process that is essentially an ideal way to live, whereas King Lear still strives to live a kingly life in spite of his agreements to divide his land between his daughters. Although King Lear and Morrie differ completely in both character and beliefs, initially the two men come to acquire true wisdom and knowledge by experiencing a fact of life which one can regard as a phenomena; death.
Both Morrie and King Lear differ in values when it comes to understanding the principles of life. Morrie’s beliefs are simple suggesting that death is a greater sentence in life rather than having lived without any love: “"If you don't have the support and love and caring and concern that you get from a family, you don't have much at all. Love is so supremely important. As our great poet Auden said ‘Love each other or perish’"(Albom 91). Morrie’s theory proposes that it is better to die than to live a life barren of love. Due to Morrie’s pervious lack of affection in his life as a