Mojo, The Bard, & Me

 

Only we still retain

The name, and all the additions to a king;

The sway, revenue, execution of the rest,

Beloved sons, be yours: which to confirm,

This coronet part betwixt you. [Giving the crown]

 

-King Lear

King Lear                        Act I, Scene i, Line 136

 

In the lines previous to this Lear has disowned poor Cordelia and given his kingdom to his other two daughters and their husbands. Apparently, though, it remains to be seen just how much of the name, and all the additions to a king that he’s actually going to be able to retain. Not much, I’m afraid. Once he gives away the crown and, in his own words, my power,/pre-eminence, and all the large effects/that troop with majesty, well then he’s pretty much put himself at the mercy of his two daughters and two son-in-laws. And that’s going to prove to be not only a big mistake, but the crux of the play.

So here is one of my Cordelia's and a son-in-law. Hmmm, maybe I'd better just hold on to that crown for now.