Flattery Holds The Key

Title	Flattery Holds The Key
# of Words	1300
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	5.2

Flattery Holds The Key

Word Count: 1336

It's a Saturday night and you want to go out for the evening.  To do this you need the car, what do you do?  Flattery is the way to go:  " Mom, did you lose weight?  You look amazing!  Is that a new hair color?  New outfit? "   Your mom is so flattered that when you ask for the car she doesn't need to think twice before she hands you the keys.  From that point on, you know that whenever you want something all you have to do is put on the charm, flash that big smile and tell a few white lies.  After this your wish is their command.  Why is this?  Well, as you can see flattery will get you everywhere.  Even Shakespeare knew the powers of flattery.  He portrays in flattery in the play King Lear by the characters Regan and Goneril.  It is clear that flattery makes every goal attainable whether it be wealth, power and even the most sacred emotion love.

It is unimaginable that a father would divide his wealth among his children according to their skills in flattery.  All parents are supposed to love their children at an equal level, no matter how much their child flatters them.  Which parent would think to ask their children to outdo each other in a battle of words to win their money and material goods.  This is the case in Shakespeare's King Lear.  Even in the first scene Lear is asking his daughters which one of them loves him more.  " Which of you shall we say doth love us most?  That we our largest bounty may extend"  (I,i, 52-53). With this demand of knowing who loves him more, Lear offers a reward, all his land.  This reward is key to the show of emotion each daughter displays to please her father.  His two older daughters jump at the opportunity to compliment and flatter their father, but their words are empty promises and lies.  These two daughter are only kind to Lear when he has money: The wise fool tells Lear that only when there is a reward will he be treated kindly by his children. "Fathers that wear rags/ Do make their children blind;/ But fathers that bear bags/ Shall see their children kind"  (II,iv,48-51).   Regan and Goneril feed their father pretty words on a silver platter and Lear swallows every lie.  Regan and Goneril tell the King that their love is so deep they cannot find words to express their emotions.  The reason they do not find the words to express their love is because the have no TRUE love to show him. Cordelia on the other hand decided to tell the truth to Lear and not feed her father empty promises this got her nothing "Nothing will come of nothing." (I,i,93).  Lear chooses not to give his favorite daughter anything all because unlike Regan and Goneril she chose not to flatter him.  Regan and Goneril did not stop at Lears material goods they wanted the whole deal.  Their flattery also put them in a position to take over all of Lears powers as King.

Once  Regan and Goneril received all of Lears money they continued to want more so they decided to go for his power and title as king.  Flattery is also used for this in the real world.  For example in the business industry if you want to get a promotion what do you do?  There are two options, either you work very hard and eventually MAYBE you will be acknowledged for your effort, which is the honest way, or you can flatter and compliment your superior slowly becoming their acquaintance then friend and easing yourself into a position of higher authority.  Flattery holds the key into making your life a better one and Regan and Goner...This is ONLY a preview of the article. If you would like to view the entire document, you must subscribe to Electronic References. Please register below now!

Get This Full Article After Registration

When you subscribe to Electronic References, you get complete access to the meta-collection of full text articles and papers written by researchers and students spanning the last 5 years. For $19.95 a month, you will receive unlimited access and the ability to expand your research opportunities and knowledge.
This subscription package includes:

24-hours-a-day, 7 days a week unlimited access on any computer with Internet access

Complete access to all 60,000 articles, essays, and research papers

Ability to view, save, print and download any document you find

Ability to browse through perfectly arranged catalog of articles

Superior search and relevancy ranking techniques using our optimalized search engine

Instant access to the online database after registration

You can pay by credit card or checking account. You get instant access after registration:

1 Month ($ 19.95)

3 Months ($ 29.95)

6 Months ($ 39.95)

You will be billed $19.95 every 30 days or $29.95 every 90 days (recurring billing) starting on the day you subscribe.
Your credit card or checking account will automatically be renewed for your convenience until you cancel.

Home | Register | Login | Logout | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Help | FAQ | Contact Us | Cancel Subscription
Copyright 1998-2007 Electronic References. Electronic References is designed only to assist students and researchers in the preparation of their own work. Anybody who use our services are responsible not only for writing their own papers, but also for citing Electronic References as a source when doing so. By accessing and using this page you agree to the Disclaimer.