The English author Graham Greene once said: “The great advantage of being a writer is that you can spy on people. You're there, listening to every word, but part of you is watching. Everything is useful to a writer. Writers draw inspiration for their work from a multitude of sources. Whether it comes from an event the writer experienced or something he saw in a dream, the inspirations can be very different. William Shakespeare, like many playwrights, found inspiration in a variety of sources which led to the creation of many of his most famous works. While these sources can range from other literary works, to historical events, to oral legends, they all influenced Shakespeare in one way or another. Some of the main sources Shakespeare uses to inspire King Lear are two different folk tales. Shakespeare builds King Lear from these folktales with some key differences, most notably the lack of a happy ending in Shakespeare's work. Shakespeare also uses another play as his main source of inspiration. Once again, Shakespeare varies from this play by changing many things, including the ending. After analyzing Shakespeare's original sources, the reader wonders why he chose to end King Lear on such a tragic note. One of the main reasons why the ending is so crucial and drastically different from its sources is because the family dynamic in King Lear is distorted compared to the sources. Although Shakespeare combined a variety of sources to develop the ideas used in King Lear, the play is unique due to Shakespeare's depiction of family dynamics. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Through reading King Lear, the reader may notice similarities between the work and popular folk tales. The most obvious similarity is that between King Lear and “Cinderella”. The basic premise in the Cinderella story is that a daughter, Cinderella, is left motherless after her mother's death and so her father remarries a woman who already has two daughters. These girls are cruel in nature and treat Cinderella horribly. Eventually, a prince falls in love with Cinderella and rescues her from her family and they live happily ever after together. In King Lear, Lear's wife is only acknowledged to be dead when he tells his daughter Regan: "If I were not happy, / I would divorce myself from your mother's grave, / Bury an adulteress" (II. iv 124-126 ). These lines, in which Lear tells Regan that he knows she is happy to see him because otherwise he would divorce his mother's grave, show that Cordelia, Regan, and Goneril are as motherless as Cinderella. Although Cordelia clearly represents Cinderella, the main difference between the two characters is that Cordelia's evil brothers are her sisters by blood, not by marriage. Regan and Goneril are certainly the perfect examples of evil sisters. Like the terrible stepsisters in “Cinderella,” Goneril and Regan prove that they only care about themselves. At one point in the play, Regan insults Goneril by saying, “I will never stand her” (V. i. 15). The fact that Goneril and Ragan kill each other over a man shows how twisted the family dynamic is in Shakespeare's version. Another key difference between the typical Cinderella story and King Lear is that the father is somewhat oblivious to his daughter's suffering; while King Lear is the direct cause of Cordelia's suffering when he banishes her from the kingdom and renounces his love for her. A further underlying theme that would drastically separate King Lear from “Cinderella” is the scandalous theme of incest. Folklorist Alan Dundes believes in the interpretation of the work that involves the idea that Cordelia has asexual love for his father, but is unable to express it. Dundes states: "The interpretation explains not only why there is no Queen Lear, but also why Cordelia's husband appears so little in the film."play. The play is about a daughter-father relationship, not a wife-husband relationship” (237). This underlying sexual tension adds another factor to the sibling rivalry that exists throughout the play. Keeping the structure of “Cinderella” in mind, the reader can see the influence of the folktale on the story, although the family dynamics have been changed. “Cinderella” isn't the only folklore that influences Shakespeare's King Lear. The premise of another folk tale can be seen throughout the work. While “Cinderella” has more general similarities to King Lear, the British folk tale “Cap O' Rushes” has more specific similarities within the play. "Cap O' Rushes" involves a princess who is banished from her kingdom after her father, the king, demands that she and her sisters declare how much they love him. While the two eldest daughters respond to the King's satisfaction, the favored younger daughter responds that she loves her father as much as salt is loved by fresh meat. The King takes offense at her response and banishes her from his kingdom (Friedman np). The same scenario is seen in the opening scene of King Lear. This "test of love" is somewhat standard in many folklore tales, although it is seen specifically in "Cap O' Rushes" (Dundes 232). In the opening scene of the play, King Lear is seen asking his daughters to describe how much they love him to determine who gets the most out of his kingdom. Although Cordelia doesn't respond that she loves him as much as salt, she states that she has nothing in particular to say. Then, when asked, she simply admits, “Unhappy to be, I can't lift/ Heart in mouth. I love your majesty/ According to my bond, neither more nor less” (I. i. 89-91). Cordelia's response to Lear was harsher than in the story “Cap O' Rushes” (Skura np). If read literally, his response is appropriate and chaste. However, if the reader takes Dunde's theory of incest into account, then Cordelia simply has difficulty expressing her sexual love towards her father. Another aspect of folklore that is seen in both “Cap O' Rushes” and King Lear is the “outcast child type” (Perret 10). In both cases, the youngest daughter is banished from her kingdom because she did not “pass” the test of love. “Cap O' Rushes” ends with a happy conclusion in which the princess falls in love with another king and marries him. He then invites his family to dine in their palace where he serves all food without salt. His father finally realizes how essential salt is and the story ends happily ever after. This theme of the favorite daughter and the king reconciling in the end is the normal ending for folklore (Dundes 233). In contrast, King Lear ends on a tragic and depressing note. Although Lear and Cordelia reconcile once they are both captured as prisoners, there is no happy ending to their story. Cordelia is killed in her prison cell and Lear is so grief-stricken that he dies of a broken heart. Varying from the folktale structure of “Cinderella” and “Cap O' Rushes,” Shakespeare has the literary skeleton of folklore transformed into tragedy. Folklores weren't the only thing that inspired Shakespeare as he wrote King Lear. Indeed, another literary work greatly influenced what was written in the work. The play The True Chronicle Historie of King Leir and his three daughters; Gonorill, Ragan and Cordella was written by an unknown playwright about a year before the first performance of Shakespeare's King Lear. Shakespeare followed this play closely in writing his own interpretation of King Lear, although he contributed manychanges. One of the many changes is seen in the character of Lear. In the True Chronicle Historie of King Leir, the king is "a feeble old man, sketchy without depth or complexity, who after his outburst against Cordella endures without anger except for an occasional flash of bitter irony" (Bullough 297). Shakespeare's Lear has numerous outbursts throughout the play. Lear is arrogant, intemperate and unbearable. These three qualities are all shown in Lear's speech to Kent after Kent tries to reason with the king to give the kingdom to Goneril and Regan. Lear says to Kent: If on the tenth day after your banished log be found in our dominions, the time will be your death. Distant! By Jove,This will not be revoked (I. i. 174-177). In the previous quote, Lear specifies to Kent that he only has a certain number of days to exit the kingdom and if he is discovered in the kingdom after those days then his death will be imminent. Lear swears by Jupiter that he means what he says and that his threat will not be rescinded. Lear's banishment of Kent, who was only trying to help Lear, seems crazy. Lear literally goes mad in Shakespeare's play only to later regain some of his sanity but then die of a broken heart after Cordelia's death. As previously discussed, King Lear does not have a happy ending. In contrast, the True Chronicle Historie of King Leir ends on an optimistic note with Lear telling Cordella, “The modest reply, which I took unkindly:/ But now I see, I am not at all deceived,/ Thou hast loved me dearly , and how a child should be" (32,18-20). There is no trace of incest noted in the True Chronicle Historie of King Leir. The story ends on a happy note when Leir realizes that Cordella's modest response was expressed with honesty and not deception. The ending of the True Chronicle Historie of King Leir is in direct contrast to the tragic ending of King Lear. Although family dynamics are tense in the True Chronicle Historie of King Leir, they are not as severe as those in Shakespeare's play. Each member of the Lear family certainly has his or her flaws. As previously noted, King Lear's main flaw is his brashness and his inability to control his emotions. Goneril and Regan only value power and being superior to everyone else. They are ruthless and have no problem betraying a family member to succeed. Cordelia can be seen as the only sane person in the family, although if the reader chooses to adhere to Dundes' interpretation, her motives will not be sane but lustful and incestuous. In addition to literary works, King Lear is another possible source for Shakespeare to draw from. inspiration from history. A few years before King Lear was written, a parallel situation occurred with an older servant of Queen Elizabeth and her three daughters. Bryan Annesley was a wealthy Kentish courtier who had three daughters: Grace, Christian, and Cordell (Geoffrey 270). Grace attempted to take possession of Brian's estate by stating that he had "fallen into such imperfection and distemperance of mind and memory... [He is] entirely unfit to govern himself or his estate" ("The Case of Cordell Annesley" 160) . Bryan's youngest daughter, Cordell, protests that he is not a madman and should not be treated as such, especially after his years of service to the Queen. Annesley's situation is similar to that of King Lear in the sense that the youngest daughter is the only one worthy of her father's trust. Just as Cordelia earns Lear's love and respect before his death, Cordell earns Bryan Annesley's respect, which is why he leaves Cordell most of his estate in his will (Geoffrey 270). Furthermore, there is also the notable similarity between the names Cordell and Cordelia. The dispute between.