Best of Week: Revolutions

I think this week's best idea (or concept) that we discussed was the use of revolutions (or full 180 degree rotations) in certain characters and situations in King Lear. I hadn't been noticing these in the reading until they were first pointed out in class about a week ago; however, as we were reading specific scenes in class this week, the concept came to the forefront of my mind. I had always been taught to look for character development and change, but the fact that a character could do a full revolution was astonishing. For example, King Lear went from being the most powerful man in the land to a man who had to rely on his daughter (who he had previously put into exile). Another example of a revolution is on page 95, when Kent says, "Fortune, good night. Smile once more; turn thy wheel." I thought this quote was especially interesting because the revolution isn't taking place within a person, but appears in a man's plead for his luck to be changed. I hope to use the concept of revolutions in my writing. I think this concept gives more depth to the character (or scene) and adds complexity to a person's writing. It also allows the reader to see a character or scene from multiple angles and perspectives. I will definitely be looking out for revolutions in future reading!