When Blind Love for Kin Precedes Bounden Duty to Kingdom- A Reflection on King Lear and King Dritharashtra

Abstract

Abstract

An individual from his birth till death is destined to play many roles and thereby fulfill his/her expected duties. While doing so one should not compromise one’s duty in favour of another benefit especially when it is concerned with both personal and professional life affecting the lives of many. If done otherwise, the consequences would be disastrous as seen through the lives of Lear of Shakespeare’s King Learand Dritharashtra of the Mahabharata. Both of them were Kings but at the same time also fathers whose love for their children overpowered their duty to their country and thereby their sense of taking right decisions as Kings. Dritharashtra’s blind love towards his sons especially Duryodhana made him overlook all their misdeeds leading to their death. On the other hand, Lear’s blind faith in his two greedy elder daughters’ (Goneril and Regan) proclamation of love much against the honest love of youngest daughter (Cordelia) leadsto his destruction. Further, blind love for their children by the respective kings leads towards causing dereliction of duty to their countries. King Lear and King Dritharashtra, failing to keep equilibrium between their personal and professional duties, incurred the greatest loss of their life by losing their children. In short, life of King Lear and King Dritharashtra stand as a pointer to the world to show that, the consequences, when love for kin takes precedence over one’s duty towards the country, will always be detrimental.