Marxism in King Lear

Many scenes in Shakespeare can be viewed as a Marxist reading. One example of this is in Act 1 Scene 1 where two of Lear's daughters eagerly showed their love for their father in order to get the best amount of land, although we know this was prearranged. Still, the daughter with the best show of love recieved the best plot of land. In Act 2, Scene 1, we see Edmund begin to carry out his plan to put his illegitimate father Gloucester against Edgar his own son. For him to become heir to Gloucester’s riches he makes Edgar run away etc. Once again we see that in order for one person move up on the social ladder, another person has to fall; in this case Edgar. One final example of Marxism in King Lear is in Act 5 Scene 3 when everyone dies. Although this is trademark of a Shakespearean tragedy it is also Marxist because none of the original “rich” can ever be restored to power. They are all over thrown, rid of, and dead, allowing for a sort of revolution. The motivation for these actions in these scenes is money and power. Marxist readers would immediately recognize that this play is about money, power and change.