Comparison of “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom and “King Lear” by William Shakespeare Essay

Introduction

A challenge is like a change; it is inevitable. Each person should encounter at least once during his/her life. It is rarely known that each challenge carries with it a good result. Shakespeare and Albom have proved this in their works.

Tuesdays with Morrie is a script that forms part of the works of Mitch Albom, a former University graduate. Mitch Albom is the narrator of the book. In his story, Albom focuses on Morrie Schwartz, a character who stands out as his former preferred professor and friend at the University.

Albom pictures this character as one who has gone through a lot of suffering before achieving his title as professor of sociology. He is viewed as a man of wisdom, owing to the lessons he has learned from his sufferings since childhood, which he, in turn, teaches Albom.

King Lear, on the other hand, is a William Shakespeare’s book that focuses much on Lear, the aging king of England. Lear plans to partition his kingdom to each of his three daughters. He undergoes a lot of disgrace and an overall loss of his power as a result.

Shakespeare pictures Lear as one who has encountered a good deal of embarrassment and betrayals, a process that makes him gain true wisdom. Though Morrie and Lear go through different suffering processes, they both die as wise men as expounded below.

Comparing

Lear stands out as a king in Shakespeare’s book. He ought to be happy and satisfied with life, but this is not the case. He is in a serous problem that he wants to solve.

He associates this problem with his ‘being a king’ where he believes that by dividing this kingdom among his three daughters, he will have gotten rid of much of this trouble. The king says, “Meantime we shall express our darker purpose. Give me the map there. Know that we have divided.

In three our kingdom; and ‘it’s our fast intent. To shake all cares and business from our age conferring them on younger strengths, while we unburdened crawl…” (Shakespeare 38-50). This depicts the kind of problem he is experiencing and his plan to end it.

Morrie, the professor, ought to, be happy as well but again his words portray some problem. He is not as happy as one can imagine.

Similarly, in his dialogue with Albom, Morrie reveals the problem he has with the prevailing culture. He says, “The culture we have does not make people feel good about them. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn’t work, don’t buy it” (Albom 42).

This makes it clear that the two are suffering. The two share a common need of love as the following paragraph explains.

When Lear wants to divide his kingdom to his three daughters, the only question he asks them is based on love. He has lived to see people suffer due to the lack of love. When he turns insane due to family conflicts with his daughters, he encounters loyal Gloucester, who helps him out of love.

He is yearning for this need. “Tell me, my daughters, since now we will divest us both of rule, Interest of territory, cares of state, which of you shall we say doth love us most…which of you shall say you love me most?” (Shakespeare 50-55). This is no more than a hunger for love.

Morrie’s conversation with Albom pictures the same desire of love. Morrie posits, “Love each other or die” (Albom 163). This shows the basic cause of the two characters’ agonies is lack of love.

While the king desires love from his daughters, Morrie recalls his childhood life when his poor father could not provide for him and how nobody could show him tokens of love by helping him, and this is why he has learned to love. He says, “Love Wins. Love always wins” (Albom 40).

He believes that this is the basis of all the needs. Nevertheless, the two characters differ to some extent as the next paragraph clarifies.

Contrasting

Morrie’s dialogue with Albom depicts him as a man of dignity. He is more than a parent following the pieces of advice he gives Albom. He is more than a gentle person driven by love.

According to him, he believes that when one wrongs you, the best and worth taking the step is just to forgive, rather than revenge. He posits, “We…need to forgive ourselves…For all the things we didn’t do. All the things we should have done.

You can’t get stuck on the regrets of what should have happened” (Albom 166). He implies that there cannot be a good reason for a fight because where there is forgiveness, there cannot be a fight.

He sees no valid reason for questioning the mistreatment he got when he was a child. According to him, these were only meant to instill his present wisdom.

On the contrary, the king is very reactive when wronged. He even severely canes those who do him wrong. He knows not how to forgive. “…and Lear hits Oswald in the rage” (Shakespeare 87-104).

Here the king is in a serious fight and fact he angrily asks, “Dost thou call me to fool, boy?” to which the Fool, always wiser than he appears, replies, “All thy other titles thou hast given away; that thou were born with” (Shakespeare 164-165).

This shows how he is unable to forgive unlike his counterpart Morrie. All these encounters finally teach him. “The Fool teaches Lear several riddles” (Shakespeare 8-52). This shows how he gained his wisdom.

Conclusion

Though Lear acquires wisdom through in his old age sufferings as discussed above, Morrie acquires his through childhood sufferings. These two different experiences are quite relevant today.

Shakespeare and Albom are trying to teach the world that in every challenge, there exist corresponding good results. In other words, it is a lesson to be learned that wisdom, among other attributes, do not come freely. They have to be sought with a lot of struggles.

Works Cited

Albom, Mitch. “Tuesdays with Morrie”

Shakespeare, William. “King Lear”