SOURCE: Jaarsma, Richard J. “The ‘Lear Complex’ in The Two Gentlemen of Verona.” Literature and Psychology 22, no. 4 (1972): 199-202.

In the following essay, Jaarsma examines the father-daughter relationship in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, drawing a parallel with the relationship between King Lear and Cordelia.

Certain intriguing parallels between the father-daughter confrontation in The Two Gentlemen of Verona and King Lear buttress the claims by psychological critics that Lear's violent reaction to Cordelia's “failure” to show her love for him stems from unconscious sexual motives. According to this reading, Lear's rage at what he sees to be Cordelia's “ingratitude” results from the fact that Lear “not only loves his daughters; he is also in love with them, especially with the youngest one.”¹ Consequently, he “expects his daughter to love him not only as a daughter but also as a lover.”² The relinquishing of his kingdom is based on the...