Stories can serve as a means to construct false perceptions of an individual’s identity,

effectively masking their vulnerabilities and insecurities from themselves. This distorted self-
perception and unwillingness to acknowledge their own vulnerability can jeopardise
meaningful relationships.
William Shakespeare's 'King Lear' (1606) and Tim Burton's 'Big Fish' (2003) both delve into
the use of narratives as a means to conceal vulnerability, and the resulting consequences.

‘King Lear’ is a story of a king who divides his kingdom between his two deceitful daughters,
and banishes the third, good-hearted daughter. It encompasses Elizabethan worldviews,
and reflects the values of the society in which it was produced.

"Big Fish" is a meta-narrative film where the protagonist, Edward Bloom, recounts stories of
his life experiences alongside the events unfolding in the present-day of the film. Set in the
20th century in America, the film reflects values of individualism and the American Dream.

Fabrications serve as a mechanism to construct illusory identities for characters, effectively

concealing their vulnerabilities and insecurities from themselves.

To distinguish between real-life scenes and Edward’s stories, Burton saturates the screen
with vibrant colours and imbues the tales with a fanciful quality, hinting at their fictional
nature. This contrasts with the real-life scenes which employ a subdued and muted colour
palette. This deliberate choice emphasises the sharp juxtaposition between fantasy and the
often grim realities of life, underscoring the falsehood of Edward’s stories.

To unravel Edward’s motivations, we can turn to the film's recurring motif of the "big fish."
This motif alludes to the expression "big fish in a small pond," which serves as a metaphor
for Edward's yearning to be significant, to be the remarkable fish within his own narrative. He
perhaps harbours a fear that his genuine accomplishments are not noteworthy enough,
compelling him to craft these grandiose tales to shield his underlying insecurity, perpetuating
current American societal values of individualism.

In Shakespeare's King Lear, the protagonist compels his daughters to each declare their
love for him to earn a share of the kingdom, a telling request that suggests his inherent
insecurity and craving for flattery, especially considering that this act by Lear goes against
the societal norms of the Elizabethan era, where kings were expected to remain in power
until their death and pass the kingdom on to a single male heir.

His self-doubt is amplified as his most-beloved daughter Cordelia struggles to articulate her
affection for him, prompting him to hastily conclude that she doesn't love him. In a moment
of anguish, Lear swiftly disowns her, exclaiming, "Here I disclaim all my paternal care." The
irony of his readiness to believe the worst about even his favourite daughter strongly
indicates his deeply insecure nature.

In his quest for validation, he willingly embraces the deceitful flattery of his daughters Goneril
and Regan, who skillfully embellish their love for him. The societal norms of the time dictated
that a woman should divide her devotion equally between her husband and her father.
Hence, the play's audience would recognize Regan's exaggeration as she claims “I profess /
Myself an enemy to all other joys,”.

Lear’s insecurities and thus susceptibility to flattery distort his understanding of his
daughters' true intentions and make him vulnerable to deceit and betrayal. He forms a false
perception of himself as a beloved father in the eyes of Goneril and Regan, misinterpreting
Cordelia's genuine affection. Ultimately, his misplaced trust allows his treacherous daughters
to betray him, taking advantage of his vulnerabilities for their own gain.

Similarly, Edward's self-perception becomes skewed through his storytelling, offering him a
convenient refuge from confronting his insecurities. He asserts, "I've told you a thousand
facts, Will, that's what I do. I tell stories," where the oxymoron that he considers facts and his
wildly fabricated tales as interchangeable emphasises the strength of his own belief in his
narratives.

In both films, the protagonists' insecurities lead them to construct these false perceptions of
themselves that conceal their vulnerabilities.

A distorted self-perception and refusal to acknowledge vulnerability can endanger

meaningful relationships. In both "Big Fish" and "King Lear," the fathers' failure to confront
their vulnerabilities and choice to instead embrace fabrications puts their relationships with
their virtuous children at risk.

The intensity of Will's frustration with his father's lies is apparent in these close-up shots
which accentuate the raw emotion of the characters, particularly the hurt and frustration on
Will's face, revealing the relationship damage that has occurred.

Lear's relationship with Cordelia is put under strain as his false sense of being beloved,
granted by Regan and Goneril's deceitful flattery, is disrupted by Cordelia's refusal to lie like
her sisters.
Unjustly, Lear exiles and scorns his most compassionate and kind-hearted daughter,
warning his servant, "Come not between the dragon and his wrath.". Through this
metaphorical reference to himself as a dragon, Lear acknowledges his own raging fury.

In the case of Big Fish, Will and his father's unstable relationship is ultimately reconciled
when Will comprehends that his father's stories serve as a way of coping, and eventually
embraces them, affirming, "You become what you always were. A very big fish."

Despite the severity of Lear's actions against her, Cordelia exhibits a remarkable absence of
anger towards her father. Lear acknowledges his wrongs to her, and Cordelia simply
responds with the words, "No cause, no cause." The repetition of this phrase highlights her
complete and unconditional forgiveness, thus proving her good nature.

However, Lear's initial mistrust of Cordelia and his ill-fated decision to bestow his power
upon his treacherous daughters ignite a chain of tragedies that ultimately culminate in
Cordelia's death. Lear loses his cherished relationship with her and descends into madness,
as evidenced by his anguished cry, “Howl, howl, howl, howl!” . The use of onomatopoeia
draws attention to this raw expression of his anguish.

Edward and Lear’s failure to acknowledge their vulnerabilities and choice to instead embrace
untruths about themselves endanger their most valued relationships.

In conclusion, the analysis of "Big Fish" and "King Lear" highlights how stories can serve as
a means to construct false perceptions of a character's identity, effectively masking their
vulnerabilities and insecurities. The distorted self-perception and unwillingness to
acknowledge their own vulnerability demonstrated by Edward and Lear can jeopardise their
most cherished relationships.