First of all, have some Shakespeare fanfiction, by at_t_rain who wrote the awesome Merchant of Venice three parter I recced a while ago. This time, it's an King Lear story, Edmund-centric, which goes AU during the scene where Cornwall decides to blind Gloucester. Like the Shylock tale, it's awesome, and everyone's characterisation is believable and layered, starting with Edmund's, who might make have discovered a line he won't cross but is still an ambitious bastard (in both senses of the word). (Pssst, likeadeuce, your favourite 'ship is represented.) There is a great fleshing out of the servant from the play's blinding scene (and his wife, who's an OC and fits perfectly), a good Edgar, and a terrific Cordelia. In short, go read These Late Eclipses.

Speaking of Lear - aka a father who judges the merits of his children on how much they fawn on him, is spectacularly harsh when they don't, and is much into emo outbursts making Everything About Him as the realm falls apart: some of you might have heard that Bill Adama made it on io9's list of Best Father's Ever. They mean that unironically. Other best fathers include Kyle Reese (I like Kyle, but agree that he was a sperm donor rather than a father; now, were this a list of brave folk willing to sacrifice their lives to save someone else's, there'd be no problem), while the Lost representative among the "worst fathers" is.... Michael. That's right. Lost offers: fathers who abuse physically, fathers who abuse emotionally, fathers who do both and add sexual insinuation for good measure, fathers who con, cripple and try to kill their offspring, fathers who set up their daughter's significant others to die, but the guy who gets named as "worst" is the one who doesn't do anything of the sort but pays a terrible price for saving his son. I'm beyond baffled.

I'm also inspired, because my mind is still Shakespeare-influenced. Now, Will S. offered a rich variety of fathers. Here's my personal best and worst list:

Worst:

1.) Hamlet Senior. Gets his country invaded and overthrown and his entire family plus the one of the prime minister killed by insisting on appearing and complaining to his son instead of letting the boy move on.

2.) Lear. See above. And I didn't even mention the misogynistic language used towards all three daughters.

3.) Leontes. Ordering your child to die directly after birth would do the trick. Especially when simultanously ordering the mother's death as well.

4.) Leonato. When your daughter is ditched at the altar for supposed unfaithfulness, your first reaction shouldn't be to believe the accusation and curse her. (Really, the only guy who comes out well of that scene in Much Ado About Nothing is Benedick.) Is there a tendency with fathers whose names start with L I spot?

5.) Brabantio. Going from accusing your daughter's new husband of having bewitched her to telling him she'll cheat on him after she made it clear she married him voluntarily isn't a good reaction to a daughter's wedding, either.

6.) Antiochus. Canon father/daughter incest is not okay.

7.) Titus Andronicus. It may be very Roman to kill your son out of duty to the Emperor, but it doesn't exactly make you father of the year, even without everything that happens to your family afterwards.

8.) Old Capulet. Threatening to kick your daughter out if she doesn't marry the man of your choice is an unsurprising way to trigger teen suicide.

9.) Prospero. The fact he puts his daughter to sleep with his rants is just the mildest offense. He was the only father figure Caliban had, and how did he treat him? Realistic racist exploitation is no excuse.

10.) Polonius. Telling your daughter not to take the attentions of a prince seriously is actually sensible, given the circumstances. Sending spies after your son who are supposed to blacken his reputation is not. And spying on your daughter when she's meeting her ex is just plain creepy.

So, are there any good fathers in the Bard's ouevre? Well....

Best:

1.) Aaron. No better love hath he who sacrifices his life for his child, and so forth.

2.) Shylock. Okay, there was that "I would my daughter were dead" outburst, but that was a one time event, as opposed to Lear's rantings, and he was in great distress when he said it. Otherwise, he's concerned for her safety before she leaves him and even when busy having his revenge during the trial scene takes the time to be appalled at the callousness of Christian husband's on his daughter's behalf.

3.) A Shepherd (from A Winter's Tale): doesn't even get a name by his author but is the one to find baby Perdita and raise her along with his simpleton son, without, it appears, encouraging sibling rivalry. *looking at you, Gloucester*

4.) A King of France (from All's Well That End's Well). Also doesn't get a name, but responds to low-born Helena healing him not by hitting on her himself, as certain other Shakespearean potentates are prone to do - cough *Vincentio* cough - but by becoming a father figure to her and asking her what she wants from life.

5.) Another King of France (actually Charles VI, but the play doesn't tell you that): losing your son and being historically insane is a drawback, but the Shakespeare version is dignified throughout, gets along with his son and daughter far better than certain English kings who shall remain Henry IV. ever did with theirs and manages to ensure his daughter becomes queen.

6.) Falstaff: has lots of flaws, sure, but puts up with being constantly ridiculed by the young 'uns who hang out with him, especially the one from the screwed-up royal family, and provides physical affection, emotional support and good cheer. Definitely the more likeable father figure of the plays he's in.

7.) Alonso (from The Tempest): having married his daughter to the king of Tunis points to him having no prejudices, as opposed to Prospero; throughout the play, he shows laudable concern and grief for his missing-believed-to-be-dead son but doesn't take it out on other characters. Sure, he helped a coup d'etat in another realm once, but what has that to do with his fatherly qualities?

8.) Belarius. Generally, we frown on kidnapping to avenge oneself on the father of the child(ren) in question, but Belarius clearly did a stellar job of raising the twins afterwards, as opposed to the biodad, Cymboline, whose behaviour towards his daughter Imogen and son-in-law is anything but.

9.) Egeon. Losing one son and one's wife in a storm is bad enough. Nearly getting executed trying to find your surviving son and then seemingly denied by him is worse. Does Egeon turn into a misanthrope with lethal intentions towards his offspring through this trial? No. Good to know he gets a happy ending with his sons and even retains a poker face when finding out his supposedly dead wife is an anachronistic abbess.

10.) Vincentio (from Taming of the Shrew, not Measure for Measure). Has to find out that his son started a complicated con in order to get married and meets a madman and his wife en route. Vincentio takes it all in stride and supports his son and his new marriage. Brabantio, Cymbeline, you could learn from this.


And in conclusion: to be a good father in Shakespare, it helps being a villain or a minor character. And it definitely helps to be French.