Essay, Research Paper
In the tragedy King Lear, the term blindness has an entirely different meaning. It is not a physical flaw, but the inability of the characters to use their thoughts and emotions to see a person for whom they truly are. They can only read what is presented to them on the surface. King Lear, Gloucester and Albany are three prime examples characters who suffered most by having this flaw.
Lear was by far the blindest of the three. Because Lear was the King, one would expect him to have superb reasoning skills, but his lack of insight kept him from making wise choices. This is the flaw that led to his downfall.
Lear’s first big mistake was letting himself be fooled by Regan and Goneril, and giving them his throne. For they did not love him at all, he could not understand the depth of Cordelia’s love for him. He banished her from the kingdom without one thought to what she had said. Lear’s last words to the only daughter that truly loved him were;
“…..for we/ have no such daughter, nor shall we ever see/ that face of hers again. Therefore be gone/ without our grace, our love, our benison.” (Shakespeare 1, 1. 262-265)
Lear’s blindness also caused him to banish Kent, one of his most loyal followers. Kent tried to stand up to Lear in Cordelia’s honor, but Lear would not listen to what Kent was trying to tell him. To Kent’s opposition; “This hideous rashness, answer my life, my judgement,/ Thy youngest daughter does not love thee least;” ( 1,1. 150-151) Lear responded with, “Kent on thy life, no more.” ( 1, 1, 154) “Out of my sight!” ( 1, 1. 157) This is a good example of Lear’s lack of insight. He was being too stubborn to see that Kent was only trying to do what was best for Lear.
After Kent had been banished, he continued to serve Lear, by wearing a disguise. Because of Lear’s lack of sight he could not see through the costume. As the play progressed Lear’s sanity went downhill, but his vision became clearer. When Goneril and Regan would not provide him with shelter during a furious storm, Lear realized that they were the daughters who did not love him. He also began to understand the words of Cordelia from the beginning of the play, he realized that she loved him too much to put into words. When Lear and Cordelia finally reunited near the end of the play, Lear expressed his sorrow for what he had done. “You must bear with me, I pray you now, forget and forgive:/ I am old an foolish.” ( 4, 7. 82 ) But it was too late, Lear’s rashness and inability to see clearly had already cost him, and Cordelia their lives.
Lear was not the only character to suffer from blindness, Gloucester too, had lack of insight. He could not see the goodness of his son Edgar, and the wickedness of Edmund. A forged letter was the only evidence needed to convince Gloucester that Edgar was plotting to kill him. Immediately after reading the letter Gloucester screams in a rage;
“O villain, villain! His very opinion in the/ letter! Abhorred villain! Unatural, delested, brutish/ villain! Worse than brutish! Go, sirrah, seek him; I’ll/ apprehend him. Abominable villain! Where is he?” (1, 2. 75-78 )
He did not even stop to consider if Edgar were capable of doing such a thing.
Ironically, it is not until Gloucester loses his physical sight, when his vision becomes clear. He finds out that it was really Edmund who was after his earldom. Gloucester feels guilty for the way that he treated Edgar, which is obvious when he says;
“I have no way and therefore I want no eyes;/ I stumbled when I saw. Full oft ‘tis seen, our means secure us, and our mere defects. Prove our commodities. Ah! dear son Edgar;/ The food of thy abused fathers wrath;/ Might I but live to see thee in my touch, / I’d say I had eyes again. ( 4, 1. 18-24 )
From this point on Gloucester learns to see clearly by using his heart instead of his eyes. When Lear questions his vision, he replies; “I see it feelingly.” (4, 6. 149)
Albany was another character suffering from blindness, but luckily for him, he survived his battle. Albany’s blindness was purely a result of his devotion to Goneril. Although he disapproved of Goneril’s actions, he would not speak his true feelings. When Goneril would not let Lear’s men into her castle, Albany protested; “I cannot be so partial, Goneril,/ to the great love I bear you-” (1, 4. 306-307 )
Albany’s love for Goneril blinded him from the evilness that she possessed. He was blind from the fact that Goneril was having an affair with Edmund, and planning to have her husband killed. Fortunately Edgar, devised a plan to cure Albany’s blindness. A letter outlining Goneril’s plan, was all that Albany needed to see. After reading the letter Albany came to his senses and confronted Goneril; ” O Goneril,/ You are not worth the dust which the rude wind/ Blows in your face!” ( 4, 2. 29-31) Unlike Lear and Gloucester, Albany did not suffer from his bout of blindness, he lived to become the leader of which was once Lear’s kingdom.
In King Lear, blindness is a theme portrayed by the main characters of these plots. Throughout the play Shakespeare is saying that the world cannot be seen with eyes only. It is a combination of mind, emotion and heart. True sight comes from within.
34d
Другие работы по теме:
King Lear Essay Research Paper In order
King Lear Essay Research Paper In order to understand the theme of Shakespeare s great tragedy King Lear we must explore what is meant by eyesight or lack of it Eyesight is a recurring theme throughout the play which refe Lear Essay Research PaperIn order to understand the theme of Shakespeares great tragedy King Lear we must explore what is meant by.
Wisdom Does Not Come With Age Essay
, Research Paper Although it is never too late to learn, those lessons learned in old age are often the most difficult and the most costly. Following Lear s dispute with Goneril, the Fool tell him, Thou shoulds t not have been old till thou hads t/ Been wise [I, v, 43-44]. In William Shakespeare s tragedy King Lear, Lear illustrates that wisdom does not necessarily come with age.
Bad Things That Happen To King Essay
, Research Paper Why do bad things happen to good people? The majority of society believes that there are no logical answers to this question. The worst can happen to the best of us, for no particular reasons. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. In William Shakespeare’s “King Lear”, the main character, King Lear, who claims to be “a man more sinned against than sinning”, is responsible for his own downfall (3.2.60-61).
King Lear Essay 1 Essay Research Paper
Service and loyalty are big parts of the plot of King Lear. Some characters of this play show complete loyalty and service to the king. One of these is Kent. Throughout the play, Kent is completely loyal to his king, even after the Lear banishes him from the kingdom. This tells me that some people can be loyal to the end.
Cordelia And Lear Essay Research Paper Throughout
Cordelia And Lear Essay, Research Paper Throughout the play, King Lear, we are awaiting to see the reunion of Lear and his daughter Cordelia. In the begining of the play Lear wrongfully disowns Cordelia because he does not get the flattery from her that he wishes to hear. However, through much torment after he is reduced to nothing, Lear realizes that he cannot always get what he wants just because he is a king.
King LearTheme Essay Research Paper Throughout the
King Lear-Theme Essay, Research Paper Throughout the play King Lear, the theme that was well expressed was that of fidelity. It was evident in different relationships such as Kent with King Lear, Cordelia with King Lear, and Edgar with Gloucester.
Good Vs Evil In King Lear Essay
, Research Paper In the King Lear play, Shakespeare creates many conditions in which humans live in the world. The main characters in the play are used to portray Shakespeare’s ideas. One of these ideas which Shakespeare is trying to portray is evil between the characters and in the world which are emphasized throughout the play.
Tragedy Of King Lear Essay Research Paper
Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth and King Lear are the four most prominent and revered works that William Shakespeare had ever produced, though the first three that I mentioned seem
Imagery In Shakespeare
’s King Lear Essay, Research Paper William Shakespeare, when writing King Lear, incorporates many effective images into this play. He refers to clothing, animals, wheels, sexual images, and blindness all to make his point. Shakespeare uses blindness in 2 paralleling plotlines, those of Lear and Gloucester.
Through The Eyes Of A King Essay
, Research Paper Through the Eyes of a King “Sir, I love you more than words can wield the matter, dearer than eyesight, space, and liberty, beyond what can be valued…” In this quote from King Lear, Goneril is proclaiming how much she loves her father, King Lear. The fact that she refers to eyesight as being a priceless thing foreshadows the whole “sight” theme of this play.
King Lear Suffering Essay Research Paper King
King Lear: Suffering Essay, Research Paper King Lear: Suffering Suffering takes on many appearances, depending on how it is received. In King Lear, suffering was very painful to two people, and the giver wasn’t
King Lear The Role Of The Fool
Essay, Research Paper King Lear: The Role of the Fool In Shakespeare?s, King Lear, the Fool plays three major roles. One of these roles is of an ?inner-conscience? of Lear. The Fool provides basic wisdom and reasoning for the King at much needed times. The Fool also works as amusement for Lear in times of sadness and is also one of the only people besides the Duke of Kent and Cordelia who are willing to stand up to the King.
Madness In King Lear Act 4 Essay
, Research Paper Madness in King Lear: Act 4 In Shakespeare’s play King Lear, Shakespeare introduces many themes. The most important theme shown in King Lear is the theme of
The Fool In King Lear Essay Research
Paper The Fool is a tremendously substantial character in William Shakespeare’s tragedy, King Lear. Traditionally, fools were the equivalent of court jesters and were thought to be insane. They were customarily physically and sometimes even mentally impaired. Persons became fools as the result of an aristocratic individual’s compassion or boredom.
King LearBlindness Essay Research Paper King Lear
King Lear-Blindness Essay, Research Paper King Lear is in many ways like Nunez in the story The country of the Blind . They are both simliar because they both do not realize that they are both blind in what others think of them. They might think that they are right beacause both of them think that the people around them are inferior because of the way that they appear.
King Lear Motifs Essay Research Paper King
King Lear: Motifs Essay, Research Paper King Lear: Motifs Shakespeare uses many motifs to expand on the themes of the story. His most-used motif revolves around filial responsibility. Each of the two plots contains
Character Analysis In King Lear Essay Research
Paper Cordelia The virtuous daughter whom King Lear mistakenly rejects . knowing she will marry , Cordelia refuses to assert that all of her love will forever go to her father , unlike Regan and Goneril, her hypocritical sisters . Lear mistakes Cordelia’s honesty for a lack of affection and disinherits her , though the king of France recognizes her innate worth and marries her anyway .
King Lear4 Essay Research Paper Lear s
King Lear4 Essay, Research Paper Lear s words: I am a man/More sinn d against than sinning. is an expression of Lear s internal anguish and pain, triggered by his two evil daughters Gonerill and Regan. Surely, Lear s statement is to some degree, agreeable, since his sufferings was an result of Gonerill s and Regan s thirst for power, which led to their attack on Lear.
King Lear Essay Research Paper Animal Imagery
King Lear Essay, Research Paper Animal Imagery in King Lear In the play King Lear by William Shakespeare, a collection of images are used to express different points Shakespeare is trying to relay to his audience. One reoccurring image is that of animal images. Shakespeare incorporates these animal images when King Lear and many of the other characters in the play talk about Goneril and Regan and the animals that Lear and the other characters compare the two sisters to are not very pretty.
King Lear Essay Research Paper King LearIn
King Lear Essay, Research Paper King Lear In the play King Lear written by William Shakespeare a collection of images are used to express different points Shakespeare is trying to relay to his audience. One reoccurring image that kept popping up was animal images. Shakespeare displays these animal images when King Lear and many of the other characters in the play talk about Goneril and Regan.
King Lear Essay Research Paper The ending
King Lear Essay, Research Paper The ending of King Lear has proven itself very controversial in its history. in shakespeare’s other play, the conclusions are simple: Othello kills himself, Macbeth is executed, ans everyone dies in hamlet. lear, however, is not as simple as the preceding, and in fact, leaves many questions unanswered.
Blindness In King Lear Essay Research Paper
Relevance of Blindness in King Lear One of the recurring themes in Shakespeare s tragedy King Lear is that of sight and the relevance of clear vision. Through different types of characters, Shakespeare points out that neither the lack or the possession of clear vision can protect anybody from anything.
King Lear The Roles Of The Fool
Essay, Research Paper The Roles of the Fool in King Lear Fools in traditional royal households were seen as imbecils and jesters, nothing more. The older role of a royal fool, which Shakespeare adopted from the pagan setting of King Lear, was to correct minor faults and incongruencies in their masters. By detatching the Fool from a conventional fool’s role, Shakespeare allows for the crowd’s suspention of disbelief in the Fool’s ability to get away with the comments he makes to the King.
Eye Spy With My Little Eye Essay
, Research Paper Eye Spy with my little I Blindness can normally be defined as the inability of the eye to see, but according to Shakespeare, blindness is not a physical quality, but a mental flaw some people possess. In William Shakespeare s King Lear, three characters display this quality of blindness and the tragic effects of this flaw: King Lear, Gloucester and Albany.
King Lear Play Essay Research Paper In
King Lear (Play) Essay, Research Paper In the play King Lear, Lear reaches old age without achieving any wisdom. This statement is very true, many evidences can be found throughout the acts. For example: Lear is ignorant of the truth, he only hears what he wants to hear and he makes several rash decisions that leads to his downfall.
Compartive Essay Essay Research Paper Comparative EssayOedipus
Compartive Essay Essay, Research Paper Comparative Essay Oedipus the King and King Lear The Theme of Blindness March 22, 2000 BJ Wheatley In Sophocles and Shakespearean terms, blindness means a completely different thing. Blindness can normally be defined as the inability of the eye to see, but according to both plays; blindness is not always a physical quality, but a mental flaw some people possess.
King Lear Blindness Vs Sight Essay Research
Paper Blindness vs. Sight In the Shakespeare play, King Lear, some of the characters show that they have knowledge of what is going happening around them and some, unfortunately, do not see that the ones they love are mischievous and only out to get what they have. One character that is mostly viewed as the blind one in this play is King Lear himself.
King Lear Essay Research Paper Many of
King Lear Essay, Research Paper Many of the passages of King Lear, particularly those between the characters of Lear, Kent, the Fool, and Cordelia, all share a common theme. The imagery of nothing, as well as that of blindness, echoes throughout the play. King Lear is in many ways about nothing. However, Kent, the Fool, and Cordelia make him more than nothing does by serving faithfully, speaking bluntly, and loving unconditionally.
Theme Of Blindness In King Lear Essay
, Research Paper In Shakespearean terms, blinds means a whole different thing. Blindness can normally be defined as the inability of the eye to see, but according to Shakespeare, blindness is not a physical quality, but a mental flaw some people possess. Shakespeare?s most dominant theme in his play King Lear is that of blindness.
Blindness In Oedipus Rex Essay Research Paper
Blindness in “Oedipus the King” In Sophocles’ play, “Oedipus the King”, one of the main themes is blindness. The author uses physical blindness, as well as intellectual blindness to illustrate Oedipus’ status
King Lear 2
King Lear – Blindness Essay, Research Paper In Shakespeare’s “King Lear” the issue of sight against blindness is a recurring theme. In Shakespearean terms, being blind does not refer to the physical inability to see. Blindness is here a mental flaw some characters posses, and vision is not derived solely from physical sight.
Kinglearcompare And Contrast Lear And Cloucester Essay
, Research Paper In The Tragedy of King Lear, King Lear is quite cruel to his loving daughter, Cordelia. Cordelia expresses her true love for her father, and Lear disowns her. Lear makes his three daughters, Cordelia, Regan, and Goneril, tell him how great of a father and king he is, in order to own and rule a part on England.
King Lear Essay Research Paper King LearKing
King Lear Essay, Research Paper King Lear King Lear is the tale of a vain, prideful, and foolish old man who is blinded by his rage and too stubborn to mend his ways. The “self”
King Lear And The Fatal Flaw Essay
, Research Paper How central is the idea of a fatal flaw in King Lear? More than any of Shakespeare s plays, King Lear explores the concept of a fatal flaw and the terrible downfall it could lead to. It is indeed the most central idea in the play. Shakespeare shows us how one flaw in an otherwise normal person can lead to their ultimate demise.