Analysis of the Hero in "King Lear"

King Lear, a tragedy in which Shakespeare exhibits most fully his literary complexities, is surprisingly the least popular of the famous four. In spite of this, it is indefinitely the most talked about. For many this is Shakespeare's most profound tragedy, one of the greatest plays ever written in any language at any time. It throws up questions, which remain as perplexing now as they were to Shakespeare's earlier critics. And although thoroughly studied, the original story line has remained unchanged for centuries, even though many attempts have been made to alter it. In the twentieth century a range of conflicting views on King Lear emerged, a major development in Shakespearean criticism came with the publication of A.C Bradley's Shakespearean tragedy in1905. He focused on character and motivation and worked new angles previous critics never imagined and this set him apart from the rest. For Bradley a Shakespearean tragedy is the tragedy of an individual who suffers as he comes to terms with his personality.

To be a tragedy the story has to be of exceptional calamity leading to the death of a man in high state. But, according to Bradley, it is clearly much more than this as 'no amount of calamity which merely befell a man, descending from the clouds like lightening, or stealing from the darkness like pestilence', could alone provide the substance of its glory. These calamities do not simply happen and they are not sent from God, they proceed from the main character/s in a play. In this case it is Lear in the main plot and a combination of Gloucester and Edmund in the subplot, it provides amusement for the audience as they watch actions that will produce tragic events fall into place. As, in the words of Aristotle, 'the au...

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...ith his personality, Lear made a mistake and his chastisement is the death of his only loyal daughter Cordelia. Throughout King Lear characters put each other on trial. Lear and Gloucester both misjudge their children, who seem to possess better judgement. Cordelia has the measure of her sisters and Goneril's assessment of their father is acute and accurate. Edmund knows exactly how to take in his gullible relatives. It seems that better judgment is not the preserve of those who seemingly have good intentions. Sight is gained with blindness and this is shown to both Lear and Gloucester. Lear's insanity and Gloucester's blindness enables them to obtain this better judgement in the end. Lear has inspired in us, together with his pity, much admiration and affection. We can say the cause of his fatal flaw, in its full entirety, leads him to the discovery of this flaw.