A Closer Look at King Lear and His Statements

A Closer Look at King Lear and His Statements

King Lear is undoubtedly an extremely complex character, neither all

good nor all bad. From the beginning of the play, it is not difficult

for the audience to identify his severe misjudgement. King Lear has

decided to retire and to divide his kingdom among his three daughters,

with his intention being to prevent future conflict. The decision

seems rather unwise, as it could quite easily invite war between the

heirs to the throne. A Shakespearean audience would immediately

recognize this having been on the verge of Civil war following the

death of Queen Elizabeth I. It could be said therefore, that Lear is

not more sinned against than sinning, because his rash resolution is

followed with unnecessary death and sheer anarchy.

This is not King Lear’s only error. As a ruler, he has several faults

in his character. Firstly, his egotism causes untold damage at the

beginning of the play. This is evident to the audience when instead

of simply dividing his land evenly amongst his three daughters, he

asks for the three of them to profess their love to him first.

Cordelia’s surprising reply of “Nothing” enrages Lear. His reaction

seems completely irrational and by banishing Corderlia, Lear loses his

only daughter who truly loves him. Coinciding with this was another

imprudent decision to banish Kent, who only seeks to serve his King as

best he can. This is exemplified later in the play when Kent returns

in disguise to continue to aid Lear, risking possible death. These

mistakes leave The King in a highly vulnerable position, and

surrounding characters, particularly Goneril and Regan, mani...

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...e appropriate action. Even so, he

certainly suffers more than Lear.

One cannot help but feel sympathetic towards King Lear in his times of

misery and madness, but there is always the shadow of his earlier

egotistical antics that resulted in carnage. It is true that Lear has

caused his own woes, but it seems that his problems allowed him to die

a man with a soul of greater substance. This is a result of the

madness and suffering, when a King becomes a man and understands

concerns and needs of others. He also partly gains redemption in

reuniting with Cordelia and accepting culpability, to a certain

degree. Perhaps King Lear is “more sinned against than sinning” and

perhaps deservedly so, but it is true that he died having learnt

important lessons and so his suffering was surely not in

vain.