Examples Of Blindness In King Lear

In his tragedy, King Lear, Shakespeare explores the term “blindness” very meticulously that allows it to unfurl in order to reveal a more specific type of blindness in which he focuses on; a moral and insightful type of blindness. He uses two characters in particular, Lear and Gloucester, in order to express that being morally and insightfully blind to the true reasons behind another’s actions and emotions as well as being blinded to reality itself will only lead to chaos along the road. King Lear was blinded by Cordelia’s love for him and banishes her, thus leaving his entire kingdom under the reign of Regan and Goneril. Similarly, Gloucester was blinded by Edgar’s devotion to him and allowed Edmund to deceive him. However, as the story progressed,

While reading Shakespeare’s tragedy, it can be argued that King Lear does undergo a process of change and does receive true sight, despite his madness, when he begins to truly see the world for what it really is beyond his castle walls. A world of poverty, pain, and loneliness. This can be seen during the scene in which Lear is walking through the violent storm on the heath. “‘Poor naked wretches, whereso’er you are, that bide the pelting of this pitiless storm, how shall your houseless heads, and unfed sides, your looped and windowed raggedness, defend you…’” (Lear,3.4.28-36). Lear seems to express almost a sympathetic feeling towards the people who are suffering and even begins taking off his royal garment in order to truly understand and empathize with them. This is a viable contradiction to my claim in which I said that King Lear did not earn true vision and did not receive moral insight. Admittedly, King Lear seems to be leaning towards the right direction in gaining true insight. However, this way of thinking; of tearing off his clothes, is still based on himself; His actions still revolve around his own self suffering and his own circumstance. “‘Didst thou given all to thy two daughter? And art thou come to this?’” (Lear.3.4.46-47). In this case, Edgar appears to the group as a poor, homeless beggar. Lear’s question reflects his own situation. He asks Poor Tom if the reason why he looks and lives so miserably is because his two daughter’s betrayed him as well. He believes that his circumstance is the definition of suffering and that people who suffer must be going through what he is at the moment. In short, Lear is still living in his own world and does not take the time to truly understand others’ suffering like Gloucester had. Ultimately, Lear cannot obtain a sight similar to Gloucester because he refuses to see beyond