Free King Lear Essays: King Lear

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King Lear

In King Lear, the unnatural elements seem to always dominate the natural elements throughout the play. There exists a reversal of order in the play where the evil prosper in the downfall of the good, and where man's life is meaningless and arbitrary. King Lear, the tragic hero, dies in the end despite the torment and agony he had to endure to regenerate and repent. But it is the worthless destruction of countless other lives because of Lear's own personal tragedy that supports the view of the brutality and the meaningless of man's life in the play.

Life in Lear's universe is brutal, and at times, merciless. All this has been brought about by the reign of evil in the play. The natural order of things has been reversed to such an extent that many of society's cherished values have been neglected and confused. Evil characters such as Edmund is praised by Gloucester for exposing the "treachery" of Edgar, while Edgar is denounced for his "villany". Love, based on selflessness and truth, is weighted in materialistic terms. A man's life, then, can only be considered arbitrary and meaningless in the chaotic universe of King Lear.

The character of Lear and Gloucester die in a state of joy, but they nevertheless die in the end resulf. Both had immeasurable sufferings for their follies, and yet both had gained wisdom - patience, insight, love - from their experiences. Both were shown to have the capacity for comparison during their ordeals and both were courageous enough to triumph over their weaknesses. Yet, despite their regenation gained through suffering and pain, they are made to die in the end. Their deaths hardly seem just and proper if a man's life were not meaningless. But in King Lear, a man's life is meaningless indeed.

There were also many others who were not directly involved in Lear's personal tragedy that died for it. Because of Lear's follies and the subsequent reign of evil, the armies of France and Britain fought. That battle must have resulted in numberous death on both sides. The army of France, led by the King of France and Cordelia, had come in an attempt to overthrow the evil reign of Goneril and Regan, and to rescue King Lear. Cordelia was still bound by honour, duty, and obedience to Lear despite her banishment, and she at last, had come for her beloved father.

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