King Lear Suffering

Countless people suffer everyday and their pain and sorrow is oblivious to others around them. Living in agony, they hold in their pain and look forward to a better tomorrow. In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, King Lear, the characters learn the true nature of their children behind what they see on the surface as they experience grieve and great sadness. As they reach the bottom of the wheel of fortune, their lowest point, they reincarnate and grasp the reality of the world around them. From the betrayal of family and friends, they gain insight into their own lives and the lives of others around them. Many characters have poor judgement during the beginning of the play that cause them to make reckless decisions. From these bad decisions,

Here, they are born again and learn what truly matters. In 3.1, Lear shows compassion for others after he is humiliated by his daughter and left both daughterless and powerless. He is kicked out from Gloucester’s castle and forced to face a violent storm along with the Fool and Kent. Lear is reluctant to find shelter, but changes his mind for the Fool’s well being. He says, “Come on, my boy. How dost, my boy? Art cold?” (3.2.71). For the first time, he cares about someone other than himself. Not only that, but he also shows compassion to the poor and realizes that he should have taken better care of his people knowing that they live day to day without food, shelter or clothes to keep them warm. He wished that he gave more to the

(3.4.35 – 39)
Showing compassion towards the struggles of the poor was uncommon for members of nobility, but after Lear lost his power and his daughters, he realized that there are many people in the world who have even less than him. He recognizes that he should have taken better care of them by sharing his surpluses when he was a king and make the world a little fairer. Later on in the play, Cordelia comes back to Britain to find Lear, and when they meet, Lear is both incredibly shocked and remorseful. He feels ashamed to look at Cordelia, certain that he does not deserve her forgiveness and acts with his new outlook on justice:
If you have poison for me, I will drink it. I know you do not love me; for your sisters Have, as I do remember, done me wrong. You have some cause, they have not. (4.7.82 – 85)
For once in his life, he takes responsibility for his actions. He knows that he punished his only loving daughter for selfish reasons and willingly takes on the consequences of his egotistic actions, even if it means his death. Lear pushes towards his new notion of justice and wants to do whatever it takes to make things