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King Lear Blindness Analysis

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Being a king is not all about demonstrating strength or a united government. There are many things that constitutes being a good king. A good king must display human qualities even though he embodies a godlike figure. According to Shakespeare, a good king serves its country and the people rather than ruling it, therefore interacting as well as being open to advice from all its subjects. Even though physical power is an important trait to possess as a king, King Lear displays many qualities that would question whether he embodies a "good" king; like being blind to reality, arrogance and his madness. A good king is able to recognize between good and evil. A central weakness of King Lear is his blindness. Although blindness can be defined as the inability to see, Shakespeare has focused on the concept of being blind to reality. Lear encountered a lot of blindness throughout the play which is prominently shown in the beginning. Lear 's flaw of being unable to see reality has caused him to go mad and lose all power over his kingdom. One very early instance of him seeing unclear happens in Act I, Scene I when he was taken aback by Cordelia 's refusal to confess her love for him. As a result, he banishes her …show more content…

Lear 's lack of responsibility and wanting to live a carefree life becomes filled with grief. If he hadn 't been arrogant and chose to listen to those who were loyal to him; like Kent, who spoke with wisdom, he could have avoided all the disasters and tragedies that followed. Throughout the play Shakespeare shows the consequences of someone who chooses to live without responsibility. Once Lear gave up his power he began to suffer. Through false judgments and arrogance, the King loses everything he has – authority, family and sanity. A good king would never make choices that lead to the demise of his family or better yet,

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