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King Lear Blindness Essay

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It is a lack of clarity that creates chaos. The chaos in Shakespeare 's King Lear is due in part to Lear 's inability to see the true nature of situations going on around him. The onset of his blindness is illustrated through his obliviousness to his daughters deception, which results in his decision to divide his kingdom among only two of his three daughters. Past tense and passive. Blindness is the catalyst that causes much disaster in the play. It is a prominent theme that negatively affects a number of characters. For characters like King Lear, Gloucester and Albany, being blind to the truth is a tragic flaw that causes much suffering, yet in this suffering they gain clarity.

King Lear 's blindness causes him great mental suffering …show more content…

King Lear’s subplot often reflects the main plot as Gloucester is also blind to his children’s true nature. Gloucester 's metaphoric blindness is caused by the anger and betrayal he feels from learning of his sons Edgar’s treacherous plan to kill him, due to his lack of sight and gullibility, he believes this lie told by the other son Edmund. Instead, of seeing what was going on, Gloucester falls for Edmunds tricks and ends up putting a bounty on good Edgar’s head. These actions initiate Gloucester 's future when Edmund betrays him and he then suffers physically when Cornwall gouges out his eyes later in the play. Gloucester 's suffering continues and he attempts to commit suicide but Edgar in disguise saves him. When Gloucester had eyes he was blind to truths, without them his eyes are open to Edmund’s betrayal and Edgars innocence, it was to his benefit as now he knows the truth. “This is not quite the same Gloucester who so readily accepted the machinations of his son Edmund. Deprived of sight, Gloucester has ironically acquired greater independence in probing the veracity of his own judgement” (Roberts 35). Gloucester learns from his past mistakes and now questions the world around him rather than blind belief of what he hears. (to vauge?) His physical blindness allows him to see Edgar 's innocence “I have no way, and therefore want no eyes;/ I stumbled when I saw. Full oft 'tis seen/ Our means secure us, and our mere defects/ Prove our commodities. O dear son

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