King Lear Sympathetic

Basic Draft

“I am a man more sinn’d against than sinning” These words spew from Lear's mouth as he struggles in the rain. Is this really true what he says? In King Lear by William shakespeare the reader wonders, is Lear a sympathetic character. The answer has challenged scholars in the past now it time to show that he is in fact a sympathetic character because of his relatability, redemption and being targetted. All these are attempts by Shakespeare to show why we feel sorry for Lear.

Lear is relatable character for the audience and gains the reader's sympathy. Lear starts on the wrong foot with the audience by asking his daughters “Which of you... love us most” and having a love contest to show the most affection for him. The audience

Lear is bullied throughout the play as he begins to realise his daughters are not who he thinks they are, they claim “..the unruly waywardness that infirm and choleric years give him”, even after Lear has given his daughters the whole kingdom and asked them to look after him. They immediately try to find a reason to say that he has gone mad in his old age and aren’t treating properly as a daughter treat their father in his old age. This gives the audience a reason to be worried for Lear as he is giving trust to people who don’t believe in him. People also bully him by “Dismissing half his train” and when Lear leaves they “Shut up your doors” on Lear. This draws the sympathy of the reader because things beyond Lear's control have had a huge negative consequence for Lear. The loss of half his men is diminishing his power is important because his men stood for his standing in society and with these actions his subjects are showing no care or kindness towards their king. The audience sympathises with Lear situation because he’s being bullied for things which are justified, though he may have been rude to his daughter and her hospitality, there’s never a justification to leave your very old father in the cold father in the rain, freezing temperatures just because you’re upset at his actions. Shakespeare attempts to balance out Lear’s fate by the sins of others trying to balance his own sins. He does this because it is very convincing to the audience that they have been hurt as a everybody and he refuses to give in and keeps on going. Lears strength in after being targetted still making it through the play makes the reader sympathise for the suffering he must go through and to keep going. They understand his pain and sympathise with Lear because he’s being punished by actions beyond his