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In King Lear, William Shakespeare traces one man’s discovery of his individual sinfulness and ignorance, and his eventual appreciation of his mortal flaws and their consequences. Through the imagery of sight and eyes, Shakespeare details King Lear’s passage from initial blindness to the virtue, honesty, and love of Cordelia to the ultimate restoration of his vision through suffering and selfless love. By illustrating the loss and gain of internal sight, as well as, detailing Lear’s transformation from egotistic pride to self-abandoning love, the reader is taught to assess reality in terms of truth within ourselves, rather than, mere appearance or monetary value.
Lear’s tragic flaw is his excessive desire for approval and exaltation, which he looks to obtain by asking his three daughters to profess their love for him. The two eldest daughters, Regan and Goneril, speaking with self-serving exaggeration, give Lear exactly what he desires, reverence and adoration. However, Cordelia, his “most beloved daughter”, refuses to comply with Lear’s superficial desires.
Approximate Word count = 799
Approximate Pages = 3.2
(250 words per page double spaced)
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