Blindness and Sight - Lack of Insight in King Lear Essays

Blindness as Lack of Insight in King Lear Blindness can normally be defined as the inability of the eye to see, but according to Shakespeare, blindness is not only a physical impairment, but also a mental flaw some people possess. Shakespeares most dominant theme in his play King Lear is that of blindness. King Lear, Gloucester, and Albany are three characters through which Shakespeare portrays his theme of mental blindness, that blindness which was the primary cause of their poor judgment and which led them all to make regrettable decisions. The most blind of all was undoubtedly King Lear, even though his physical vision was normal. Because of Lears high position in society, he was supposed to be able to†¦show more content†¦Do not laugh at me; / For (as I am a man) I think this lady / To be my child Cordelia (IV.vii.77-79). He realized just how wicked his two eldest daughters were after they locked him out of the castle during a tremendous storm. More importantly, Lear saw through Cordelias lack of flattering and realized that her love for her father was so great and so true that she couldnt express it in the words he wanted to hear. Unfortunately, Lears blindness had already set them both on the pathway that would lead to their deaths. Gloucester was another example of a character that suffered from an awful case of blindness. Gloucesters blindness deprived him of the ability to see the goodness of Edgar and the evil of Edmund. Although Edgar was the good and loving son, Gloucester all but disowned him. He wanted to kill the son that would later save his life. Gloucesters blindness began when Edmund convinced him by the means of a forged letter that Edgar was plotting to kill him. Gloucesters lack of sight caused him to believe Edmund was the good son and prevented him from pondering the idea of Edmund possibly being after his earldom. Near the end of the play, Gloucester finally regained his sight and realized that Edgar, disguised as Poor Tom, had saved his life and loved him all along (Cavell 71). HeShow MoreRelatedSight and Blindness in King Lear1615 Words   |  7 PagesSight and Blindness in King Lear In King Lear, the recurring images of sight and blindness associated with the characters of Lear and Gloucester illustrate the theme of self-knowledge and consciousness that exist in the play. These classic tropes are inverted in King Lear, producing a situation in which those with healthy eyes are ignorant of what is going on around them, and those without vision appear to see the clearest. While Lears blindness is one which is metaphorical, the blindnessRead MoreA Consideration of the Way Shakespeare Presents and Develops the Theme of Blindness in King Lear1563 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Theme of Blindness in King Lear Introduction ============ Throughout ‘King Lear’, Shakespeare uses the play’s characters to make judgements on society using blindness as a metaphor that runs through the play. He does this in a number of ways portraying characters that can be fooled by others’ flattery, or are easily manipulated or deceived, or simply have a lack of wisdom. As well as the horrific physical blinding of Gloucester, blindness is used as a metaphorRead MoreEssay on The Theme of Blindness in King Lear by William Shakespeare862 Words   |  4 PagesThe Theme of Blindness in King Lear by William Shakespeare Shakespeares King Lear tells of the tragedies of two families. At the head of each family is a father who cannot see his children for what they are. Both fathers are lacking in perceptiveness, so the stories of the two families run parallel to each other. In Lears case, two of his daughters fool him into believing their lies. Lear shuts out his third daughter because she cannot her love into words the way he wants her to. GloucesterRead More Blindness in King Lear Essays1297 Words   |  6 PagesBlindness is defined as, according to dictionaries, â€Å"unable to see and lacking the sense of sight†, but in King Lear, written by William Shakespeare, it has a relatively new definition. Blindness, as Shakespeare portrays, not only a physical inability to see, but also a mental flaw that some characters present in this tragic play. King Lear and the Earl of Gloucester are the two characters who make up the parallel â€Å"double plot† of the tragedy caused of their lack of sight, mental blindness. TheyRead MoreEssay The Theme of Blindness in King Lear926 Words   |  4 PagesThe Theme of Blindness in King Lear In the tragedy King Lear, the term blindness has an entirely different meaning. It is not a physical flaw, but the inability of the characters to see a person for whom they truly are. They can only read what is presented to them on the surface. King Lear, Gloucester and Albany are three prime examples characters who suffered most by having this flaw. Lear was by far the blindest of the three. Because Lear was the King, one would expect him to have superbRead MoreThe Tragic Consequence of Blindness in King Lear770 Words   |  4 Pagesbe led, though it be by a dog; but he that is blind in his understanding, which is the worst blindness of all, believes he sees as the best, and scorns a guide. Blindness is a major theme that recurs throughout Shakespeare’s play, King Lear. Samuel Butler’s quote can be used to describe King Lear, who suffers, not from a lack of physical sight, but from a lack of insight and understanding. Blindness is a factor in his poor judgment. It plays a major role in the bad decisions he makes. It leadsRead MoreBlindness Of King Lear By William Shakespeare1077 Words   |  5 PagesMarch-9- 2015 How is the theme of blindness explored in King Lear? The play King Lear, written by William Shakespeare, the theme of blindness is clearly illustrated in the characters of King Lear and Gloucester. Both characters are blind to the truth because of their unwariness and poor judgment of character. These two characters refused to see the truth about the ones that are loyal to them. This type of blindness in this play is mental. Mental blindness can also be described refusing toRead MoreKing Lear vs the Stone Angel Blindness1504 Words   |  7 PagesBlindness; a flaw with insight` It was once said, What you lose in blindness is the space around you, the place where you are, and without that you might not exist. You could be nowhere at all.(Kingslover) This is a quote that can relate the characters in The Stone Angel and King Lear. In the tragedy King Lear, written by William Shakespeare and in the novel The Stone Angel, written by Margaret Laurence, the term blindness has an entirely different meaning. It is not a physical flaw, but theRead MoreBlindness By William Shakespeare s King Lear2212 Words   |  9 PagesMaysoun Deeb Mr. A. T. Lebar EN4UN-04 13 July 2015 King Lear Blindness by definition, according to dictionaries, is â€Å"unable to see and lacking the sense of sight† by which King Lear, the classic tragic play written by William Shakespeare, illustrated the concept of blindness amongst his characters as the leading theme. King Lear and Gloucester were the characters that have been conflicted by this â€Å"blindness† that may or may not change their personalities in the very end of the play. Gloucester becomesRead MoreKing Lear, By William Shakespeare938 Words   |  4 PagesShakespeare’s tragic play King Lear is a play that occupies a critical place in the great playwright’s cannon. Harold Bloom noted that it, along with Hamlet, can be thought of as a kind of â€Å"secular scripture or mythology†. If we accept Bloom’s reading, then it becomes possible to read the play as a kind of a parable and to read it’s symbolism in terms of the way that those symbols have been teased out in scripture an d in mythology. In particular, this essay will consider how blindness functions as a symbol