Blindness Of King Lear By William Shakespeare - 1077 Words

Mona Rupani ENG4U March-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 to see the truth because of one’s personality. The characters blindness was the reason of bad decisions that led to disasters. The nature causes and effects of blindness can be seen with King Lear and Gloucester, as these characters correspond to each other. At the very start of the play, though Lear has physical ability to see, but he is blind in the sense that he lacks understanding. Lear cannot identify people for truly what they are, as he only sees what is on the surface. The moral blindness abuses his relationship with his most beloved daughter Cor delia, and the loyal friend Kent. The first mistake he made that was affected by his blindness was the giving away of his land to his daughter. He states, â€Å"Which of you shall we sat doth love us most? That we our largest bounty may extend†. This quote shows that he wants to gives his land that loves him most. His two daughters, Goneril and Regan to state their love to him for their share of his kingdom, andShow MoreRelatedBlindness 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 MoreSight vs. Blindness in King Lear by William Shakespeare511 Words   |  2 Pages The theme of sight versus blindness appears several times in the tragedy King Lear by William Shakespeare. In the opening scene of the play, we see King Lear as himself. The audience is left to explore his character on their own. The Earl of Gloucester is another character that is blinded. The theme of eyesight or lack of it refers to the physical and metaphorical blindness of the characters in the play. Lear announces that his kingdom is up for grabs but his daughters must express their loveRead 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 MoreElements Of Tragedy In King Lear1627 Words   |  7 Pagesyears, William Shakespeare creates a name for himself as a master of intertwining pathos in his plays by effectively evoking pity from readers. The literary device of a double plot efficiently amplifies the emotions within a play. With the aid of the paralleling plots between Gloucester and his two sons and King Lear and his three daughters, Shakespeare effectively uses pathos to introduce elements of tragedy in King Lear. Through the parallels between the betrayal of Gloucesterâ₠¬â„¢s son and King Lear’sRead More Sight and Blindness in Shakespeares King Lear - Lack of Vision1477 Words   |  6 PagesSight and Blindness in King Lear      Ã‚  Ã‚   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 metaphoricalRead More Blindness and Sight - Lack of Insight in King Lear Essays1082 Words   |  5 PagesBlindness as Lack of Insight in King Lear   Ã‚  Ã‚   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 poorRead MoreKing Lear by William Shakespeare803 Words   |  3 PagesBlindness is a theme that we see throughout King Lear in many characters including King Lear, Gloucester and Albany. Although blindness is a theme it is also a psychological metaphor and can be defined as not having sight.2 Shakespeare forces us to see that being blind is a mental flaw just as much as it is a physical flaw. Lear is not only metaphorically blind but is also blind toward nastiness and loyalty . We see Gloucester’s blindness in more lite ral terms as he is literally blind but he canRead MoreKing Lear, By William Shakespeare938 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Shakespeare’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 and in mythology. In particular, this essay will consider how blindness functionsRead MoreSight 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 blindness of GloucesterRead MoreThe Perception Of Blindness Versus Ability1130 Words   |  5 PagesENG4U0-B October 15, 2014 The perception of blindness versus ability to see truths in King Lear Blindness is a motif that readers see throughout King Lear in many characters such as Lear and Gloucester since they are unable to see the truth. Although blindness in the modern world is defined as not having sight, William Shakespeare tells readers that being able to see does not mean morally and spiritually you can see. Lear’s blindness causes him not to see the treachery behind Goneril and