Lear Madness

King Lear is such an important figure in Shakespeare. After all Shakespeare did name an entire book after Lear. But it’s not his name on the cover of a book that is so interesting, it’s how his values and attitude towards life changes over the course of the book. King Lear is a tragic character, therefore he possesses basic tragic flaws, which lead him to his downfall. His flaw is simply that he is interested in appearances rather than reality. Because of this flaw, he loses track of his true feelings and of those around him. The biggest example of this is with Cordelia. Lear knows that she loves him; however, he is blinded by his own obsession with appearances. He makes his three daughters compete for a portion of the kingdom by expressing their love for him in front of a large crowd. Cordelia does not stoop to the level of her two sisters Goneril and Regan, who deceive their father into believing that they love him through their show of false affection. Cordelia stands strong, refusing to declare her love to Lear in front of the crowd. Rather than figuring out that this is Cordelia’s way of showing that she really does love him and that the other sisters are just faking it, Lear punishes Cordelia. He forces her to leave the kingdom and also does not give her any portion of the land. He thinks Cordelia is being disrespectful, when really she is only being truthful and honorable. After the incidences with Regan and Gonreil reveal their evil nature, Lear realizes his mistake. This drives him crazy. It is not until the storm though that he truly see the effects of his sheer blindness to the truth. During the storm he becomes like a lost puppy in the streets. Given a new perspective on life, he discovers his insignificance in the large scope of the world and its natural, unstoppable forces. The storm forced him to think about himself and his own values. After these traumatic but insightful events, Lear finds the one person he had hurt, Cordelia. When they finally meet, Lear cannot stress enough his guilt for being so blind. Although Lear’s story is not happy one with a satisfying ending, I see that it is a meaningful one. In my opinion, Lear matures over the course of the book and becomes a better person. He realized his mistakes and took full blame for them. Although he may not have totally recovered from his madness, he certainly calmed down and became a more humble individual that by the end of play earned some of my appreciation.