Theme Of Blindness In King Lear - 1576 Words

The term blindness is defined as the state or condition of being unable to see. In Shakespeare, it is described as blindly placing trust in people and the mental flaws they possess. Blindness is quite symbolic as it is seen through the characters of Lear, Gloucester and Albany. Lear is blinded by Goneril and Regan’s treachery. Gloucester’s blindness is more literal when his eye were plucked out by Cornwall. He is unable to see the goodness in Edgar and the evil in Edmund. Albany is blinded from the love he has for Goneril. These three characters were fooled and blinded by the ones who they thought loved them but they only flattered and betrayed them until they secured their desires. At the beginning of the play, Lear has already†¦show more content†¦Lear feels like he made the right choice however he is blinded by reality and fails to see that his wealth are in the hands of his two daughters. Lear’s act of blindness also causes the banishment of Kent. He is banished because he disagreed with Lear’s decision to disown Cordelia. Kent was the only one who recognized Cordelia’s love for her father without verbally flattering him in order to gain a reward. Lear decides to banish the ones who is the most loyal to him. The two characters have an argument and the motif of blindness is present when Kent says â€Å"See better, Lear; and let me still remain/The true blank of thine eye.† (1.1.157-158) Kent warns him and tells him to see better, and to let Kent stay by his side where he can turn to him for good advice. Lear ignores his most devoted servant and banishes him for good. His lack of sight causes him to be deceived by his two daughters, Goneril and Regan. Later on in the play we see that both his two daughters will stop caring for him once they gained power and the Fool describes it as â€Å"Winters not gone yet, if the wild-geese fly that way./Fathers that wear rags/Do make their children blind;/But fathers that bear bags/Shall see their children kind./Fortune, that arrant whore,/Neer turns the key to theShow MoreRelatedTheme Of Blindness In King Lear1046 Words   |  5 Pages Blindness; there is a number of ways that someone could be blinded such as, blinded by love, by ambition, or by beliefs and traditions, there is also just plain old blindness, the inability to see. With these causes of blindness a great deal of chaos could be sprung up. The theme of blindness is intertwined within the theme of chaos in the play King Lear by William Shakespeare which ultimately leads people to their demise. King Lear’s own blindness and desire for flattery from his daughters leadRead More King Lear - Theme of Blindness Essay846 Words   |  4 PagesKing Lear - Theme of Blindness In Shakespearean terms, blinds means a whole different thing. Blindness can normally be defined as the inability of the eye to see, but according to Shakespeare, blindness is not a physical quality, but a mental flaw some people possess. Shakespeare’s most dominant theme in his play King Lear is that of blindness. King Lear, Gloucester, and Albany are three prime examples Shakespeare incorporates this theme into. Each of these character’s blindness was the primaryRead 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 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 MoreA Consideration of the Way Shakespeare Presents and Develops the Theme of Blindness in King Lear1563 Words   |  7 PagesDevelops the 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 asRead 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 MoreBlindness Of King Lear By William Shakespeare1077 Words   |  5 PagesENG4U 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 refusingRead 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 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 literal terms as he is literally blind but he canRead 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 poor