Sanity Through Tragedy King Lear Essay examples - 1589 Words

King Lear is the protagonist within the play, he wears the label of a successful leader but he uses his power to project an artificial personality toward his observers. Beneath his high class physicality, Lear struggles to maintain his confidence within himself because he depends on the constant admiration from others to feel content with who he is. One who leads with counterfeit beliefs and unstable values is bound for failure. Shakespeare designed this playwright to display the tragedy of a King who slowly goes mad, however in order to reach sanity sometimes one must go completely out of their mind to gain the wisdom in telling the difference. The aspect of Lears ignorance is shown when he tests his†¦show more content†¦Observing Goneril as a character and her reaction to Lears test, one may assume that her aim is not to truly inform her father of the amount of love she carries for him, but to desire land by coating her true affection. Goneril reflects her father in this act because she feeds his need for attention as well as hers, if she did not seek the same as her father did, she would have rebelled the test. I love your majesty according to my bond, no more nor less. (1.1.94-95). Cordelia is the final speaker and presented the speech containing the greatest honesty, that she loved her father in the way a child should love their parent. Her innocence proposes that the bond between a child and a parent should not need evidence of a speech, it is an abstract bond that exists on emotions. Lear is unpleased by Cordelias speech, she is a representation of what her two sisters are not, which happens to be true love, it is not necessary for her to rise above what she truly feels for her father, and that is a personal challenge for Lear to come to terms with. So young, and so untender? (1.1.108). Searching the layers of Lears disapproval, his disappointment is past the unexpectedness of Cordelias opinions but it is an unconscious realization of the lack ofShow MoreRelatedThe Tragic Hero Of King Lear1310 Words   |  6 PagesKing Lear, one of William Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, depicts a society in uninviting circumstances. Tragedy is depicted by the downfall of a noble hero, usually through a combination of arrogance and fate. The tragic hero s wish to achieve a goal encounters limits, those of human inability, the gods, or nature. As with all tragedies, there exists a tragic hero, one who possesses a calamitous flaw that establishes the tragedy and all the sufferings that follow. In this play, the tragic heroRead MoreIs King Lear A Tragic Hero Essay1358 Words   |  6 PagesKing Lear, one of William Shakespeare s greatest tragedies, depicts a society in grim circumstances. 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Tragedy does not only mean death or calamity, but in fact, it refers to a series of steps which leads to the downfall of the tragic hero and eventually to his tragic death. Lear,Read MoreKing Lears Journey Through Hell in William Shakespeares King Lear1149 Words   |  5 PagesKing Lears Journey Through Hell in William Shakespeares King Lear Shakespeares tragedy King Lear is a detailed description of the consequences of one mans deci-sions. This fictitious man is Lear, King of England, whose decisions greatly change his life and the lives of those around him. As Lear takes on the rank of King he is, as one expects, a man of great power but he surrenders all of this power to his daughters as a reward for their display of love towards him. This sud-den surrender ofRead MoreThe Tragic Hero Of King Lear1277 Words   |  6 Pagesgreatest loss, and what distinguishes this tragedy from all others, is his chance of redemption. 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