King Lear Looking at the World with Blind Eye

Abstract

Reason in madness, truth in suffering, and sight in blindness all contain the same basic meaning. In order to find and recognize our real selves and the truth, we must be aware of blindness. Blindness can normally be defined as the inability of the eye to see, but according to William Shakespeare, blindness means a completely different thing. Blindness is not only a physical impairment, but also a mental flaw some characters possess in King Lear (1605). The aim of the study is to show how sight and blindness which are associated with many characters of William Shakespeare's King Lear illustrate the themes of awareness, patience, appearance and reality, self-knowledge, and consciousness that exist in the play. It is also to display that the true nature of man is known but is not commonly seen until adversity strikes. Thus, the study analyzes two groups of the characters in King Lear. The first group represents King Lear, Gloucester, Albany, and Edgar. Each one of these characters' blindness is the primary cause of the bad decision he makes; decisions which all of them eventually come to regret. The second group- Goneril, Regan, Cornwall, and Edmund- is a perfect example of how Shakespeare incorporates the theme of blindness into the play. The four characters suffer from their inability to see things clearly and each one of them remains blind to the end. Therefore, they are punished severely for their actions in the end. Finally, the study sums up Shakespeare's lessons in King Lear through involving, metaphorically speaking, blind characters to truth. The study ends with Notes and a Bibliography.