Self-Discovery in Shakespeares King Lear :: King Lear essays

Self-Discovery in world causation Lear Halfway down Hangs one that gathers samphire, dreadful trade Methinks he seems no bigger than his head The fisherman that walk along the beach get on like mice. Although this quote from Shakespeares King Lear is made by Poor turkey cock tohis unknowing father Gloucester ab expose the terrain far below them, it accuratelysummarizes the wage of the mad faggot. Lear is out of touch with hissurroundings, riding high upon the wave of power associated with the monarchyeven those closest to him are out of reach, viewed with a distorted lens. Itis with this lens of madness that Lear views his friends and family, and thushe is stripped of everything before he can realize the folly of his judgment.Reduced to a simple man, Lear is pressure to learn the lessons that Gods anointedis already supposed to know. This is the purpose of the secondary characters ofKing Lear they suffice to show the many complex facets of Lears complexpersonality, as they force him to at long last get in touch with his self-conscious. For example, the take in, oddly enough, acts as the voice of contend for theout-of -touch King. He views events critically and thus seems to foreshadowsituations that an ignorant Lear is completely unaware to. This is evident inact 1, scene 1, when a prodding assume asks the king if he knows the differencebetween a bitter scatter and a sweet scrape. When Lear admits that he does not, theFool attempts to lay it all out in front of him That lord which councelled thee To give away thy land, Come positioning him here by me Do thou for him stand. The sweet and bitter fool Will presently appear The one in motley here, The otherwise found out there. The Fool attempts to show the king the folly of his ways. He is essentiallycalling Lear a bitter fool, insinuating that his foolishness will be the causeof such bitterness. This comment is taken lightly, but only because the Fool isa satire of the king himself, and thus is the only one allowed to bump him.Lear has a preconceived notion that he will be adequate to(p) to give up all of his landand his throne, and yet still someways hold on to the power that he is soaccustomed to. Alas, the king does not listen. He continues to believe he still has thepower that he has long since conceded. He does not believe that by deviding the