King Lear by William Shakespeare: Sight vs. Blindness - Book Report/Review Example

 King Lear by William Shakespeare: Sight vs. Blindness The theme of sight vs. blindness is one of the most recurring in Shakespeare’s tragedy King Lear. In fact, the whole play is built around blindness of Lear as well as Glouster and his son Edgar. They become victims of their short sight and inability to face the reality. Their stories are similar in many ways. People around them – Cordelia, Kent, Fool, Edmund – possess insight, which provides them with better opportunity to adopt and survive. Only Edgar just like his father becomes the victim of his naivety and blindness. Edgar, Lear and Glouster become able to understand things only after they lose everything. Edgar pretends to go mad, Lear goes mad and Glouster loses his eyes, all of them learn to see only after the woe happens to them. The parallel between the characters’ destinies is drawn to underline the major idea: one should perceive the world with his heart, while eyes can lie. Lear’s tragedy comes from his lack of insight. This feature was born by the social structure itself, where everybody praised his greatness, where everything seemed to happen according to his will. Believing that it is his personality that mattered, Lear loses his common sense and resigns his throne, sure that people won’t stop tremble for him. This crazy belief makes him hand the kingdom to his daughters, become a man without a title and experience all the woes associated with human life. In the course of the play we see, however, that Lear continues clutching at his feudal dignity. The perception of his being a king has strong roots in him and the habit of commanding others does not leave him even when he, rejected and abandoned, wanders in the field. In delirium, he cries: “No, they cannot touch me for coining; I am the king himself”; “Ay, every inch a king: When I do stare, see how the subject quakes” (IV, 6). His insanity lies in the fact hat he continues considering himself the king, the man standing above the rest, while the enlightment will come as he sees his madness and feels simply a human being, not needing power, titles and general worship. Lear’s way to the enlightment is associated with deep agony. First we see his proud self-conceit. He requires his daughters compete in their expression of flattering idolatry of him. However, Cordelia, his most beloved daughter, refuses to lie, seeing the falsness of her sisters. “I love your majesty According to my bond; nor more nor less” (I, 1), – she says. He is pointed to his stupidity for trusting the speeches of the elder daughters, but vainly. He is sure he is worthy of the adoration expressed by Regan and Goneril. Their lies correspond to his self-estimation. Cordelia’s silence annoys him, while he is convinced of his royal-human greatness. Lear even believes that excommunication from his person is the greatest penalty, as if only he gave light and warmth in life. He also deceives himself thinking that if Cordelia is “out of his sight”, he will stop loving her: “we/Have no such daughter, nor shall ever see/That face of hers again” (I, 1). Kent tires to bring Lear to reason, “See better, Lear; and let me still remain The true blank of thine eye” (I, 1). But Lear refuses to hear the voice of common sense. Another person possessing much insight is Lear’s Fool. Obviously, Lear is used to listen to his advice. This time, however, he stays deaf to all the hints made by the Fool, so that the latter concludes: “The sweet and bitter fool/Will presently appear; The one in motley here,The other found out there” (I,4). In another place he asks Lear: “Thou canst tell why one's nose stands i' the middle on's face?” “No”- answers Lear. Fool: “Why, to keep one's eyes of either side's nose; that what a man cannot smell out, he may spy into” (I, 5). Through this character Shakespeare expresses his attitude towards the events. Lear’s blindness goes so far that he measures humanity in terms of surplus over what is the need. His argumentation with Regan about the number of servants acquires philosophical character of what human needs to be human: O, reason not the need: our basest beggars If only to go warm were gorgeous, Are in the poorest thing superfluous: Why, nature needs not what thou gorgeous wear'st, Allow not nature more than nature needs, Which scarcely keeps thee warm. But, for true need (II, 4). Man's life's as cheap as beast's: thou art a lady; Lear defends his right for what he needs, while it seems to him to be the major indicator of the human meaning and greatness. Lear still believes that human dignity is defined by the material goods he possesses. Comprehension of the fact that without his possessions he lost his power, starts ruining the bases of Lear’s worldviews and way of life. He wanted to possess personal superiority, but it turned out that his values were mere illusion. The world does not obey him any more. Even his daughters, who must obey in accordance with all the laws of nature and society, do not give a pin for him. All the foundations of his life have collapsed, and Lear’s mind cannot stand it. When seeing what the world is, Lear loses his reason. However, mad Lear understands more than he did as he was sane. Only now he tries to grasp human nature. His thoughts go round the same themes: the harshness and egoism of his daughters and the reasons of his fall. “Then let them anatomize Regan; see what breeds about her heart. Is there any cause in nature that makes these hard hearts? (III, 6). Lear’s madness is real, though everything he says and does is filled with sense. As Edgar describes his delirium: “O, matter and impertinency mix'd! Reason in madness!” (IV, 6). In his madness he reinterprets his life experience, estimating it from the new point of view. In the field he meets Edgar, disguised as Tom from Bedlam. In this wretched and miserable creature he sees a human being. Earlier he believed that humanity is determined by the surplus. Now as he sees Tom, who doesn’t have the most necessary things, Lear exclaims: “Is man no more than this? Consider him well. Thou owest the worm no silk, the beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the cat no perfume. Ha! here's three on 's are sophisticated! Thou art the thing itself: unaccommodated man is no more but such a poor bare, forked animal as thou art. Off, off, you lendings! come unbutton here. (III, 4). The transformed Lear starts realizing that besides human greatness there exist human troubles and poverty, and no real greatness have the right to ignore those who are not settled and protected. This is the lesson Lear teaches himself. Now as he has learnt the woe and suffering, he is able to feel suffering of others. Glouster’s story echoes with Lear’s one, underlining that physical sight is not necessary to grasp things. Prior to losing his eyes Glouster is deaf to the voice of his heart. Edmund easily deceives him, showing the fabricated letter accusing Edgar of betrayal. “Let’s see, let’s see”, says Glouster taking the letter. Though he hesitates as to the handwriting, Edmund convinces him in not time that it belongs to Edgar. Glouster’s eyes let him down, he accepts Edmund’s lie. Glouster blames eclipses in all the troubles: “These late eclipses in the sun and moon portend no good to us: though the wisdom of nature can reason it thus and thus, yet nature finds itself scourged by the sequent effects” (I, 2). Yet, we realize that those not natural phenomena but human blindness which is to be blamed. Glouster seems to provoke Cornwall to pluck out his eyes: “But I shall see The winged vengeance overtake such children” Cornwall: “See't shalt thou never. Fellows, hold the chair. Upon these eyes of thine I'll set my foot” (III, 7). Perhaps, Glouster blames his yeas for deceiving him. Now as he has lost them, he has clear vision of things. He learns to see with his heart, so he says: “I have no way and therefore want no eyes; I stumbled when I saw. Full oft 'tis seen, Our means secure us, and our mere defects Prove our commodities” (IV, 1). When having eyes, he was confident that he could see, meanwhile only now is he able to see clearly. The same conclusion is achieved by Lear. One of the most pathetic scenes in the tragedy is the episode when Lear meets the blind Gloucester. “What, art mad? A man may see how this world goes with no eyes. Look with thine ears: - says Lear to Gloucester, - see how yond justice rails upon yond simple thief. Hark, in thine ear: change places; and, handy-dandy, which is the justice, which is the thief?” (IV, 6) – turns Lear to Glouster. Now as Lear has clear vision of human nature he is preoccupied with the desire to judge, and not only his daughters but all those who are cruel to others. Lear sees now that injustice reigns everywhere taking its roots in the inequality. “Thou hast seen a farmer's dog bark at a beggar? And the creature run from the cur? There thou mightst behold the great image of authority: a dog's obeyed in office” (IV, 6). The problem is that the surplus giving a decent appearance, in fact, disguises defective essence: power and richness make such people unpunished, while the poor are not protected. Through tatter'd clothes small vices do appear; And the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks: Robes and furr'd gowns hide all. Plate sin with gold, Arm it in rags, a pigmy's straw does pierce it (IV, 6). Having seen the injustice reigning in the world, Lear becomes the protector of the wretched, who are victims of the cruel and unfair law. Lear condemns those people, who support the unfair system. Lear addresses them with bitter irony, telling to the blind Gloucester: “Get thee glass eyes; And like a scurvy politician, seem To see the things thou dost not” (IV, 6). This speech is one of the brightest accusations with the help of which Shakespeare expressed his protest against social injustice. Lear’s way to the wisdom was long and difficult. However, the most tragic trial waits for him at the end. As Lear appears with the dead daughter in his arms, we realize that it is only now that he has really lost everything. Woe and madness seize him again. This last blow is too much for Lear. Till his last breath Lear hopes that Cordelia has not died. Astonished he looks at her lips, This feather stirs; she lives! if it be so, Do you see this? Look on her, look, her lips, It is a chance which does redeem all sorrows Look there, look there! (V, 3). That ever I have felt (V, 3). Once again Lear tries to deceive himself with the help of sight. Bur Cordelia’s lips do not move. Life has gone from this body. Lear cannot survive this last sorrow. He dies. Shakespeare’s play teaches us that not all things are what they seem. Lear and Glouster’s stories show the importance of listening to one’s heart, and not only follow immediate passions and impulses. Read More