Sight and Blindness in Shakespeares King Lear - Lack of Vision Essay

Sight and Blindness in king Lear In queer Lear, the repeat images of sight and blindness associated with the characters of Lear and Gloucester illustrate the makeup 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 kernels are unspiritual 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 Gloucester, who carries the double plot of the play, is literal. Nevertheless, both characters suffer from an softness to see the true nature of their children, an ability only gained once the two patriarchs have plummeted to the utter depths of depravity. Through a close reading of the text, I go away argue that Shakespeare employs the plot of Gloucester to explicate Lears plot, and, in effect, contextualizes Lears metaphorical blindness with Gloucesters physical loss of vision . When the audience is first introduced to Lear, he is portrayed as a raging, empty old man who can not see the purity of his daughter Cordelias love for him from the insincerity of her sisters Goneril and Regan. In his flaming(a) rage after disowning Cordelia, Lear commands to Kent, come to the fore of my sight (1.1.156). Kent fittingly implores the aging king to See better, Lear and let me still remain / The true blank of thine eye (1.1.157-8). Kent recognizes love in its most alarming form in the person of Cordelia, and is able to see through the hypocrisy of Lears other two daughters. In bid Lear to see better, Kent is, in effect, asking Lear to look beyond his vanity and inward pride to see the honesty of Cordelia, who refuses... ... Consulted Bevington, David, Introduction to King Lear. The Complete whole kit and caboodle of William Shakespeare. New York HarperCollins, 1992. Elton, William R. King Lear and the Gods. San Marino, California The Huntington Library, 196 6. Halio, Jay. King Lears Blinding. Shakespeare Quarterly 67 (1999) 221-3. Hoover, Claudette. Women, Centaurs, and Devils in King Lear. Womens Studies 16 (1989) 349-59. Jackson, Ken. Review of Judy Kronenfeld, King Lear and the Naked Truth. Early Modern Literary Studies 6.2 (September, 2002) 10.1-5 Available http//purl.oclc.org/emls/06-2/jackrev.htm>. Leggattt, Alexander. King Lear. Boston Twayne Publishers, 1988. Shakespeare, William. King Lear. The Complete Works of Shakespeare. Ed. David Bevington. New York HarperCollins, 1999 Sight and Blindness in Shakespeares King Lear - Lack of Vision EssaySight 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 a round them, and those without vision appear to see the clearest. While Lears blindness is one which is metaphorical, the blindness of Gloucester, who carries the parallel plot of the play, is literal. Nevertheless, both characters suffer from an inability to see the true nature of their children, an ability only gained once the two patriarchs have plummeted to the utter depths of depravity. Through a close reading of the text, I will argue that Shakespeare employs the plot of Gloucester to explicate Lears plot, and, in effect, contextualizes Lears metaphorical blindness with Gloucesters physical loss of vision. When the audience is first introduced to Lear, he is portrayed as a raging, vain old man who can not see the purity of his daughter Cordelias love for him from the insincerity of her sisters Goneril and Regan. In his fiery rage after disowning Cordelia, Lear commands to Kent, Out of my sight (1.1.156). Kent fittingly implores the aging king to See better, Lear and let me st ill remain / The true blank of thine eye (1.1.157-8). Kent recognizes love in its most noble form in the person of Cordelia, and is able to see through the hypocrisy of Lears other two daughters. In beseeching Lear to see better, Kent is, in effect, asking Lear to look beyond his vanity and inward pride to see the honesty of Cordelia, who refuses... ... Consulted Bevington, David, Introduction to King Lear. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. New York HarperCollins, 1992. Elton, William R. King Lear and the Gods. San Marino, California The Huntington Library, 1966. Halio, Jay. King Lears Blinding. Shakespeare Quarterly 67 (1999) 221-3. Hoover, Claudette. Women, Centaurs, and Devils in King Lear. Womens Studies 16 (1989) 349-59. Jackson, Ken. Review of Judy Kronenfeld, King Lear and the Naked Truth. Early Modern Literary Studies 6.2 (September, 2002) 10.1-5 Available http//purl.oclc.org/emls/06-2/jackrev.htm>. Leggattt, Alexander. King Lear. Boston Twayne Publisher s, 1988. Shakespeare, William. King Lear. The Complete Works of Shakespeare. Ed. David Bevington. New York HarperCollins, 1999