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  • Essay / Hope and Suffering in Shakespeare's King Lear

    Shakespeare's tragedy King Lear is an alloy of structural, thematic, and ideological dichotomies, all established in the opening scene. As a drama, this tragic play explores the decline and fall of the eponymous character, due to his blindness to truth and reality. This play revolves around a king who recklessly moves away from his only true daughter and when he realizes the true nature of his other two daughters, it is too late. A major subplot involves Gloucester's two sons, one of whom plans to discredit their brother and betray his father. The characters' deteriorating mental states and depictions of brutal violence show that the world we live in is suffering, but that doesn't mean King Lear is hopeless. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Hubris can cause people to make serious errors in judgment. When Lear says, “Which of you shall we say loves us most?” The rhetoric of “we say” implies that there is competition between the sisters. It sets the tone and foreshadows future events. This quote highlights Lear's ego. Where his failure is the inability to separate public and private life due to his pride, in which he is blinded by his pride. Gloucester's pride is manifested in the fact that he is embarrassed to have Edmund as a son. We can see this in his conversation with Kent, where he states: “I have so often blushed to recognize him. » It is because of his excessive pride that motivates Edmund in his actions. These actions ultimately led to Gloucester having his eyes gouged out, losing the will to live, and discovering Edgar's true identity upon his death. Gloucester's blindness, as just mentioned, further supports the idea of ​​"dreadful suffering" in King Lear, for despite Gloucester's words that "I am your guest, do not play me ill, my friends", he is later blinded following Goneril's instructions to "pick". gouging out his eyes.” Therefore, when Edmund's betrayal is at stake, the subplot further amplifies the suffering of the play. In Lear's mind, madness reflects the chaos that has befallen his kingdom. Lear gradually becomes crazier and crazier because of all the horrible things that continue to happen to him. Lear's madness is caused and demonstrated by stupid actions that affect not only himself but also others around him. When Lear finally sees that he is going mad: “Oh, don't let me go mad, my God! Keep me angry, I won't be mad! ", he implores the gods to prevent him from going crazy. He, plunged into madness, makes her do things that do not suit his times, Lear fumes: “Return to her and fifty men sent away? No, rather I abjure all roofs and I choose to fight against the enmity of the air, to be a comrade of the world and of the owl. » This whole list of things he would rather do are all dangerous and insane. But that doesn't mean the end of King Lear. King Lear realizes his mistakes when he is thrown out of the storm by his daughters. The storm is a physical turbulence that reflects his inner confusion, “a spirit like time”. Shakespeare is perhaps suggesting here that the madness present in Lear, "this storm in my mind" arises from the rejection, conflict and imbalance of power within the family, effectively represented in the symbolic storm scene. He realizes that Cordelia's denial was foolish and recognizes it as a sin. In Lear's final moments, he cries: "my.