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

Self-Discovery in King Lear Halfway down Hangs one that gathers samphire, dreadful trade Methinks he seems no larger than his head The fisherman that walk along the beach Appear like mice. Although this quote from Shakespeargons King Lear is made by Poor Tom tohis unknowing convey Gloucester ab bring out the terrain far below them, it accuratelysummarizes the plight of the mad king. 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 through 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. bring down to a simple man, Lear is forced to learn the lessons that Gods anointedis already supposed to know. This is the purpose of the secondary characters ofKing Lear they serve to show the many complex facets of Lears complexpersonality, as they force him to final ly get in touch with his self-conscious. For example, the Fool, oddly enough, acts as the voice of reason for theout-of -touch King. He views events critically and thus seems to foreshadowsituations that an ignorant Lear is wholly oblivious to. This is evident inact 1, scene 1, when a prodding Fool asks the king if he knows the differencebetween a bitter twit and a sweet fool. 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 place him here(predicate) by me Do thou for him stand. The sweet and bitter fool Will presently appear The one in motley here, The other 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 chin wagging is taken lightly, but only because the Fool isa satire of the king himself, and thus is the only one allowed to criticize him.Lear has a preconceived notion that he will be able to give up all of his landand his throne, and yet still somehow 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