King Lear

The Powerless King

In all of Shakespeare's tragedies, sudden change and transformations are the catalysts of the disaster that will soon become the plot. Lear, King of England, holds great power and status as King, but blindly he surrenders all of this power to his daughters as reward for their false demonstration of love for him. This untimely surrender of his throne sets off a chain reaction of events that sends him through a rocky journey of finding truth and loyalty in a time when it is hard to come by. Due to his selfish decisions which lead to his loss of power, King Lear's blindness becomes clear vision, causing his eventual insanity and allowing justice to take its inevitable turn on Lear, his actions, and his family.

As the play begins, Lear quickly makes a wrong decision of surrendering his throne. This action is the first example of justice taking its turn, as his selfish decision soon becomes a large problem. Fueled by his blindness, Lear banishes his formerly favorite daughter who speaks the truth and rewards his two seemingly loyal, but evil daughters with the land that he previously ruled over. He offers his daughters pieces of his kingdom as a form of reward for the false testament of their love to the "great"...

Join Now to View Premium Content

GradeSaver provides access to 2312 study guide PDFs and quizzes, 10989 literature essays, 2751 sample college application essays, 911 lesson plans, and ad-free surfing in this premium content, “Members Only” section of the site! Membership includes a 10% discount on all editing orders.

Join Now

Already a member? Log in