Blindness in Shakespeare’s “King Lear” Essay Example

The concept of blindness and sight can be seen in both a literal and figurative sense. Those who are blind, whether literally or figuratively, are bound to stumble. However, sometimes blindness is exactly what is needed in order to truly see. This ideology is extremely significant in Shakespeare’s King Lear. The concept of blindness and sight is seen most thoroughly through King Lear and Gloucester. As a result of King Lear’s blindness to Regan and Goneril’s true intentions, he loses everything from his mental state to his land and title. Additionally, Gloucester is completely blind to Edmund’s schemes until he has his eyes gouged out, a result of Edmund's betrayal. It is the blindness of King Lear and Gloucester that cause their downfalls, both emotionally and physically, as a result of being unable to see who their true allies are. It is not until it is too late that they regain their sight.

King Lear, the main character of the play, is the first example of blindness being the cause of demise. His blindness is seen as early on as scene 1 act 1, in which he is unable to see through Regan and Goneril’s schemes. Upon being asked how much they love the King, the sisters butter Lear up to a tooth-rotting level in an attempt to gain the most land.Their flattery causes Lear to decline the reality of his situation. As soon as the King falls for their flattery and empty words, the harsh treatment he receives from Goneril and Regan begins. Alongside his blindness to Goneril and Regan, King Lear is also blind to Cordelia’s unmatched love for him. When Lear asks Cordelia how much she loves him, her answer is the most simple yet meaningful. However, the King is blind to her love for him due to the fact that her response wasn’t as extravagant as her sisters’. King Lear is offended by Coredelia’s response, which leads to the King disowning Cordelia. “I loved her most and thought to set my rest/On her kind nursery. {To Cordelia.} Hence and avoid/my sight!—” (1.1137-139). The concept of sight is brought up for the first time. King Lear disowns Cordelia by telling her to avoid his sight, which can be interpreted both literally and figuratively. Cordelia does avoid his sight by physically leaving, but her love for Lear is also completely out of his sight, as he is blind to the truth behind her words and how deeply and sincerely she cares for Lear. Kent intervenes, causing Lear to banish him. “See better, Lear, and let me still remain/The true blank of thine eye.” (Shakespeare, 1.1.80-81). In this quote, Kent uses the topic of sight to warn Lear that if he does not open his eyes he will only see the truth once it is too late. Lear, unfortunately, turns a blind eye to this. At the end of the play, Lear sees the grave mistake in how he treats Cordelia in the first act. “Do you see this? Look on her, look, her lips,/Look there, look there!” (5.3.374-375). It is in this scene that Lear sees the good in Cordelia. He is holding her dead body with hopes that she may still be alive. He’s playing blind to the fact that she is most certainly dead. It is his own blindness that caused the death of his beloved daughter, which ultimately resulted in Lear dying of what can only be described as a broken heart. In his final moments, the weight of his blindness hit him and he was only able to see once it was far too late.