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Examples Of Blindness In King Lear

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Examples Of Blindness In King Lear
Britney MacPhaden
ENG4U1
Mr. McKay
January 20th, 2017

Too Blind to see Past Lies

“There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true”(Kierkegaard). Blindness in King Lear is seen as a mental flaw rather than a physical flaw it can be associated with madness that blocks your inability to see things clearly. In the play a handful of characters were blinded by the truth. Albany was blinded by his love for Goneril. Lear was blinded by his love for his daughters and couldn’t see past their lies. Gloucester and Edgar were blinded by Edmunds trickery.

Lear was blinded by his love for his daughters and couldn’t see past their lies. In the beginning of the play Lear was very self …show more content…
Cordelia stated that she only loves Lear as father as she should and she cannot love him or even pretend to love him more than she already does. Her character is very honest and very kind but because she only speaks the truth it can be hurtful, that is the way Lear chose to see her confession he thought is was rude and disrespectful towards him so he disowned her as his daughter and banishes her for saying that she cannot love him more than she already does in the father daughter relationship they have. Lear is also blind to the fact that Goneril and Regan are plotting against him to kick him out of power, they only care about Lear because he is King and has power himself “No Regan, thou shalt not have my curse”(II.4.170.Shakespeare). Lear doesn’t want Regan to …show more content…
Albany loves Goneril she was more or less his everything “I cannot be so partial, Goneril, To the great love I bear you—” (I.4.310.Shakespeare). He would go along with anything that Goneril would want to do because he loved her even though Goneril is just playing him like a fool she was even cheating on him with Edmund “If you dare venture in your own behalf”(IV.2.20.Shakespeare). Goneril declares her love for Edmund and right before he is about to leave she hints at him that he should kill Albany. Goneril believes that Albany has her body because they are married but Edmund has her heart and chooses to be with him instead of her husband. Edgar reads a letter that Oswald gave him to give to Edmund from Goneril confirming her plot to kill Albany and Edgar goes off to inform Albany on what is happening, Edgar was Albany’s eye opener he saw past his love for Goneril and saw how evil she truly was “Stay yet; hear reason. Edmund, I arrest thee On capital treason; and, in thine attaint, This gilded serpent”(V.3.84.Shakespeare). Albany is now well aware that his wife is evil he compares her to a serpent she is beautiful but venomous. Between Lear and Gloucester Albany was not suffering much in his
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