Gloucester’s realisation“I stumbled when I saw," exemplifies the conflict between reality and appearances within William Shakespeare’s King Lear. These two contrasting themes are demonstrated through Shakespeare’s clever affixation of the themes into the portrayal of characters and the plot, and are used to suggest to the audience that the consequences for confusing the two can be extremely dire, but can also create a means for the redemption of oneself, allowing the person to no longer mistake the two. Shakespeare conveys his ideas about appearances and reality, and the consequences confusing the two can impose, through the symbolism of blindness and true sight, as exhibited by Gloucester. The Earl of Gloucester is shocked with Lear’s decision to cast off Cordelia, and thinks him foolish to disregard the only daughter who truly loves him. Gloucester does not see that he is essentially doing the same as Lear, allowing his illegitimate son, Edmund, to make it appear as if his other son, Edgar, is plotting against him. Gloucester is so blind to Edmund’s scheme that he even refers to him as a “Loyal and natural boy," further promising him to “work the means to make thee capable.” What Gloucester does not realise is that Edmund’s ultimate desire is to gain the title of Earl, and his plan in ensuring this happens not only involves the framing of Edgar, but ultimately, the rid of Gloucester. The extreme consequences of confusing appearance for reality become apparent when Gloucester’s eyes are plucked out by Cornwall and Regan. Gloucester gains true sight into the mistake he has made in disregarding Edgar only when he is literally blinded, describing his situation as “all dark and comfortless”. This not only refers to the physicality o... ... middle of paper ... ...were good, my lord, I durst swear it were his. / But in respect of that, I would fain think it were not.” The ironic response to Gloucester’s question allows Edmund to make himself appear as loyal to both his father and brother, not wanting to inflict conflict between the two, but also wanting to stay, or appear, truthful to Gloucester. Through these changes in language style, the audience is able to clearly distinguish the difference between Edmund’s deceptive appearance, and the reality of his cruel and selfish nature. This allows them to form a disliking to him, but also understand his reasoning for such betrayal. The range of language techniques adopted by Shakespeare to convey his ideas on the conflict between reality and appearance allow the audience to relate to certain aspects of the theme, and remind them that appearances are not always what they may seem.
Edmund’s discontent with the notion of bastardy is brought up furthermore in his soliloquy at the beginning of scene two: “Thou, nature, art my goddess. To thy law/ My services are bound. Wherefore should I/ Stand in the plague of custom…” (II.1-3). The notion of bastardy in Lear pushes Edmund to place his faith in his born traits as opposed to the system that has labeled him an outsider his whole life. He believes he is equal to his brother in every way—his mind and shape as true—and the only reason he is not aloud to prosper is because of a preconceived idea of the ideal child. Inevitably, Edmund wants to rebel against the system that has stifled him for so long. Gloucester is primarily responsible for Edmund’s actions because he in no way raised him equal to Edgar. Edmund’s goal to usurp his brother and earn the power he believes he deserves is due to the notion of bastardy in the play; Edmund questions “why brand they us with ‘base, base bastardy’” in his first soliloquy (II.10) . After all, even Kent attested to his fine demeanour. But, the steadfast notion of bastardy at the time drove Edmund to the point of betrayal because there was no hope for him in playing by the rules as they are fundamentally opposed to a bastard’s prosperity. With this soliloquy, Edmund positions himself as the more disserving
Timothy Findley and Shakespeare use the theme of appearance versus reality in their texts: The Wars and King Lear. Characters in the novel and the play: Robert, Goneril, and Regan, intentionally appear to be something they are not in order to achieve a goal. However, they differ in where it leads them by the end, as in King Lear the characters die, unlike in The Wars where Robert cannot escape his true self and goes back to follow his personal morality.
In conclusion, this mid-play excerpt of a character in a Shakespearean play tells the reader much about his current thoughts, as well as exposing a small glimmer of what took place in his past. Though the text is limited, there are enough details and elements to lead the reader to a sensible conclusion of what this character is really
Shakespeare illustrates the innocent and naïve nature of Gloucester who unfortunately receives an untimely death due to the suffering he had to endure. His suffering did not fit his crime, something which Nemesis was never known to do. He was deceived by his son Edmund, his title was given away, and worst of all, his own two eyes were plucked out of their sockets, all because of a crime that he did not commit. Gloucester had admitted to Kent that Edmund was his illegitimate son, but he did not “love him any more than [he] love [his] bastard” (I.i.20-21). Edmund admitted his plan to the audience, but Gloucester was innocent in this whole ordeal. As a father and out of curiosity, Gloucester asked to see the letter that Edmund had with him at
In the written text, Shakespeare emphasis's the hidden reality through the use of dramatic techniques of imagery and symbolism. There is a constant use of light and dark imagery which is used by the protagonist , MAC...
Shakespeare, William. "King Lear: A Conflated Text." The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York:
Shakespeare's utilization of acting and actors in Hamlet acts as the entire framework of the play, down to the very structure of the tragedy itself. The characters are given different façades in different situation and whilst interacting to different people. The language of Hamlet is manipulated in order to achieve the profile of the most complex actor of all. However, as the curtain falls, fate has got the better of all of the actors on the stage of Elsinore - bringing an end to the puppet-show.
King Lear is at once the most highly praised and intensely criticized of all Shakespeare's works. Samuel Johnson said it is "deservedly celebrated among the dramas of Shakespeare" yet at the same time he supported the changes made in the text by Tate in which Cordelia is allowed to retire with victory and felicity. "Shakespeare has suffered the virtue of Cordelia to perish in a just cause, contrary to the natural ideas of justice, to the hope of the reader, and, what is yet more strange, to the faith of chronicles."1 A.C. Bradley's judgement is that King Lear is "Shakespare's greatest work, but it is not...the best of his plays."2 He would wish that "the deaths of Edmund, Goneril, Regan and Gloucester should be followed by the escape of Lear and Cordelia from death," and even goes so far as to say: "I believe Shakespeare would have ended his play thus had he taken the subject in hand a few years later...."3
These classic tropes are inverted in King Lear, producing a situation in which those with healthy eyes are ignorant of what is going on around them, and those without vision appear to "see" the clearest. While Lear's "blindness" is one which is metaphorical, the blindness of Gloucester, who carries the parallel plot of the play, is literal. Nevertheless, both characters suffer from an inability to see the true nature of their children, an ability only gained once the two patriarchs have plummeted to the utter depths of depravity. Through a close reading of the text, I will argue that Shakespeare employs the plot of Gloucester to explicate Lear's plot, and, in effect, contextualizes Lear's metaphorical blindness with Gloucester's physical loss of vision.
Thus, then leading Gloucester to the loss of parental knowledge and understanding towards his own two sons. Alike King Lear, Gloucester too struggles with the identification of his children. Through his lack of communication between both Edmund and Edgar, Gloucester is unable to personify who and what his sons stand for as a person. This then disables him to realize that Edmund is the true cold-hearted son, while Edgar is the good son who has stood by his side till death. Further on, when too late, once losing his vey two eyes Gloucester begins to realize that when having sight, he was mentally blind. Gloucester was unable to see the truth behind his own sons, but now, not having sight he is able to see the truth that Edgar is the innocent child. This is proven when Gloucester speaks “I have no way, and therefore want no eyes;/ I stumbled when I saw. Full oft’tis seen/ Prove our commodities. O dear son Edgar,/ The food of thy abused father’s wrath;/ Might I but live to see thee in my touch,/ I’d say I had eyes again!”
In the first part of the play Gloucester receives a letter from Edmond, his bastard son, as the first plot towards the down fall of his father, Gloucester. In the BBC version Gloucester seems to be somewhere in his seventies, where in the PBS version Gloucester seems to be in his sixties a much younger man. This letter makes Gloucester believe that his ligament son has betrayed him, which makes Gloucester very angry and hurt because he loved his son. This just seems to take a lot out of him. As the play continues, Gloucester serves the King with everything he has in him. When the King goes mad, due to his daughters betraying him, Gloucester shows his loyalty to the King by taking him to safety. Oswald is the one who conveyed the message, that Gloucester hid the King from his daughters. Due to this Reagan and the Duke of Cornwall (her husband) declares Gloucester a traitor. Reagan sends for Gloucester and they bring him in to face his accusers. Gloucester faces Reagan and the Duke when he is charged with treason. Gloucester says I would rather be blind rather than to see how his daughters are treating their father. Of course I am paraphrasing the exact statement. The exact statement goes like this “Because I would not see thy cruel nails Pluck out hi...
Edmund, the bastard son of Gloucester is not pleased with his status as a bastard. Edgar the legitimate son of Gloucester stands to obtain the lands, wealth and power of his father. Edmund thinks this is unfair and begins a plot to banish his brother and obtain the lands of his father. He begins by writing a fake letter from Edgar saying that he wants to murder his father and wishes to take power by force. Edmund uses his deceiving abilities to make the letter seem genuine. He lies to his father about how he came into possession of the letter: “It was not brought me, my Lord; t...
Shakespeare’s character Gloucester has two sons, Edmund and Edgar. Edmund is the illegitimate son, the result of Gloucester’s affair with his mother. Gloucester doesn’t let this idea rest, as even when he introduces his bastard son to Kent at the beginning of the play it’s mentioned. “Though this knave came something saucily to the world before he was sent for, yet was his mother fair, there was good sport at his making, and the whoreson must be acknowledged” (I.I.21-24). Gloucester openly denotes Edmund and puts him in his place as illegitimate and unfitting to take his crown. Edgar, however, is the more beloved son, and is the next in line to receive the father’s land and power. This battle between legitimacy and illegitimacy is difficult, because other than the fact that Gloucester is married to Edgar’s mother, the two boys are considered moderately equal. Edmund argue...
In Shakespeare's classic tragedy, King Lear, the issue of sight and its relevance to clear vision is a recurring theme. Shakespeare's principal means of portraying this theme is through the characters of Lear and Gloucester. Although Lear can physically see, he is blind in the sense that he lacks insight, understanding, and direction. In contrast, Gloucester becomes physically blind but gains the type of vision that Lear lacks. It is evident from these two characters that clear vision is not derived solely from physical sight. Lear's failure to understand this is the principal cause of his demise, while Gloucester learns to achieve clear vision, and consequently avoids a fate similar to Lear's.
In Shakespeare's classic tragedy, King Lear, there are several characters who do not see the reality of their situation. Two such characters are Lear and Gloucester. Both characters exhibit a blindness to the world around them. Lear does not see clearly the truth of his daughters mentions, while Gloucester is also blinded by Edmond's treachery. This failure to see reality leads to Lear's intellectual blindness, which is his insanity, and Gloucester's physical blindness that leads to his trusting tendencies. Each character achieves inner awareness at the end as their surreal blindness is lifted and they realize the truth. Both Lear and Gloucester are characters used by Shakespeare to show the relevance of having a clear vision in life.