King Lear Essay - Age versus Youth; Good versus Evil; Vision and Blindness

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Themes of Age versus Youth; Good versus evil; Vision and

Blindness; and Fortune in King Lear

"The theme of King Lear may be stated in psychological as well

as biological terms. So put, it is the destructive, the ultimately suicidal

character of unregulated passion, its power to carry human nature back

to chaos.... The predestined end of unmastered passion is the suicide of

the species. That is the gospel according to King Lear. The play is in no

small measure an actual representation of that process. The murder-suicide

of Regan-Goneril is an example. But it is more than a picture of chaos and

impending doom. What is the remedy for chaos? it asks. What can

avert the doom? The characters who have mastered their passions give

us a glimpse of the answer to those questions." -Harold C. Goddard,

The Meaning of Shakespeare, 1951

Good King, that must approve the common saw,

Thou out of heavens benediction com'st

To the warm sun

Approach, thou beacon to this under globe,

That by thy comfortable beams I may

Peruse this letter. Nothing almost sees miracles

But misery. I know 'tis from Cordelia

Who hath most fortunately been informed

Of my obscured course, and shall find time

From this enormous state, seeking to give

Losses their remedies. All weary and o'erwatched,

Take vantage heavy eyes, not to behold

This shameful lodging.

Fortune, goodnight. Smile once more; turn thy wheel.

Shakespeare's tragedy, King Lear, is often thought of as not

only one of Shakespeare's best works, but also one of his best

"poems". The language follows in Shakespeare's trademark format

using iambic pentameter in much of the play. Shakespeare's It is well

known for its many universal themes. Some of these themes are:

Dealing with he folly of old age and the ingratitude of youth; Good versus

evil; Nature; Vision and blindness; and Fortune. These themes have

been examined for hundreds of years in many different forums, but what makes

this play so unique is the fact that Shakespeare incorporates all of these issues in just one tale.

One character that examines some of these issues is a character named Kent.

Kent is a significant character in King Lear, as he is involved from the

beginning to the end.

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