Wisdom in King Lear by William Shakespeare and Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

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Recommended: Explain the societal in king lear

Wisdom is a very valued and respected trait in our society and is associated with the elderly. In both King Lear by William Shakespeare and Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, the protagonists were able to acquire wisdom after undergoing trials and tribulations. However, both these men began their quest as completely different people, polar opposites even. Morrie always emphasized the value of family and love, while King Lear saw these as trivial pursuits which at best can be used to elevate his ego. Morrie was disappointed by the way things were in his society, while initially King Lear did not care too much for it and accepted it. Morrie viewed death as completely natural and even an ideal way to live, while King Lear still wanted to live the life of a king despite dividing his land between his daughters. Despite being very different in both character and beliefs initially, both King Lear and Morrie came to acquire true wisdom by experiencing a fact of life which we regard as a phenomena; death.

Both these wise men once differed in values when it came to life. Morrie believed that it was better to rather perish than to live a life without any love, as he was quoted to have said "If you don't have the support and love and caring and concern that you get from a family, you don't have much at all. Love is so supremely important. As our great poet Auden said "Love each other or perish""(Albom 91). This quote illustrates Morrie's views of love and is of the opinion that it is better to die than to live a life devoid of love. Although Morrie grew up without much love in his life, it was for this reason why he emphasized the importance of love and family. Conversely, King Lear believed that family only exists to serve his needs. Quot...

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...rove their lives.

King Lear and Morrie Schwartz are very much alike, despite being completely different people before their acquisition of wisdom. They both were able to attain enlightenment and contentment through difficult hardships and aware of the problems that are in their society. They have come to learn that if more people were aware of death and lived everyday as if they were to die, they would live more fulfilling and satisfying lives. Through their acquisition of wisdom, they have realized the importance of family and love, except they only differ in respect where King Lear is filled with regret while Morrie gains an even higher appreciation for it. Death is a fact of life that we must accept and embrace. People should not live life until they can see their death on the horizon.

Works Cited

Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom

King Lear, Shakespeare.

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