Ms Cotter's Class

There is perhaps no tragic hero in Shakespearean literature whose fatal flaw is so incontrovertibly evidenced in the opening scene. We are immediately introduced to Lear’s hubris, as he forces his daughters to compete for their share of his kingdom in a test that is as superficial as it is superfluous. He is oblivious to the empty and disingenuous platitudes of his daughters Goneril and Regan and is naively susceptible to their obvious flattery. This suggests to the audience that not only is Lear excessively conceited, reveling in his daughters’ obviously exaggerated statements, but he also exercises poor judgement. He fails to see the sincerity of his daughter Cordelia’s love for him, choosing to equate love with verbose and grandiose statements of affection rather than anything of actual substance. When challenged by his trusted advisor, Kent, Lear becomes enraged at what he sees as a challenge to his authority. His failure to consider or even listen to sound and logical advice is another indicator of his unrestrained and excessive pride. The opening scene presents Lear as an unsympathetic character; he exercises extremely poor judgement in his decision to disown Cordelia and banish the devoted Kent. For the remainder of the play, Lear and the people surrounding him will suffer the consequences of these impulsive decisions. 

Almost immediately, Lear begins to suffer the consequences of his rash actions in the opening scene. Having relinquished his power, Lear somewhat naively believes that he will still be able to retain his omnipotence and is unable to bear it when this power is challenged or disrespected. Lear is outraged by his daughters’ sudden insolence. Unused to such treatment, his pride is significantly and irrevocably wounded as his train of knights is reduced to nothing and his servant, Caius, is placed in the stocks. It is important to note that Lear lacks the capability to cope with such challenges as he has ruled his kingdom with his power unchecked. Having never experienced such blatant disobedience before, Lear does not know how to proceed. Thus, Lear engages in many angry outbursts and expresses his disillusionment and shock at his daughters’ behavior, but he takes no real action to stop it. Lear would rather indulge in self-pity and despair, still lacking the capacity to engage in any form of introspection. Thus, the role of the Fool serves an important function at this juncture of the play: he serves as Lear’s conscience and provides us with extremely helpful commentary on Lear’s motivations and circumstances when Lear himself is unable to do so. Lear is still lacking any semblance of self-awareness, as he blames his increasingly unfortunate circumstances on everyone but himself. 

Lear’s journey towards redemption begins when he chooses to endure the violent storm on the heath rather than succumb to his daughters’ constant humiliations. His decision to expose himself fully to the dangers of the natural world rather than submit to his daughters is interesting. This is the only way in which Lear can maintain some semblance of control, no matter how seemingly ill-conceived or dangerous. Lear’s way of dealing with his problems is an obstinate refusal to do anything but to control his own destiny. The storm serves as a symbol of Lear’s tormented state of mind, while also distracting him from the injustices he has experienced. The storm will, however, force Lear to begin a more introspective exploration of himself. Here, we see Lear at his most primal. Gone are all the trappings of his royal life. Lear has been reduced to almost nothing, and it is in this state that Lear can not only come to understand those around him, but also come to understand himself. In order for Lear to redeem himself, he must suffer. His pride must dissipate, and this can only come about by Lear being reduced to the desperate,  helpless wretch we see struggling throughout the storm in Act 3. 

Lear’s descent into madness is not completely surprising. The injustices he has experienced, particularly considering the fact that he would never have been exposed to such treatment, singularly contribute to Lear’s overall declining mental state. Although Lear has constructed much of his own misfortune through poor judgement and excessive and destructive pride, it is fair to say that his suffering has far exceeded his errors. Thus, ultimately Lear gains the sympathy of the audience. Lear’s suffering in the storm has given him a newfound sense of empathy and his decision to rip off his clothes in a symbolic show of sympathy with Poor Tom is indicative of this. When Lear is reunited with Cordelia, he displays remorse for his earlier actions and seems to have learned the folly of his conceits. Lear accepts complicity for the events in the play and demonstrates abject regret for his harsh treatment of Cordelia. Lear, even as King, is not beyond the divine justice Shakespearean audiences would have so strongly believed in and valued and therefore dies at the conclusion of the play. Lear’s death, while tragic, can also be viewed as redemptive. Lear’s collapse (and subsequent death) after the death of his beloved Cordelia demonstrate a humanity and an empathy that was not present in the opening scene. In the beginning, Lear was motivated by flattery. He believed in the power of words and disregarded meaningful actions. At the end of the play, Lear carries the dead Cordelia in his arms and dramatically dies onstage of a broken heart, the ultimate act of compassion. Thus, Lear’s character has progressed from deeply flawed to much more sympathetic through his continuous suffering and loss throughout the play.