Gloucester Is No Less A Tragic Figure Than His King Analysis

“Gloucester is no less a tragic figure than his king.” By consider the role and dramatic presentation of Gloucester in the play, evaluate this view.

The story of Gloucester and the mirroring story of Lear in Shakespeare's ‘King Lear’ presents both men as tragic figures, although it is arguable if Gloucester fills the requirements set out by the tragic heroes in the stories from Ancient Greece as well as his King does. In Poetics, Aristotle defines the tragic figures downfall as something that “must not be the spectacle of a virtue,” meaning that the focus of the tragic figure should not be on the loss of their wealth and status. The figure must allow the audience to feel “pity” for them, pity for the excessive amount of punishment their flaws cause them. Aristotle goes on to say that the unfortunate sufferings of the figure must be “not through some vice or depravity but by some error of judgment," meaning that there must be a flaw in the figures character which brings about their misfortunes. Aristotle also …show more content…
I believe that in some senses Gloucester is presented by Shakespeare as an equal, or perhaps, a greater tragic figure than his King, although overall I feel as though Shakespeare presents Gloucester as a less tragic figure than King Lear.

One reason both Gloucester and his King are seen as tragic figures is because Shakespeare gives both of theses characters is that their eventual downfall is brought about by fatal flaw. One flaw that is identical from both plots is their gullibility being shown through their worship of astrology. Gloucesters sub-plot shows that when finding out that Edgar has ‘betrayed’ him Gloucester blames the event, and other social issues, on the “late eclipses in the sun and moon” showing his belief in the protents of the sky. This belief in astrology is shared by Gloucester’s King, presented to