Abominable Villain In Edgar Lear By William Shakespeare

Brilliant Essays
Register to read the introduction… His very opinion in the letter!
Abhorred villain! Unnatural, detested, brutish villain!
Worse than brutish! Go, sirrah, seek him. I'll appre- hend him. Abominable villain! Where is he? (I, ii, 75-78)
He does not even stop to consider whether Edgar would do such a thing because he cannot see into Edgar's character. "He did bewray his practice, and received this hurt you see, striving to apprehend him." (II, i, 106-107) At this point, Gloucester's life is headed down a path of damnation similar to Lear's because of a similar lack of sight.

Lear made a monumental mistake when he handed over the British rule to his two evil daughters, Regan and Goneril. This is what eventually led to his mental breakdown and the deaths of many of the heads of Britain. If he had only chosen to keep control over his Kingdom or to give up control to someone trustworthy, no one would have had to suffer as they did. Some people knew he was committing a terrible folly, especially the Earl of Kent. This is apparent when he says:

Thinkest thou that duty shall have dread to speak
When power to flattery bows? To plainness honour's bond
When majesty falls to folly. Reserve thy state
And in thy best consideration
…show more content…
Throughout this play, Shakespeare is saying that the world cannot truly be seen with the eye, but with the heart. The physical world that the eye can detect can accordingly hide its evils with physical attributes, and thus clear vision cannot result from the eye alone. Lear's downfall was a result of his failure to comprehend that appearances do not always represent reality. Gloucester avoided a similar demise by learning the relationship between appearance and reality. If Lear had learned to look with more than just his eyes before the end, he might have avoided this tragedy. These two tragic stories unfolding at the same time gave the play a great

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    King No Longer 1. Kent has returned to England because his loyalty towards King Lear surpasses his banishment. Kent has King Lear’s best interests in mind and does not trust Lear’s decision of allotting his kingdom to Goneril and Regan. Kent’s goal is to provide counsel to Lear and ensure Lear does not make any rash decisions. Kent’s devotion to Lear is evidenced when Kent states, Lear accepts the stranger for his flattering comments, talents, and honesty.…

    • 462 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It is easy to allow are surrounding and beliefs to cloud of judgement. Throughout these novels Julia Jarmond and Sarah Starzynski from Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay, Danforth and Mr.Hale from The Crucible by Arthur Miller and King Lear from William Shakespeare's King Lear experience being blind to truths because of their surroundings and beliefs. Julia is blinded by her husbands charm and actions and Sarah finds how the people of French could act like her existence did not matter. Danforth is not able to let his power go to see the truth of the court he is apart of and reverend Hale is clouded by his initial goal in Salem. King Lear is blinded by his relationship with his daughters to see he has lost everything.…

    • 1122 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Great Gatsby Flaws

    • 1348 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In order for each daughter to get a share of the kingdom, they must put into words how much each one of them loved him. King Lear’s character traits ultimately lead to his downfall was naive and fool hearted. Lear based the perception of love each daughter had based on material things. He was naive enough to firmly believe the more that was said to express their love for him meant what they meant. The tragic flaw of Lear was the fact that he disowned the daughter who expressed her love for him in a few words, but was the only one that actually loved him.…

    • 1348 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    His first foolish decision comes from the fact that he wishes to give away his kingdom. “Lear’s plan to divide his country and retire indicates that his judgement is flawed”4 as “to Shakespeare’s audience, such an announcement – dividing up the country – would have been horrifying, a vivisection of the body politic, a violation of cosmic order, denial of primogeniture, and a certain prelude to civil war. ”5 For Lear to make such a decision clearly shows how foolish he is becoming by his desire to “[abdicate] his responsibility as king, choosing personal comfort over public duty. ”6 Beyond this, Lear’s foolishness is also demonstrated in his decision to banish Kent and his most loving daughter.…

    • 1401 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The tragedy of King Lear in Shakespeare’s King Lear, has a reoccurring theme of injustice as many of the good characters get taken advantage of and lay dead next to the evil ones in the end. The plot involves many injustices and events that would in todays world, involve heavy consequences and repercussions. Yet, in Shakespeare they set into motion the storyline as many characters indulge in treachery, lies, and misconduct. The main character King Lear who is father to three daughters in the play has several injustices done to him as his own daughters succeed in stripping his powers as king from him. They take portions of his kingdom to rule over and they condemn his ability to command his troops.…

    • 1067 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Edgar is his beloved legitimate son, and Edmund is his illegitimate child: “But I have a son, sir, by order of the law, some year elder than this, who is yet no dearer in my account. Though this knave came 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.1.19-24).This predefined outline of the relationship between father and son greatly troubles Edmund. Edmund believes that he should be viewed as an equal, or even superior to Edgar in the eyes of his father. However, due to his status of being born out of wedlock, prevents him from being viewed as an equal. This discrepancy in status inspires Edmund to conspire against his brother: “Let me, if not by birth, have lands by wit with all with me’s meet that I can fashion fit” (I.2.191-192).…

    • 1756 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Not Like Father Not Like Daughter: An Analysis of Shakespeare’s “King Lear” William Shakespeare is the father of playwriting and is one of the most famous people in English Literature. He was known to break and create boundaries; such as in his other works Romeo and Juliet, he exposed the monarchy and explains that love has no bounds. One must understand the historical background of William Shakespeare’s play “King Lear”, to comprehend King Lear and Cordelia reversed roles as parent and child. Shakespeare wrote “King Lear” about a father who divided his kingdom among his three daughters based on who “loved” him the most.…

    • 1550 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lear believed his two eldest daughters loved him the most, however it is Regan who disrespects Lear. Regan states that Lear is too old to know what’s best for him and that he should let others take care of him. L. M. Storozynsky states in King Lear and Chaos, that Lear’s lack of self knowledge caused his self destruction. “He does not see that in breaking up his kingdom, delegating responsibility to others, and divesting himself of all save 'The name and all the additions to a king' (1.128), he reduces his own authority to nothing meaningful. He himself unwittingly predicts: 'So be my grave my peace'.”…

    • 1441 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    His personality discards his ability to see the goodness in Edgar, and the evil in Edmund. Although Edgar was an attentive and loving son, Gloucester decides to disown him. Gloucester begins to perceive Edgar as not trustful son, this appearance of Edgar commences when Edmund persuades him with a forged letter that states Edgar is plotting to kill him, "I beseech you, sir, pardon me: it is a letter from my brother, that I have not all o 'er-read; and for so much as I have perused, I find it not fit for your o 'er-looking" (Act 1, Scene 2.38-41). Gloucester 's lack of knowledge of reality restricts him from pondering the idea of Edmund being after his earldom. Near the end of the play, Gloucester gets back into reality and realizes that Edgar saved his life, disguised as Poor Tom, and loved him all along.…

    • 862 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The deceit from Goneril and Regan are no help to anyone, including themselves. They both turn their backs on their family and betray their father’s trust. Both are willing to hurt and/or kill anyone to get power, all with disregard to family. Their cruelty is unacceptable and it shows that they care very little for their father and only care about getting more power. Lear feels like he has no home because his two eldest daughters have exiled him from their homes.…

    • 1285 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The letter causes a riff in his father’s relationship with Edgar, his father calling Edgar a “monstrous, hateful, bestial villain”. In order to the out the truth, Edmund suggests to his father that he should overhear a conversation between him and Edgar talking about his feelings toward their father. That way, Gloucester can hear for himself that Edgar is out to get him.…

    • 672 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Many times in our lives we make decisions that we think are “innocent” and will have no complications, but sometimes those decisions create many problems that led to massive consequences. In King Lear and Babel, the decisions that were considered to be “innocent” led to monumental mistakes and many consequences. There are many terrible decisions made in King Lear, but the ones made by King Lear himself, in regards of his kingdom and daughters take the prize for having the most complications associated with them. From the first line of King Lear, we see that the decision of Lear deciding to divide his kingdom among his daughters was thought, to be honest, but in reality it was the decision that wrecked his entire life. The first mistake…

    • 1372 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    King Lear Chaos Analysis

    • 1282 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Chaos is a central theme in Shakespeare’s King Lear. The devastating cruelty and chaotic events that surround King Lear throughout the story are consequences of his obsession with authority. His spiraling fall was initialized by his obsession with authority in his personal and political life. It is only until King Lear endures a literal, and symbolic, storm, does he have some realizations that lead him to release his negative values and mature in hopes to turn around his chaotic disarranged life. The height of the chaotic reign over his life is depicted in Act IV.…

    • 1282 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    King Lear Subplot Essay

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In the rivetingly tragic play "King Lear" by Shakespeare, there is a sizable amount of themes that ricochets between the subplot and main plot. In an attempt to universalize the travesties endured by the protagonist and tragic hero, Shakespeare incorporates a significant subplot into King Lear. Although the focus clearly lies on the tragic plight of King Lear, the secondary plot involving Gloucester and his offspring mirrors and dramatizes Lear's hopeless situation. Both Lear and Gloucester misjudge their offspring and respond rashly to inaccurate information; the subsequent rejection of those closest to them leads to a chaotic sequence of irreversible events. The characters that purposefully instigate the inevitable downfall of both Lear and…

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lear’s hubristic nature obstructs his ability to comprehend with following orders, as being king, he is accustomed to give orders. Lear responds to being disobeyed through plosive derogatory language which is evident during the juxtaposing response of Cordelia as she cannot “heave” her “heart” into her “mouth”, causing Lear to respond with “Better thou Hadst not been born”. Lear’ loss of identity and dispositional transition into madness is caused by his possession of a delusional perception symbolised by the motif of the crown. This is portrayed when Lear takes off his crown foreshadowing Lear’s deteriorated mental state and complete descent into an altered individual. Without the crown, he is a typical man which is shown through the epiphany in the storm, resulted by his hubris and expectations.…

    • 1010 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays