Megan,
First of all, I like the title of your post. I completely agree with you that King Lear is a prime example of a metaphorically blind character in the play. Lear is deceived by his two eldest daughters in 1.1, though his good, trusted advisor tries to get him to “See better, Lear, and let me still remain / the true blank of thine eye” (162-163). Lear’s ‘blindness’ is the prime cause of his bad decision to relinquish control over his kingdom. If Lear would have only listened to Kent, he would not have told Cordelia, “Therefore be gone/ without our grace, our love, our benison (I, i, 274-275). This whole situation unfolding also provoked Lear to banish Kent, his loyal friend. Kent was able to truly see Cordelia’s honesty and love
First of all, I like the title of your post. I completely agree with you that King Lear is a prime example of a metaphorically blind character in the play. Lear is deceived by his two eldest daughters in 1.1, though his good, trusted advisor tries to get him to “See better, Lear, and let me still remain / the true blank of thine eye” (162-163). Lear’s ‘blindness’ is the prime cause of his bad decision to relinquish control over his kingdom. If Lear would have only listened to Kent, he would not have told Cordelia, “Therefore be gone/ without our grace, our love, our benison (I, i, 274-275). This whole situation unfolding also provoked Lear to banish Kent, his loyal friend. Kent was able to truly see Cordelia’s honesty and love