Sight And Blindness In King Lear Essay

The theme of sight, and the lack thereof is ever prevalent throughout Shakespeare’s King Lear. This lack of sight, or blindness, is present when characters such as Regan or Goneril use words and disguise to cloud out the truth, when the King’s decision process is clouded by ignorance and finally with the physical representation of Gloucester’s eyes being gouged out. Shakespeare uses this theme of sight through his play to foreshadow future outcomes of events, along with revealing the evil in some characters as they knowing blind others from seeing the truth. King Lear is one of the most blind characters throughout the play. He had many people such as Kent and Cordelia who were trying to show him the truth, but he did not listen to them causing him to not gain his …show more content…
After being blinded Gloucester states, “I have no way and therefore want no eyes. I stumbled when I saw. Full oft ’tis seen Our means secure us, and our mere defects Prove our commodities. O dear son Edgar, The food of thy abusèd father’s wrath, Might I but live to see thee in my touch, I’d say I had eyes again.”(Act 4, Line 207) Through this Shakespeare is creating a contrast between Gloucester and King Lear. Though Gloucester is physically blind, he is able to see the truth more than King Lear can with his sight. By being blinded physically, Gloucester was able to see past the superficiality of people and see the truth in their actions and words. Gloucester himself states that he was less aware when he had his sight by saying, "I stumbled when I saw." Much like King Lear, Gloucester was also blinded by the actions of his children, and was unable to see their true intentions. It was not until he was blinded that he saw the truth in the situation. King Lear is unable to recognize his own ignorance and see the deceitful nature of others, while Gloucester achieves a newfound sense of vision when he was physically