The Search for Self Through the Eyes of a madman The play King Lear written by William Shakespeare links two characters, King Lear and Edgar Earl of Gloucester to the theme of madness and a search for self. Lear and Edgar experiences lead them to both lose their identities and become outcasts in their once familiar societies. A loss of reason changes the perception of how Lear and Edgar view outcasts and teach them about compassion and true love. The outcasts King Lear and Edgar both experience similar forms of family betrayal leading to their journey of madness in, which, they are forced to view the world through a different lens and ultimately, lead them to a clearer understanding of self and others.
At the beginning of the play king Lear …show more content…
Unknowingly spited by his illegitimate brother Edmund, he is too quick to trust in Edmund in which leaves Edgar fighting for his life out in the storm as the mad character poor Tom. Unlike Lear, whom unintentionally becomes crazy, Edgar chooses to wear this disguise in order to hide from his father Gloucester and the kingdom in which believes that Edgar is plotting to kill his father. Insert quote here explaining disquise and rationale. Summarazie edgars disguise and purpose. Importance of the disguise he chose.
Lear and Edgar both seek shelter in the storm with the kent in disguise, the fool and Gloucester. All of these characters are known to be outcasts in the play and although they are viewed in their society as crazy or worthless, they appear to be the sanest. After Lear loses all of the qualities that he believed to make up his identity, positive qualities of love and compassion start to appear. An example of Lear’s compassion is shown in the passage where Lear invites poor Tom into the shelter after Gloucester tries to send him away. Insert quote here …show more content…
The madness that Lear and Edgar experience impact their identities in different ways however, both characters develop and get rid of traits for the better. Lear’s sense of entitlement and egotistic nature at the beginning of the play is dwindled down to a kinder, sincerer character who shows evidence of personal growth and a greater understanding of self. In contrast, Edgar undergoes changes to through his role as poor Tom that increases his confidence, bravery and independence allowing him to step out of his shell. Lear and Edgar are two very different characters, however, their relationship between madness and finding oneself can be found in
At the beginning of the play king Lear …show more content…
Unknowingly spited by his illegitimate brother Edmund, he is too quick to trust in Edmund in which leaves Edgar fighting for his life out in the storm as the mad character poor Tom. Unlike Lear, whom unintentionally becomes crazy, Edgar chooses to wear this disguise in order to hide from his father Gloucester and the kingdom in which believes that Edgar is plotting to kill his father. Insert quote here explaining disquise and rationale. Summarazie edgars disguise and purpose. Importance of the disguise he chose.
Lear and Edgar both seek shelter in the storm with the kent in disguise, the fool and Gloucester. All of these characters are known to be outcasts in the play and although they are viewed in their society as crazy or worthless, they appear to be the sanest. After Lear loses all of the qualities that he believed to make up his identity, positive qualities of love and compassion start to appear. An example of Lear’s compassion is shown in the passage where Lear invites poor Tom into the shelter after Gloucester tries to send him away. Insert quote here …show more content…
The madness that Lear and Edgar experience impact their identities in different ways however, both characters develop and get rid of traits for the better. Lear’s sense of entitlement and egotistic nature at the beginning of the play is dwindled down to a kinder, sincerer character who shows evidence of personal growth and a greater understanding of self. In contrast, Edgar undergoes changes to through his role as poor Tom that increases his confidence, bravery and independence allowing him to step out of his shell. Lear and Edgar are two very different characters, however, their relationship between madness and finding oneself can be found in