What Is King Lear Injustice

In Shakespeare’s tragedy King Lear, the characters suffer a number of injustices that seem to exceed the good outcomes of the play. The world of King Lear is filled with brutal cruelty. Shakespeare suggests that there is no justice in King Lear through his portrayals of characters’ suffering, the lack of response to the character’s prayers, and King Lear’s fake trial. The suffering of different characters shows that there is no justice in King Lear. The first sign of injustice seen in the play is Cordelia’s disownment (1.1.110-113). Here it is seen that her father disowns her for no good reason, and sets in motion all of the disastrous events of the play. Cordelia, who is the most deserving of all the sisters, is left with nothing. It is not …show more content…
“As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods, they kill us for their sport.” (4.1.42-43). Gloucester blames the gods for the injustices he has suffered. The gods have no mercy on the characters. They kill “for sport”, not to establish a sense of order and justice in the world. Gloucester consequently realizes that the gods will do as they please. Cordelia, Lear, and Gloucester are all good people who die at the end of the play. Thus, the absence of divine justice highlights the general lack of justice in the world of King Lear.
The imaginary trial that Lear puts on also suggests that there is no justice in Shakespeare’s play. Lear must simulate a trial to get a sense of justice. Although it is completely absurd, it not only illustrates Lear’s mental state, but also the sheer injustice he is feeling.
In conclusion, there is no justice in King Lear’s world. This can be seen through the suffering of many of the characters, the lack of divine justice, and Lear’s imaginary trial. Although the villains die, the decent characters die as well. Perhaps Shakespeare is trying to say something about the injustices present in his society by creating a world in which there is no