The Importance Of Human Experience In King Lear

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Good afternoon teachers and students, this speech will be about the key ideas of human experience in the play King Lear by William Shakespeare. Human experiences can be influenced by past decisions and traits, which aid in establishing characteristics and new profound perceptions of their surroundings. William Shakespeare’s play King Lear involves the ageing protagonist who had decided to resign his throne to his three daughters in exchange for a fulfilling speech. Throughout the play, the king stumbles upon numerous human experiences, that include:
Pride, Betrayal and Epiphany.

A person’s pride and self-righteousness can influence the individual’s judgement and behaviour, their better judgement could be clouded by their selfishness and may have a negative impact on others. Pride is evidently prominent throughout the play 'King Lear '
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Demonstrated in Act 1 Scene 1 when his youngest yet sweetest daughter (Cordelia) says: “I cannot heave my heart into my mouth” in response to King Lear’s demand for adoration. As a result, King Lear’s inability to recognise her love chooses to banish her and anyone who opposes his decision, emphasising that his pride has distorted his judgements. On top of this, King Lear’s distorted judgements are reiterated when he imperatively commands his loyal subsidiary to get “Out of my sight!”. This supports the statement that King Lear’s pride has affected his decision-making as he banishes his most loyal subsidiary after warning him to not disown Cordelia. Furthermore, in the sub-plot of “King Lear” scenes of pride are demonstrated when the earl of Lear called Gloucester, is approached by his bastard son with a forged letter supposedly composed by his innocent elder son.

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