Theme Of Blindness In King Lear Essays - King Lear, British Films

Theme of Blindness in King Lear In Shakespearean terms, blinds means a whole different thing. Blindness can normally be defined as the inability of the eye to see, but according to Shakespeare, blindness is not a physical quality, but a mental flaw some people possess. Shakespeare's most dominant theme in his play King Lear is that of blindness. King Lear, Gloucester, and Albany are three prime examples Shakespeare incorporates this theme into. Each of these character's blindness was the primary cause of the bad decisions they made; decisions which all of them would eventually come to regret. The blindest bat of all was undoubtedly King Lear. Because of Lear's high position in society, he was supposed to be able to distinguish the good from the bad; unfortunately, his lack of sight prevented him to do so. Lear's first act of blindness came at the beginning of the play. First, he was easily deceived by his two eldest daughters' lies, then, he was unable to see the reality of Cordelia's true love for him, and as a result, banished her from his kingdom with the following words: ?..................................for we Have no such daughter, nor shall ever see That face of her again. Therefore be gone Without our grace, our love, our benison.? (Act I, Sc I, Ln 265-267) Lear's blindness also caused him to banish one of his loyal followers, Kent. Kent was able to see Cordelia's true love for her father, and tried to protect her from her blind father's irrationality. After Kent was banished, he created a disguise for himself and was eventually hired by Lear as a servant. Lear's inability to determine his servant's true identity proved once again how blind Lear actually was. As the play progressed, Lear's eyesight reached closer to 20/20 vision. He realized how wicked his two eldest daughters really were after they locked him out of the castle during a tremendous storm. More importantly, Lear saw through Cordelia's lack of flatterings and realized that her love for him was so great that she couldn't express it into words. Unfortunately, Lear's blindness ended up costing Cordelia her life and consequently the life of himself. Gloucester was another example of a character who suffered from an awful case of blindness. Gloucester's blindness denied him of the ability to see the goodness of Edgar and the evil of Edmund. Although Edgar was the good and loving son, Gloucester all but disowned him. He wanted to kill the son that would later save his life. Gloucester's blindness began when Edmund convinced him by the means of a forged letter that Edgar was plotting to kill him. Gloucester's lack of sight caused him to believe Edmund was the good son and prevented him from pondering the idea of Edmund being after his earldom. Near the end of the play, Gloucester finally regained his sight and realized that Edgar saved his life disguised as Poor Tom and loved him all along. He realized that Edmund planned to take over the earldom and that he was the evil son of the two. Gloucester's famous line: ?I stumbled when I saw? (Act IV, Sc I, Ln 20-21) was ironic. His inability to see the realities of his sons occurred when he had his physical sight but was mentally blind; but his ability to see the true nature of his sons occurred after having his eyes plucked out by the Duke of Cornwall. Fortunately, the consequences of Gloucester's blindness throughout the play was minimal, after all, he was the only one to die as a result of his tragic flaw. Albany was another character suffering from the classic case of blindness, but luckily for him, he survived his battle. Albany's case of blindness was purely a result of the love he had for Goneril. Although he disapproved of Goneril's actions, he would only mildly argue his case. When Goneril forced Lear to reduce his army so that he could stay in their castle, Albany protested: ? I cannot be so partial, Goneril, To the great love I bear You -? (Act I, Sc IV, Ln 309-310) Albany's deep devotion to Goneril blinded him from the evil she possessed. His inability to realize how greedy and mean Goneril was after

First Love Essay Sample

First Love Essay SampleWriting a love essay requires a lot of courage, devotion and an understanding of the emotional realm. There are no shortcuts to write a love essay, as every piece of work needs to be meticulously composed. However, there are some tips you can follow for getting started with writing a love essay. Following these simple guidelines will help you write a great love essay.Write a love essay that expresses your feelings for your potential love. No matter what your background or education is, if you truly love someone you can express this through your writing. If you find yourself struggling to express your love for your love, it is time to seek help from a professional.Remember, you are writing about the subject of love. It is important to present your thoughts in a well structured and engaging way. Make sure that you use a chronological order, and complete your assignment on time. Your writer's block can take over at any time.Begin your essay with a study of good ba ckground information. This will help you create an interesting thesis statement that you will use to weave throughout your essay. This statement should address the relationship between the reader and you, and not any particular romantic situations you might be experiencing with the person you are writing about.It is important to begin your essay with an end. You need to conclude with a sense of satisfaction. Start off with a good idea about what you want to say, and then follow through. This will help you avoid repeating the same thoughts and instead allow your mind to flow as you express your ideas.Any love letter is incomplete without a kiss. The phrase 'kiss your mother' often evokes images of sweet kisses but actually writing this part in a love poem requires more writing skill than that. Writing a love letter is only half of the job. Here are some helpful tips for expressing your love for your mom by writing a love poem.Know what type of person you are writing about. A good exa mple of writing a love poem would be a love poem to mom, father, best friend, boyfriend, girlfriend, or a special someone. Do not just list a number of people. Give yourself the opportunity to expand upon the words you think best describe your love.Writing a love letter can be challenging, but if you follow these tips you will be able to write a great love letter and make the process easier and faster. Having all of this information in place will help you to move forward without any problems.