King Lear
by William Shakespeare
Table of Contents
King Lear
As the protagonist of the play, Lear is a sympathetic character, undone by his tragic flaw of being more susceptible to flattery than to truth. His rash decision to disown his most loyal daughter and hand his kingdom over to his false, scheming daughters creates the play’s central conflict. It is unclear whether his decision to divide the kingdom stems from mere laziness—the desire to live with the respect due to a king but without the attendant duties and responsibilities—or the beginning stages of senility, which blossoms into madness as the tragic course of events unfolds. Either way, it is clear that Lear’s decision is irresponsible; in giving over his lawful authority, he casts the kingdom into chaos. Yet for all his foolish behavior, we cannot help but sympathize with Lear. Ultimately, the punishment of madness and losing his beloved Cordelia seem too heavy for Lear’s crime of foolishness. By the end of the play, Lear has changed from a prideful authoritarian to a humbled man capable of asking Cordelia’s forgiveness. He is also willing to spend the remainder of his life in prison, as long as he can be with her, signaling that he no longer cares whether he is treated like a king or not. Lear’s penitence and transformation renders the death of Cordelia and his own subsequent death poignantly tragic.
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