One of the recurring themes in Shakespeare's tragedy King Lear is that of sight and the relevance of clear vision. Through different types of characters, Shakespeare points out that neither the lack or the possession of clear vision can protect anybody from anything.

Shakespeare makes use of several characters to bring across his point. The five characters I find to be the most important to the theme include two characters that were initially "blind" and three characters with clear vision. The two blind characters are King Lear himself and the Earl of Gloucester. The three important characters who have clear vision through the entire play include Lear's adviser, the Earl of Kent, Lear's daughter, Cordelia and the illegitimate son of Gloucester, Edmund. The capability or incapability of each of these characters to see doesn't necessarily make him or her good or evil. Granted, the blindness of King Lear and Gloucester are the eventual cause of the deaths in the play, but Shakespeare never portrays either Lear nor Gloucester as particularly villaino

King Lear remains blind for the majority of the play. His lack of perception, understanding and direction cause him to make several poor choices, one of which is banishing his only honest daughter, Cordelia, from his kingdom. Lear's blindness also makes him susceptible to manipulation by his two eldest daughters, Goneril and Regan. While Lear can physically see, his inability to judge character demonstrates his figurative inability to see.

I think the prevailing view of the world in Shakespeare's King Lear is that the world cannot be seen with the eye, but with the heart. The material world the eye detects can hide its evils with physical attributes, and thus the eye cannot achieve clear vision. If Lear had been able to look with more than just his eyes, he may have avoided this great tragedy.

In another ironic twist, both Cordelia and Kent, the only two honest people aware of King Lear's fatal flaw, are banished from the country. I think they are significant because despite their honesty, neither ends up happy in the end. Cordelia dies in the end.

Among those almost never deceived throughout the pla

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Approximate Word count = 754
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)