When King Lear decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters to rid himself of stress and obligations to allow himself to make an "Unburthened crawl toward death" in peace, he figures his power can best be split by the flattering words of his girls (I,i, 43). " . . . Which of you shall we say doth love us most, that we our largest bounty my extend . . ."(I,i, 53-54). This leaves the door wide open for the imposturous words of his older daughters, Goneril and Regan, since his test cannot filter out mere flattery from true love. Although his loyal servant, Kent, warns him of his folly, "see better, Lear, a

Lear, having enjoyed a life of power and authority, must now experience humility and madness in order to understand not only which daughter truly loved him most, but also to understand himself. "Here I stand . . . a poor, infirm, weak, and despised old man" (III,ii, 19-20). Through humility and madness, alike, Lear learns compassion, revealing itself in him when the once mighty king tends to the well-being of his fool (III,ii, 68-73). In his insanity, he strips bare so as to unburden himself of his clothes: "Off, off, you lendings!" Lear remarks in order to owe " . . . the worm no silk, beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the cat no perfume!" (III,iv, 106-111). It is in the king's naked folly that he begins to genuinely gain wisdom.

(III, vii, 88). Finally, Edmund's imposture has been exposed to Gloucester and his mistake was realized.

Throughout much of his life, King Lear had a life of privilege and flattery, believing, therefore, himself to be wise and loved. Not until he took the perspective of humility, though, did he properly gage the position he once held:

Some common words found in the essay are:
Gloucester Lear, King Lear, Finally Edmund's, Goneril Regan, Edgar Earl, Earl Gloucester, King Earl, king lear, Tower Power, servant kent, humility madness, power authority,
Approximate Word count = 729
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)