As the story begins, Lear is the great and powerful king of England. He has many loyal subjects and three daughters who serve him well. The king is has reigned over his kingdom for many years and is now ready to divide it among his daughters so that he may rest and be happy for the remainder of his time. Things could not be much better for the king. However, he is a conceited man who needs praise and adoration to keep him happy. This is where the problems begin.

After receiving praise from Regan and Goneril, he then turns to Cordelia. Lear asks her "what can you say to draw a third, more opulent than your sisters? (Shakespeare, act 1 scene 1, lines 87-88), speaking of course about Cordelia's inherited section of the kingdom. She responds with "nothing" (Shakespeare, act 1 scene 1, line 90). Thi

In that speech, he tells Cordelia that while in jail, they will do all of the things that fathers and daughters do together and that they will sit and listen to the ever- changing court, because whether you are rich or poor, does not matter in the end. For the first time in the story, Lear is speaking with the clarity and eloquence that every king should be blessed with. He finally sees things from a person's point of view, not a King's.

In conclusion, the story of King Lear is a tragedy by the classical definition of the word. Lear was a great King who fell a great distance by the fault of his overwhelming pride. And the struggle he goes through to regain his composure is cut short by the evil plot of others. He loses his kingdom, his daughters, and eventually his life. This leaves the reader to feel pity for the king, as well as fear that such horrible things could happen to such a powerful man. This story truly is a tragedy.

It would appear to the reader that Lear has completely lost his mind at this point in the story. But then a great change occurs in Lear. He starts to gain back a sense of self and sees things for what they really are. He comes out of his madness, in a way, as a changed man. This change, however, comes too late. For Lear has already been sent for to be taken away to prison with Cordelia. His newly found sanity is best displayed when he is talking to Cordelia as they are being escorted to prison.

Shortly after this, Lear and Cordelia are both ordered to death. As Cordelia is killed, the execution is halted and Lear is set free, but Cordelia is already gone. Lear is left with nothing as he dies with Cordelia in his arms. Just as everything was getting into order for Lear, it all falls apart. This set of events leads the reader to feel sorry for the once great man.

In Act 1 Scene 4, Lear seems to recognize that he is slipping. While talking to the fool, he is brought to realize that he was wrong in banishing Cordelia. He looks as if he might get a hold of his weakening mind, but this does not last f

Some common words found in the essay are:
Goneril I'll, Regan Goneril, King Lear, Cordelia Lear, Lear King, Lear Cordelia, shakespeare act, act 1, act 1 scene, 1 scene, 1 scene 1, shakespeare act 1, scene 1, king lear, scene 4, Lear Tragedy, lear tragedy, regan goneril, act 2, reader feel, reader feel pity, story king lear,
Approximate Word count = 1390
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)