When we read 'King Lear' for the first time we are presented, on the whole, with a pessimistic view of men and society. In other parts of the play Regan, Gonerill and Edmund define treachery, whereas the character of Kent creates a stark contrast, showing us a strong sense of loyalty by following and supporting Lear throughout his torment. Remembering that Kent was betrayed by Lear in the first scene of the play, this emphasises the goodness of Kent's character. At the beginning of the extract Lear asks 'Wilt break my heart?' In response to this Kent declares 'I had rather break mine own'. This is just one of many examples in the play where Kent is willing to take Lear's suffering upon himself. Every time Kent enters we get a feeling of relief because he is there to fight evil, a personification of the rare goodness of mankind. Kent also shows his loyalty and steadfastness for his King in the way in which he tries to shelter him from the storm. When Kent says that 'The tyranny of the open night's too rough for nature to endure', he is really trying to make Lear think it is the storm that is to blame for his discomfort, although Kent is fully aware of the t

Yet out of all this decay and suffering man seems to triumph. Lear, having experienced in his personal world, the destruction of human right and order, thus gains insight into the injustices and frailties of mankind. In his madness Lear is able to see reality.

"...will not give me leave to ponder

In the play 'King Lear' grief reaches the utmost depths that any Shakespearean character has ever portrayed. In this particular extract the storm taking place on the heath symbolises and runs parallel with the storm in Lear's soul. His mind is so wracked with the treachery of his two daughters that he actually finds comfort in nature's cruel elements. This is conveyed when Lear says that the tempest...

At the beginning of the extract, Shakespeare uses Lear's reference to the 'contentious storm' to show us the extent of his suffering. He tells us that the storm...

This reference to the word 'contentious' also gives us an insight into Lear's state of mind. The continual contrast from sanity to insanity in his ramblings reflects the mood of the storm. He declares that he is a 'kind old father whose frank heart gave all!' before going on to say that in 'that way madness lies...No more of th

Some common words found in the essay are:
Shakespeare Lear's, Remembering Kent, Gonerill Edmund, , father frank heart, frank heart all', frank heart, 'kind father frank, 'kind father, beginning extract, 'king lear', father frank, heart all',
Approximate Word count = 806
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)