William Shakespeare's tragic play King Lear, composed around 1603, was first performed in 1605. ... The play King Lear potrays blindness as an issue which is submerged into both the plays main plot and sub plot. ... The plays main plot shows how King Lear's spiritual blindness is leading him to his madness. ... King Lear says that he will give nothing, when in the end of the play, the King is left with nothing. ... King Lear is choosing what to fight, which resembles King Lear at the begining of the play when he chose to love Regan and Gonerill over Cordelia. ...

• Word Count: 1964
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

Throughout the story of King Lear, the evidence used to support my claim is pervasive and is demonstrated by various elements throughout the play. ... King Lear's blindness is introduced early on in the play. ... As the play continues, Lear's vision improves. ... King Lear's blindness eventually led to his own downfall and the balance of power in Britain was up in turmoil for the majority of the play. ... Doubling is an element used to create either parallels or oppositions in a play, and this element is pervasive and obvious in the King Lear play. ...

• Word Count: 1503
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

Physical sight as opposed to the metaphorical sight of truth is a pivotal theme in King Lear by William Shakespeare. ... In the opening scene of the play, both Gloucester and Lear believe their children love them. ... And with this final knowledge and final opening of his eyes, King Lear dies. Clearly the images of sight and blindness are central to the story of King Lear and to the character development of Gloucester and King Lear himself. ... All quotes taken from King Lear: A Conflated Text, The Complete Pelican Shakespeare, ed. ...

• Word Count: 1839
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School