His foolishness blinds him from the true love that Cordelia feels, yet refuses to exaggerate. Lear is enraged by this and Banishes Cordelia from his kingdom. " for we have no such daughter, nor shall ever see that face of her again. Therefore be gone without our grace, our love, our benison"(1,1,265-267) It is through this initial act of blindness that Lear begins the journey to his own suffering and downfall. After his long journey of self-discovery, the truth finally becomes clear to Lear. He understands Cordelia's true love for him and appreciates things in life other than power and money. Gloucester, like Lear, is deceived by his child. Edmund convinces Gloucester that Edgar, his loyal son, is a threat to him. Gloucester's foolishness prevents him from seeing through Edmund's lies and that Edgar truly is a loyal son. Gloucester, however, does suffer for his imprudence. The suffering that he undergoes does, in the end, contributes to his self-discovery. Gloucester's line "I stumbled when I saw" (5,1,20-21) explains the irony associated with his self-discovery. He was unable to see the realities of his sons when he could physically see, yet he was only able to see the true nature of his sons after having his eyes ripped out by Cornwall. Near the end of the play, Gloucester realizes that he was deceived by Edmund and the mad beggar "Poor Tom", is in fact, the innocent Edgar. "O, my follies! Then Edgar was abused. Kind Gods, forgive me that, and prosper him" (3,7,90-91) Gloucester soon after dies from the news, and his journey to self-discovery is complete. .
Another prominent theme in King Lear is that wisdom can be achieved only through suffering. Often times, a tragic hero uncovers his true self only after great suffering. He will only appreciate what he has after experiencing a great loss. Both Lear and Gloucester have to suffer extraordinarily, but it is this suffering that leads to growth and eventually self-awareness.