KING LEAR

MADNESS
the play follows the ancient form of tragedy defined by the philosopher Aristotle in a tragedy the
important character experiences a big downfall and usually a lot of people dieat the end if you go
through king lear you can see that king lear's descent into insanity follows aristotle's tragic conventions
very closely first lear's hamartia or fatal flaw catalyzes his journey into madness like many tragic heroes
leah suffers from hubris or extreme arrogance he doesn't want to take responsibility for his kingdom
giving up the hard work to his son's in-law and declaring we still retain the name and all the additions to
a king this means leah is so arrogant that he wants to keep the showy pomp of being a king without the
hard work he also wants to feed his ego by listening to flattery saying to his daughters which of you shall
we say doth love us most when cordelia refuses to sweet-talk him he becomes absolutely furious kent
tries to calm him down but leah exiles him too and yells come not between the dragon and his wrath the
metaphor of dragon characterizes leah as an unstable violent monster who won't be separated from his
wrath or anger already lear's ego stops him thinking rationally about the situation goneril and regan
debrief at the end of the scene revealing that leah has always been rash or reckless regan comments tis
the infirmity of his Age infirmity means weakness the sisters predict that as leah grows older he will
become even more mentally Unstable the hamartia of lia's hubris eventually leads to his perapitia or
change of fortune his pride makes him so angry irrational And unreasonable that goneril and regan kick
him out of their castles the first sign that he is losing power is when kent disguised as leah's servant put
in the stocks a medieval form of punishment leah can't believe that his own dau ter would disrespect
him like that repeating in disbelief no no i say no no i swear no he tries to fight his crazed anger saying
hysterical passio down thou climbing sorrow thy elements below hysterical passio was an illness that
women were diagnosed with when they were apparently too emotional it's a metaphor suggesting that
the emotions of wounded pride and anger are beginning to overpower leah his language becomes
increasingly crazed full of short sentences and illogical exclamations like vengeance plague death
confusion when he discovers that goneril and regan are kicking him out of their homes it's the last straw
the parapattaya now he has no power as king or respect as father lear violently yells invectives or insults
at his daughters calling them unnatural hags at the end of the scene he storms out into an actual storm
exclaiming oh fool i shall go mad the storm symbolizes leah's madness a gentleman says that he is
contending with the fretful element he is actually fighting with the weather itself he bids the winds blow
the earth into the sea absurdly he actually tries to yell commands at the weather leah cries blow winds
and crack your cheeks rage blow he is apostrophizing or addressing the wind as if the storm were one of
his subjects that would obey him the imperatives or commands suggest his ridiculous delusions of
power the gentleman thinks that leah has lost it saying that leah strives in his little world of man to out
scorn the to and fro conflicting wind and rain the contrast between leah's little world of man and the
powerful wind and rain illustrate leah's irrationality he has tried to control his kingdom family and even
the weather but in reality he is powerless he's still full of hubris as a result leah is growing increasingly
insane according to tragic convention a hero's sufferings lead to a moment of Realization or anagnorisis
ironically leah realizes more truth as he goes crazier and crazier as he starts to go mad the anagnorisis
Begins when leah recognizes that he has been a proud and selfish king during the storm he imagines all
those in his kingdom experiencing poverty and homelessness he exclaims oh i have obtained too little
care of this he realizes that he has not had compassion for the Poor he commands his own pomp or
fancy pride to take physic a metaphor for taking Medicine this is the beginning of leah's desire to heal
his own destructive pride another step towards lear's full Anagnorisis is in the middle of his incoherent
rambling in act 4 scene 6. he's dressed in flowersa symbol of his madness and doesn't recognize the
people around him leah chatters on and on nonsensically about power women justice hypocrisy and
politics but edgar exclaims reason in madness ironically even though leah appears mad he is figuring out
some profound truths in the middle of his rant he utters a deep insight about the essential vulnerability
of Humankind he muses that when we are born we came crying hither we cry that we are come to this
great stage of fools the crying of babies is a symbol for the suffering and weakness experienced by all
humanity life is metaphorically described as a great stage of fools in other words it's like everyone is just
an actor pretending to have power when a baby is born they cry because they know the truth about
their own vulnerability at the end of the day humans are ultimately powerless so life will always be full
of suffering leah has realized that even though he is technically a king all his status means nothing when
leah finally reunites with Cordelia in the doctor's tent his anagnorisis continues he has just woken up
and is pretty disoriented as he starts to gain awareness he says I feel this pin prick the metaphor
represents his sharp Clarity as he begins to realize both where he is as well as his own weakness he
meekly says to cordelia pray do not mock me i am a very foolish fond old man what a contrast to his
delusions of power at the beginning of the play his humble tone shows that his anagnorisis is complete
he realizes that his hubris was mistaken that he was unjust towards cordelia that he made very foolish
political decisions and that he is essentially weak like all other humans his madness is no longer raging
and Angry but calm and childlike when Edmund captures them leah is happy to go to prison with
cordelia saying we'll live and pray and sing and tell old tales and laugh at gilded butterflies the list is very
simple and childlike he is happy to finally be reunited with his daughter even in prison seeing leah so
vulnerable stirs the emotions of pity and horror in the audience that someone so powerful has fallen so
low this is called pathos a key convention of tragedy when cordelia dies the grieving leah dies of a
broken heart and the audience experiences catharsis or emotional release wow what an emotional
rollercoaster for the characters and the audience lear's descent into madness and then his journey
towards anagnosis in the midst of insanity serve as a powerful exploration of the human condition we
hope you enjoyed this schooling online production for more easy lessons on king lear check out our
analysis of the theme of gender in the play

THE NATURE OF MADNESS IN

KING LEAR
Shakespeare’s King Lear  attempted to present mental illness as a serious character trait at a
time when most Elizabethan drama simply utilized “madness” for the audience’s comedic
relief. The nature and extent of Lear’s mental illness are still up for debate, often revolving
around the question if he was mad from the outset of the play. Textual evidence does not
offer a clear yes-or-no answer, but perhaps such clarity is unnecessary; it is clear from
Lear’s words and the words of those around him that his actions suggest deranged morals
and irrational thought, a tragic defect which spurs his later madness and then turns him
back to reality, delivering Lear to redemption just before his demise.

At the beginning of Act I, Lear announces his bewildering intention to abdicate the throne
and divide the kingdom equally among his three daughters, Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia,
in order to “shake all cares and business from our age,” (1.1.41). Before he carves them
each a piece of the map, Lear tests his daughters by asking them to express their affection
for him, and whichever daughter is most adoring gets the most territory. “Which of you
shall we say doth love us most, that we our largest bounty may extend where nature doth
with merit challenge” (1.1.33- 35). Goneril and Regan both exalt him with fawning praise,
although Cordelia famously refuses to quantify her love in words, prompting Lear’s fury,
who then disinherits her of all lands and titles. While this action at the start of the play does
not suggest madness, it is highly irrational and selfish and hints at a deeper disturbed
mindset. At the time, kingship was a divine right, a gift bestowed from God by birth to rule
over others. For Lear to surrender the throne before his death, merely to enjoy old age in
the comfort of his daughters’ estates, would be a rejection of that gift. Further, Lear’s
scheme to divide the kingdom was set before he summoned his daughters and demanded
they praise him in exchange for the largest share. Such a demand served no greater political
aim and only served to satiate a narcissistic need for gratification at the expense of
corrupting his family’s morality. His outburst when Cordelia refuses to play his game, and
the turmoil that decision creates throughout the play, may not initially reach as far as
insanity but it does hint at a state of mind that is far from stable.

None of this is lost on those around him. Later in the act, after playing along to her benefit,
Goneril tries to find excuses for his behavior but still admits her father may have a tenuous
grasp on reality: “’Tis the infirmity of his age; yet he hath ever but slenderly known
himself” (1.2.295-296). Regan then responds with her own concerns about the
consequences of Lear’s impulsive whims: “Such unconstant starts are we like to have from
him as this of Kent’s banishment” (1.2.303-304).

For Lear himself—as he’s confronted with the unintended repercussions of his abdication
—madness is something he lurches in and out of; it’s a temporary affliction. He tinkers
with it, muses on it, and seems to be aware that his grasp on sanity is fading. This is a
frequent lamentation throughout the play, a refrain Lear reaches for whenever he’s
exasperated. He tells the Fool, “O, let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven!” (1.5.46). He
warns Goneril, “I prithee, daughter, do not make me mad.” (2.4.218). In the same scene, as
a storm sets on them, he exclaims, “O Fool, I shall go mad!” (2.4.285). Insanity, it seems,
is a path he desperately seeks to avoid, saying in Act III, “O, that way madness lies; let me
shun that.” (3.4.21). Perhaps it is this self-awareness that pulls Lear back to reality and
allows him to reconcile with Cordelia.

By the end of Act IV, Lear’s madness is in its most violent throes. He is wandering
aimlessly near Dover, crowned with wildflowers, and babbling incoherently. Later, Lear
and Cordelia are reunited in the French camp, he awakes, and presciently asks, thinking his
estranged daughter is a spirit, “Where have I been?” (4.7.52). Again, Lear shows a biting
self-awareness, having literally wakened from his psychotic trance. He’s been miraculously
cured, ready to make amends and settle his unfinished business with Cordelia. Lear admits
“I am a very foolish fond old man, … I fear I am not in my perfect mind.” (4.7.60). This
newfound clarity—sanity— remains with Lear for the remainder of the play, lasting to the
ruin of his family and the death of Lear himself. Ultimately, it is this lifting of Lear’s
madness that allows him to see through the clouds of his narcissism, the delusions of
grandeur that led to such a scheme as to split apart from the country to see which loves him
more.

The genesis of this madness then remains uncertain: perhaps the king was truly mad,
perhaps he was just arrogant. What is certain is that Lear’s bouts of temporary insanity—
treated by Shakespeare with purpose and nuance and dramatic weight, something vastly
greater than a punchline—serve as a catalyst to redeem his character and provide some
bittersweet closure on an otherwise brutal tragedy
In Shakespeare’s play King Lear, Shakespeare introduces many themes. The most important theme
shown in King Lear is the theme of madness. During the course of this play, madness is shown in the
tragic hero, King Lear. King Lear develops madness right at the beginning of the play but he actually
shows it in Act 4. In this act, King Lear is not only at the peak of madness but it is also shown him coming
out of his madness as well.
This act is likely to be the most important act because it shows the phases King Lear goes through, from
complete madness to him coming out of his madness and realizing his mistake, the point of tragic vision.
The theme of madness in King Lear is first shown in the act through Cordelia’s statement to the guards
about the condition her father is in. Cordelia says “Alack, ’tis he! Why, he was met even now as mad as
the vexed sea, singing aloud, crowned with rank fumiter and furrow-weeds, with hardocks, hemlock,
nettles, cuckoo-flowers, darnel, and all the idle weeds that grow in our sustaining corn.” [Act iv, iv, 1-6].
This gives a great description of King Lear’s state of mind.
Cordelia gives a description of King Lear dressed in flowers, and weeds, and she explains to the guards
that he is singing aloud. All of these characteristics are unfit for a king, thus, leaving one reasonable
explanation of him being mad, which Cordelia states in her speech to the guards. King Lear’s madness is
further illustrated in act 4, scene 6. Although King Lear had shown signs of madness in other acts such as
3, he had really shown the extreme of his madness in this scene. King Lear is shown completely insane,
through his garments and his speeches to Gloucester and Edgar.
In one of his speeches, King Lear makes comments about a mouse and a bird that are not present.
“..Look look, a mouse! Peace, peace; this piece of toasted cheese will do it…O, well flown, bird!” [iv, vi,
88-91]. This statement was the first sign of him being mad. At the beginning of Act 4, it was just
mentioned that King Lear was gone mad, this was the first sign of proof that he was indeed mad.
Although King Lear shows signs of being mad, he also shows signs of being sane.
This is shown through him knowing the cause of him being mad. If King Lear was completely mad he
would not be able to justify the reason for his madness. In [iv, vi, 96-105] he states that his daughters’
have done him wrong and shows signs of insanity when he calls Gloucester Goneril. “Ha! Goneril with a
white beard? They flattered me like a dog and told me I had white hairs in my beard ere the black ones
were there. To say ‘Ay’ and ‘no’ too was no good divinity…Go to, they are not men o’ their words! They
told me I was everything. ‘Tis a lie- I am not ague-proof.” This quote shows Lear’s sanity. Lear may have
qualities in him to make him seem mad but he possesses sanity, enough to know the cause of his
madness.
This possession of sanity soon brings King Lear to his moment of tragic vision. King Lear’s moment of
tragic vision comes when he is rescued by Cordelia and wakes up in her presence. At first King Lear
shows signs of sanity through his speech to Cordelia and Kent about his recognition of him being mad. ” I
feel I am not in my perfect mind.” [iv, vii, 63] King Lear then recovers enough to know that he is in the
presence of his daughter Cordelia, which he did not know before.
“Do not laugh at me; for (as I am a man) I think this lady to be my child Cordelia.” [iv, vii, 67-69]. The
phase of the end of King Lear’s madness is when he finally admits he was wrong and asks for
forgiveness. “Pray you now, forget and forgive. I am old and foolish.” [iv, vii, 84]. This is the moment of
tragic vision or demonic epiphany because King Lear confesses to his mistake but it is too late because
he has already lost everything.
But in order for King Lear to finally admit to his mistakes, he has to be sane. A person has to be in a clear
state of mind in order to come up with the notion that they have done something wrong and being a
King with such hubris, to admit that they have done a mistake. To conclude, Act 4 was an important act
in King Lear. This is because it showed all three phases of madness that the King had gone through.
The phase of him being mad, which was shown through his garments and hallucinations, the phase of
him coming out of his madness, by knowing the means of his madness, and lastly the phase of him
overcoming his madness, shown through his tragic vision.

BLINDNESS

The concepts of blindness and sight are not explored by Shakespeare as physical qualities, but rather
mental attributes. Blindness in characters exacerbates their ability to understand, causing misjudgment
which leads to chaos in the play. This recurring theme of blindness and insight is portrayed primarily
through Lear and Gloucester, who demonstrate that physical sight does not assure clear insight into a
situation.
There are many examples in the play of King Lear that portray this motif. These examples are usually
present in the later acts of the play such as Acts 3 and 4 as the characters need to grow from their past
ignorance and embrace the light.
An example of blindness and insight is shown when Lear prayed before going to sleep when he was
stuck outside during the storm. (III.IV.29-42). This scene shows the insight the mad man gained after
encountering the storm. His insight is represented by his care for the poor creatures and homeless
beggars after he realized the type of situations they endure.
Lear encountered a lot of blindness in the play which is prominently shown in scene one when he let
himself be fooled by Goneril and Regan as he gave up his throne for them (I.I.56-95). Other examples of
blindness in the play include the banishment of Kent and the failure of Lear to see through the many
disguises of Edgar (Glouster as well) and Kent.
As the play continued towards the conclusion, Lear’s sanity decreased. However, as his sanity plumber,
his vision increased. Lear’s insight also grew more with the presence of Cordelia as he realizes his faults.
Unfortunately, he was too late. Following Machiavelli’s quotes, great men cannot cover great sins. He
was too late to fix his mistakes that he committed such as the breakdown of the Great Chain of Being
and the banishment of his dear Cordelia and Kent.
Glouster was heavily blinded by Edmund’s lies and failed to see the goodness present within his own son
Edgar. After Edmund showed him the forged letter, Glouster’s rage blinded him and made him not
consider for a moment if Edgar’s intention was to take over his father’s wealth.  Only until Glouster lost
his eyesight, his insight increased as he realizes the mistakes he made and the fact that he took Edgar for
granted.