Blindness: The Real Tragedy
Shakespeare was known for many of his pieces, as it shared with the world who he was as a writer. Many enjoyed his sonnets and comedies, but many went to witness and experience the plays of his tragedies. King Lear, Othello, Macbeth, and Hamlet all have shared aspects and traits that make them typical Shakespearian tragedies. Although his plays were consistent within themselves, his plays also followed the rules of the classic tragedy put forth by Aristotle, as well as some writing techniques. Without a doubt, Shakespeare’s most upsetting tragedy is King Lear. Not just one, but multiple characters dealt with the wrath of Shakespeare’s pen with plenty of misfortune. The one character with the most endearing calamities
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Gloucester’s unsettling events occur for his blindness to see which son is the truthful and honest son to him. Edmund is jealous of his brother’s legitimacy to his father and festers up a plan to eliminate Edgar to take over the throne. “Well, my legitimate, if this letter speed, / And my invention thrive, Edmund, the base / Shall top the' legitimate." (King Lear I, II, 19-21) Gloucester foolishly believes Edmund as he is too blind to see where the real evil lies. "Abhorrid villain, unnatural, detested, / brutish villain; worse than brutish!" (King Lear I, II, 81-82) Gloucester immediately turns on Edgar, believing the lies that Edmund has put before him. The gullibility of Gloucester suggests the present doubts he had about Edgar moving onto the throne after him and that he only looks at the outside by not confronting Edgar about the supposed letter her wrote avenging his father’s death. The letter causes Edgar to go into hiding as an insane beggar named Tom whom which Gloucester doesn’t recognize as his own son. “Enforce their charity. Poor Turlygod, Poor Tom, / That’s something yet: Edgar I nothing am.” (King Lear III, 20-21) Further proving the flaw of Gloucester only relying on appearance as a means of