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Tragic Flaw In King Lear

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The Tragic Hero is born into nobility or maintains a high social status. King Lear is the King of Britain so therefore has pre-eminence. King Lear's tragic flaw is his blinded judgement and hubris. King Lear's downfall occurs when he starts going crazy because he gets kicked out of both Goneril and Regan's castle. In the play King Lear, William Shakespeare depicts the main character Cordelia as a tragic hero in this story/play. King Lear is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It depicts the gradual descent into madness of the title character, after he disposes of his kingdom giving bequests to two of his three daughters based on their flattery of him, bringing tragic consequences for all.King Lear is a tragic hero. He behaves rashly and irresponsibly at the start of the play. He is blind and unfair as a father and as a ruler. He desires all the trappings of power without the responsibility which is why the passive and forgiving Cordelia is the perfect choice for a successor. ( Foster Edward E.) The audience may feel alienated towards him at the start of the play considering his selfish and harsh treatment of his favorite daughter.As an audience, we soon feel sympathy for Lear despite his egotistical manner. He quickly regrets his decision and can be forgiven for behaving rashly …show more content…

Beneath his high class physicality, Lear struggles to maintain his confidence within himself because he depends on the constant admiration from others to feel content with who he is. One who leads with counterfeit beliefs and unstable values is bound for failure. Shakespeare designed this playwright to display the tragedy of a King who slowly goes mad, however in order to reach sanity sometimes one must go completely out of their mind to gain the wisdom in telling the difference. (David Bevington 1988)

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