King Lear - Theme of Blindness

                    In Shakespearean terms, blinds means a whole different thing. Blindness can normally be defined as the inability of the eye
                    to see, but according to Shakespeare, blindness is not a physical quality, but a mental flaw some people possess.
                    Shakespeares most dominant theme in his play King Lear is that of blindness. King Lear, Gloucester, and Albany are
                    three prime examples Shakespeare incorporates this theme into. Each of these characters blindness was the primary
                    cause of the bad decisions they made; decisions which all of them would eventually come to regret.

                    The blindest bat of all was undoubtedly King Lear. Because of Lears high position in society, he was supposed to be
                    able to distinguish the good from the bad; unfortunately, his lack of sight prevented him to do so. Lears first act of
                    blindness came at the beginning of the play. First, he was easily deceived by his two eldest daughters lies, then, he was
                    unable to see the reality of Cordelias true love for him, and as a result, banished her from his kingdom with the following
                    words:

                     ..................................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. 
                     (Act I, Sc I, Ln 265-267)

                    Lears blindness also caused him to banish one of his loyal followers, Kent. Kent was able to see Cordelias true love for
                    her father, and tried to protect her from her blind fathers irrationality. After Kent was banished, he created a disguise for
                    himself and was eventually hired by Lear as a servant. Lears inability to determine his servants true identity proved once
                    again how blind Lear actually was. As the play progressed, Lears eyesight reached closer to 20/20 vision. He realized
                    how wicked his two eldest daughters really were after they locked him out of the castle during a tremendous storm. More
                    importantly, Lear saw through Cordelias lack of flatterings and realized that her love for him was so great that she
                    couldnt express it into words. Unfortunately, Lears blindness ended up costing Cordelia her life and consequently the
                    life of himself.

                    Gloucester was another example of a character who suffered from an awful case of blindness. Gloucesters blindness
                    denied him of the ability to see the goodness of Edgar and the evil of Edmund. Although Edgar was the good and loving
                    son, Gloucester all but disowned him. He wanted to kill the son that would later save his life. Gloucesters blindness
                    began when Edmund convinced him by the means of a forged letter that Edgar was plotting to kill him. Gloucesters lack
                    of sight caused him to believe Edmund was the good son and prevented him from pondering the idea of Edmund being
                    after his earldom. Near the end of the play, Gloucester finally regained his sight and realized that Edgar saved his life
                    disguised as Poor Tom and loved him all along. He realized that Edmund planned to take over the earldom and that he
                    was the evil son of the two. Gloucesters famous line: I stumbled when I saw (Act IV, Sc I, Ln 20-21) was ironic. His
                    inability to see the realities of his sons occurred when he had his physical sight but was mentally blind; but his ability to see
                    the true nature of his sons occurred after having his eyes plucked out by the Duke of Cornwall. Fortunately, the
                    consequences of Gloucesters blindness throughout the play was minimal, after all, he was the only one to die as a result
                    of his tragic flaw.

                    Albany was another character suffering from the classic case of blindness, but luckily for him, he survived his battle.
                    Albanys case of blindness was purely a result of the love he had for Goneril. Although he disapproved of Gonerils
                    actions, he would only mildly argue his case. When Goneril forced Lear to reduce his army so that he could stay in their
                    castle, Albany protested:

                      I cannot be so partial, Goneril,
                       To the great love I bear You -
                          (Act I, Sc IV, Ln 309-310)

                    Albanys deep devotion to Goneril blinded him from the evil she possessed. His inability to realize how greedy and mean
                    Goneril was after she flattered Lear with a bunch of lies and then kicked him out of their home, just goes to show you
                    how much Albany loved Goneril. Albany was also blind to the fact that Goneril was cheating on him and that she was
                    plotting to kill him. Fortunately, Edgar came across a cure for Albanys blindness. A note outlining Gonerils evil plans
                    was all Albany needed to see. Finally, Albany recognized what a devil he was married to and for once let out his
                    emotions when he said:

                     O Goneril,
                     You are not worth the dust which the rude wind
                     Blows in your face!  
                     (Act IV, Sc II, Ln 29-31)

                    Unlike Lear and Gloucester, Albany didnt suffer much during his bout with blindness. Not only did he survive his battle,
                    but he lived to remain the ruler of what was once Lears kingdom.