King Lear Research Paper

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Pain is often thought of as physical agony or distress, usually caused by an illness or injury. Various types of pain can be treated, but more than several types, unfortunately cannot be helped. In the play King Lear by William Shakespeare, it is evident that all types of pain can cause serious damage to oneself. Although all types of pain can have a serious effect on an individual, Gloucester’s emotional pain is more severe when compared to his physical pain, due to his trustworthiness, having his power and possessions taken away, and the act of being tortured in his own home. Although Edmund is Gloucester’s illegitimate son, Gloucester is too naive and trusting towards himself, causing him severe emotional pain throughout the entire play.…show more content…
Gloucester is an overall emotional person and does not intend to harm anyone who is innocent. When Goneril and Regan demand him not to help their father, he ignores their orders, and moves forward with his plan to help poor old and now homeless, King Lear. Once Gloucester finds Lear, he gives Lear shelter in a shack just outside of his palace, and warns Lear to run off the Dover to join Cordelia. Here Gloucester is acting on the emotions he is feeling for Lear, which practically leads him to his own physical harm. Throughout the entire play, “Efforts to interpret King Lear have often been distorted by trying to make the play fit the vision of a world in which good people are rewarded and evil people are punished.” (Carroll pg. 83). While Gloucester being a “feeler”, he is blind to the fact that by helping Lear, he has now put himself in danger. Later on in the play, it is evident that Gloucester has in fact brought the torcher of having his eyes gouged out, onto himself as a result of his actions. Furthermore, when Gloucester attempts to return to his palace, he is labeled as a traitor, and can no longer be trusted. He is now suffering from physical pain from his blindness, which leads him to an even greater amount of emotional pain. According to Gloucester, having no sight means having no direction in life. Gloucester has just been striped of his palace, power, and sight but the pain of loosing his eyes, has in fact just intensified his emotional

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