Of Lear's character arrogance and vanity are his fatal flaws that pave the way for his downfall from grace. Even before his opening scene we hear the words of his subjects, "I thought the king had more affected the Duke of Albany than Cornwall." Here they are discussing Lear's unpredictable nature and rash fickle mind. This prepares us for the forthcoming scene where we hear it from his own mouth deciding the nations fate from three testimonies of his daughters loves, "Which one of should we say doth love us most." He is trying to measure love in a way it should not be measured. Not only this he is constantly trying to quantify love with a biased manner as we see again in Act 2 Scene 4- "Thy fifty yet double five and twenty. And thou art twice her love."
The rash and rigid one-dimensional mind of Lear's is fooled many times by Goneril and Regan who combine forces to crush Lear into the ground. "We must do something and it'h' heat."
Amongst the abyss of the "gilded butterflies," Lear does not see through the immorality of the truth telling Cordelia as he clearly disowns and disinherits her, "Here I disclaim all my parental care," and, "thy truth can be thy dower."
Even Regan acknowledges her fathers foolishness, "Such unconstant stars are we like to have from him as this of Kent's banishment," as Kent is exiled.
Goneril and Regan's true colours show when Lear comes to visit them and is cast out into the storm with the reply, "This house is little/the old man and's people cannot be well bestowed."
Lear is demoralised and his mental health is fast deteriorating only his two loyal servants stay with him the fool and Kent. In this storm he confesses that he is a man more sinned against than sinning and that this storm will reveal the sinners. Here we see him at his most exposed, he is at the bottom of the wheel of fortune as he roams the wilderness waiting for fortune to smile once more. Lear's sins are primarily characterial sins and cannot be compared with Goneril and Regan's evil intents. Right from the start they deliberately contrive evil -"Pray you lets it'h' together."
The proactive nature of their sins is highlighted in the relish display of the blinding of Gloucester which is probably the book's most horrendous flaunt, "Pluck his eye's out," and, "Hang him instantly."
Gloucester is only subject to this because of his blind support of Lear. This shows how Lear is indirectly targeted through his subjects. Fates answer to Lear's wreathed odyssey is imprisonment with his one true happiness in his life, Cordelia. It is ironic that the one who had "nothing" to offer to him at the start comes back to pay heed to her estranged father. Even Goneril and Regan do not understand why he seems so happy. We finally see evidence of Lear's improving condition his meaning of love has dramatically changed and his once so important affairs of court are now left to the "poor rogues" to discuss who "wins and who loses."
Hr evens acknowledges his mistakes as he offers to take poison and, "I'll kneel down and ask of thee forgiveness."
Sadly this moment is short-lived as Edmund orders Cordelia's execution immediately after having killed both her sisters.
The process through the book has seen Lear go from an arrogant ruler to a "bare, unacommadated man" and "despised old man."
Through this process Lear gains considerable self-knowledge and learns to appreciate others. Even if we measure up the sins by and sins committed against Lear we cannot say that, "I am a man more sinned against than sinning," is completely true. Only when dead Cordelia is held in Lear's arms we can be made to sympathise with Lear. Overall we can conclude that this is a just end for Lear's abuse of power and arrogance at the throne and deserved a compromising climax for his traumatized life.
