We must be able to identify ourselves with the tragic hero if he is to inspire fear, for we must feel that what happens to him could happen to us. If Lear was completely evil, we would not be fearful of what happens to him: he would merely be repulsive. But Lear does inspire fear because, like us, he is not completely upright, nor is he completely wicked. He is foolish and arrogant, it is true, but later he is also humble and compassionate. He is wrathful, but at times, patient. Because of his good qualities, we experience pity for him and feel that he does not deserve the severity of his punishment.
His actions are not occasioned by any corruption or depravity in him but by an error in judgment, which, however, does arise from a defect of character. Lear has a ‘tragic flaw’ – egotism. It is his egotism in the first scene that causes him to make his error in judgment – the division of his kingdom and the loss of Cordelia. Throughout the rest of the play, the consequences of this error slowly and steadfastly increase until Lear is destroyed. There must be a change in the life of a tragic hero; he must pass from happiness to misery. Lear, as seen in Act 1, has everything a man should want – wealth, power, peace, and a state of well-being. Because a tragic character must pass from happiness to misery, he must be seen at the beginning of the play as a happy man, surrounded by good fortune. Then, the disasters that befall his will be unexpected and will be in direct contrast to his previous state.
“I am a man more sinned against than sinning” this is Lear evaluation of himself when he is at his weakest. This quotation is derived from the storm scene in Act 3 Scene 2, before we accept this we must take into account Lear’s condition and the consequences that have lead his to this dreadful state.
King Lear is no ordinary man. To have a man who is conspicuous to endure suffering brought about because of his own error is striking. The fear aroused for this man is of great importance because of his exalted position. His fall is awesome and overwhelming. When tragedy, as in Lear, happens, the effect is even greater. To intensify the tragedy in King Lear, Shakespeare has not one but two tragic heroes and four villains. Like Lear, Gloucester is neither completely good nor completely bad. There is for instance, a coarseness in the earl, who delights in speaking of his adultery. But he has good qualities as well. These two tragic stories unfolding at the same time give the play a great eminence.
The important element in tragedy is action, not character. It is the deeds of men that bring about their destruction. Lear calls upon the “great gods,” Edgar and Kent blame Fortune, and Gloucester say that the gods “kill us for their sport”. But in reality the calamities that befall both Lear and Gloucester occur because of the actions of these men. Their actions, it is true, grow out their characters; both are rash, unsuspecting, and vengeful. But these actions themselves are the beginnings of their agony, for these actions start a chain of events that lead to ultimate catastrophe.
A tragic hero gains insight through suffering. Neither Lear nor Gloucester realizes he has committed an error until he has suffered. Lear’s suffering is so intense that it drives him mad; it is on the desolate heath that he fully realizes his mistake in giving the kingdom to his two evil daughters and disowning the one daughter who loves him. In his madness Lear learns to endure his agony. Through his madness and suffering he becomes a better person, more humble, less egoistic and starts to care for the needs of others “Come on, my boy. How dos’t my boy? Art cold?..” “Poor Fool and knave, I have one part in my heart that’s sorry yet for thee.” (Act 3 Scene 2) As Lear starts to pity other we start to feel pity for him.
Later, when he knows he is to be imprisoned, he maintains this misfortune with a passive calmness. He has grown spiritually through painfully achieved self-knowledge and through Cordelia’s love. The suffering of a tragic hero extends beyond himself, and it clearly did with respect to Cordelia as well as to Gloucester.
We see the King as an exceptional being in the sense that he is very much like us, except that his emotions and behaviours are intensified. He experiences both internal and external conflict, and although he strikes us as being wretched, we never see him as contemptible. Rather we pity him. It is on these grounds that we consider King Lear a tragic hero.
(1083 words)
