“See better Lear” (I, i, 180).
In King Lear, a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, King Lear’s character changes in many ways throughout the play, as he suffers through many physical and psychological abuses from his two older daughters, Regan and Goneril. Lear is originally shown to be an irresponsible ruler and father, who can not see the true nature of people and bases his decision, in the first act, on the superficial expressing of love. However, after being mistreatment his daughters, who practically cause him to go mad, he becomes more aware of himself and kind. Only when he recognizes his own mortality and human weakness, one gets a picture of his being a human. His meeting with Poor Tom opens his eyes to poverty in his country, and only after his reconcile with Cordelia, does he become a totally different man who understands himself and the surroundings much better. The suffering, he goes through in the book, help him to open his eyes and towards the end to be able to see into his relationship with Cordelia.
The storm, disorder in nature, reflects Lear’s internal confusion.
The inhospitality and disrespect of Goneril and Regan eventually cause Lear’s downfall as a King, but most of all as a person, leading to his madness. However, in the beginning after Goneril was so cruel to him, Lear still hopes for the support of his second daughter, which only consolidates his blindness at that point. This is shown when he says, “I can stay with Regan / I and my 100 knights.” Goneril’s and Regan’s heartlessness forced him into thinking that “(He) shell go mad”(II, iv, 328) just before he goes into the storm and literally ‘enters his madness’. Only after he leaves them and enters into the storm, he begins to recognize his first faults. It is ironic that Lear realizes his mistakes and regrets some of his actions during his madness. The storm is a metaphor for Lear’s madness and more clearly shows the turning point of Lear’s character. Lear realizes that he cannot control nature, at the same time realizing that he does not have the control over the people surrounding him. “You own me no subscription,”(III, ii, 20), he yells in the storm. It only seemed as if he could because he was the King and some of the characters fake their love for Lear in their own interests. However, at this point he still shows that he doesn’t see into all of his mistakes, when he proclaims: “I am a man more sinned against than sinning.” This might be true, and yet it shows still some Lear’s original ignorant character.
