Gloucester And Edgar example essay topic

In William Shakespeare's King Lear, betrayal is a common event that leads to the downfall of some of the characters. In today's society, there are two main attitudes that are generally taken towards these fallen individuals or unaccommodated men. The first attitude is more of a pessimistic, judgmental attitude. This attitude puts the majority of the blame on the individuals themselves. The individuals are portrayed as being responsible either due to ignorance or laziness, and it is thought that the individuals got themselves into their deprived situation and they can also find their way out.

The second view is more optimistic and is usually more merciful and accepting. People taking this stance generally would take pity on the individuals thinking that their unfortunate situation was due to a simple case of bad luck, or that these individuals were taken advantage of or betrayed by others ultimately leaving them accommodated. In King Lear, the characters Lear, Gloucester, and Edgar were all betrayed by family members leading to their unaccommodated lives. Once again you can take the pessimistic, judgmental attitude or the optimistic, merciful attitude. When applied to the characters in King Lear, I choose to take the optimistic, merciful attitude.

King Lear was betrayed by his two daughters Goneril and Regan. King Lear wanted to distribute his land according to the amount of love that this daughters had for him. Granted this was an illogical method, his intentions were not to destruct the family and himself. He was also very harsh to Cordelia, but the ultimate event that took place to leave him unaccommodated was the betrayal by Goneril and Regan.

Lear put his trust in the wrong people, and it ended up placing him in a horrible situation. Now Lear did not make the smartest decisions, but what wrong did he commit in trusting his two daughters who professed their love for him to provide for his basic needs. "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child". (I, iv, 57). Lear voices his frustration with not being able to trust his own family members. Gloucester's downfall was also a case of betrayal.

His illegitimate son, Edmond, betrayed him into thinking that Edgar, his legitimate son, was plotting against him. One might say that Gloucester was ignorant in believing Edmond, and that he was illogical in not confronting Edgar. If one was plotting to kill his father, why would anything be revealed by confrontation. Obviously Gloucester would assume that Edgar was lying either way, especially since his life was on the line. The fact that Edgar was not trying to defend himself probably did not really help in proving his innocence either. Nevertheless, Gloucester was trying to protect his life and was trusting in something that ended up being an absurd lie.

But once again what wrong did he commit by trying to preserve his life, and believing in a story that seemed to be too serious to just be made up. "I have no way and therefore I want no eyes. I stumbled when I saw". (IV, i, 173.) Gloucester expresses his disappointment with himself and in his betrayer that caused him to stumble into his unaccommodated life. Edgar was also betrayed by Edmond.

He was, much like his father, trusting into the lie that Edmond fed him. Now one might ask, why did Edgar not go to confront his father about these issues? Would it have been smart for Edgar to go to his father when he was told that his father wanted to kill him? That also could have been throwing himself into the fire. So because, once again, Edmond's lie was so extreme Edgar chose for the method to preserve his life and hid out as the unaccommodated man, Tom O'Bedlam. What wrong did Edgar commit in this situation?

He was simply trying to preserve his life. He made a sacrifice of switching lifestyles to do so. "And worse I may be yet. The worst is not so long as we say 'this is the worst'".

(IV, i, 173.) Edgar still continued to have a slightly optimistic attitude through all of this. He knows that he could be worse off than he already is. Sure these characters did not make the best choices that they could have made in the situations that they were in, but that is very easy for us to see as outsiders. They did not see all of the different angles that we can see.

Who are we to judge them and say that they were ignorant or illogical and therefore brought this upon themselves? "I am a man more sinned against than sinning". ( , ii, 131.) Lear is right in claiming his lack of responsibility for his un accommodation. We are all human and we all make mistakes. Should we not be able to trust each other and especially our own family members? "Is man no more than this?" ( , iv, 78.) I agree with Lear in his questioning. It is sad to think that we cannot trust our own family members to look out for us in a world that is cruel enough as it is.

I cannot see any reason to blame men for ignorance and illogical thinking, when we are all guilty of such crimes. I would think that it would be more ethical to hold people accountable for being trustworthy and honest and not out to destroy.