Lear & Oedipus: Image vs. Reality sample essay

In both Sophocles’ Oedipus the Kind and Shakespeare’s King Lear there are vivid manifestations of irony about reality and the views of heroes. What both heroes thought about the world around them was absolutely different from what this world represented in reality. While Lear thought of himself as of generous, and kindest of all kings, in reality he was a cruel, protagonist, haughty king, whose levity led to deaths of many people. In addition, he was blind enough to accept the flatter of his older daughters, and this mistake together with the wrong worldview represented the blindness of Lear. The blindness of Oedipus, on the other hand, was not dependent on him, since the secrets about his real parents were kept from him purposefully. Unlike Lear, Oedipus was put into the circumstances by force, and he did not know about what had happened to him in childhood.

The blindness of Shakespeare’s hero King Lear consisted in his failure to understand some basic humane ideas. At the beginning of the book the setting in which he dwelled consisted of great power and responsibility. However, blindness is a word that means so much more than just a physical flaw. Rather, King Lear can serve to show that the term applies also to one's ability to use reason in a logical process of thought. In particular, blindness describes some characters' lack of good judgement when it comes to seeing another for whom they really are. King Lear, Gloucester and Albany are three prime examples of characters, who suffered most due to being blind. Lear was unmistakably the blindest of these. It would be fair to say that because Lear was King, the reader should expect him to have outstanding reasoning skills. Unfortunately, as the story progressed, it became clear that his lack of insight prevented him from making the right decisions. This flaw would lead to the eventual downfall of Lear. The first apparent mistake came when Lear allowed himself to be fooled by Regan and Goneril, and gave to them his throne. The two did not love him at all. Lear never understood the depth of Cordelia's love for him. He banished his only daughter from the kingdom without giving any real thought to what she had said. Lear did say to his only true daughter, "...for we have no such daughter, nor shall we ever see that face of hers again. Therefore be gone without our grace, our love, our benison."

In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King the main character’s blindness has absolutely different meaning. Unlike king Lear, Oedipus is not responsible for this blindness. Contrarily, his parents are responsible for it, because they dislodged him out of his homelands when he was a little baby. Being a very wise and witty by nature, Oedipus fails to understand that he cannot escape his fate, and that he shall go through the destined path. When he first heard about his doom, he had a chance to remove the “blindfold,” but he refused to do so. But who would believe such horrifying news? So he cannot be blamed for distrust. Generally, Oedipus had no other option than to be blind. Although there are several spots in the book where the truth was revealed to him, but he could not accept it due to the absurdity of it nature.

The enlightenment of both heroes, Oedipus and Lear, is different in many ways. When Lear understood that he had been blind for so many years, he lost his mind and went mad. The crucial factor here is that it was he who had was guilty of the blindness. He did have a choice, whether to be blind or not, and o he subconsciously chose to be blind. So if the two heroes are compared, Lear is definitely in a worse situation. On the other hand, Oedipus is overwhelmed with shock and horror, when he realized the truth. He had no choice whether to be blind or not, and so he cannot be blamed for what had happened. It was not his decision to murder his own father, and to sleep with his mother. Therefore, he is not responsible for his spiritual blindness. The violent scene of pricking out his own eyes highlights the concept of his spiritual blindness present throughout the book.

Shakespeare’s King Lear and Sophocles’ Oedipus the King are two great tragedies, which demonstrate the natural errors of human nature. While in his book Shakespeare emphasizes attention on the failure of a powerful man to maintain simple humane characteristics, Sophocles stresses the idea of inevitability of fate and destiny. The paths of both heroes are similar in terms of blindness and enlightenment. However, each hero is blindfolded throughout the book due to different reasons. Unlike, King Lear, who had put himself in horrible circumstances (and denied his younger daughter for true and genuine love), Oedipus was a subject to horrible conditions even before he grew up and regardless of his decisions. Both heroes were blind until the end of the book, and encountered enlightenment with shock and pity. The realization of his own horrible action led Lear to madness and heart attack. While Oedipus, when got to know the truth about himself, could not endure the shame, and wished for immediate exile. Ultimately, neither of the character could endure their enlightenment.
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