Essay: See Beyond the Surface: Figurative Blindness in Shakespeare’s King Lear

In Shakespeare’s play King Lear, there are several characters that suffer from figurative blindness. King Lear and his acquaintance Gloucester, are both blind to their children’s actions and misjudge which of their children they can trust, leading to their inevitable downfalls.
King Lear’s blindness is what leads to his fall from power and loss of control over his daughters. Essentially all of Lear’s problems stem from his poor judgment, for example, when Lear banishes his daughter Cordelia. He demands each of his daughters to confess how much they love him. While Goneril and Regan lie to flatter Lear, Cordelia is the only one truly honest with him. When she tells Lear that she loves him very much, but she must also reserve love for her future husband, Lear is furious. He banishes her and states “Hence and avoid my sight!” (1.1.138-139). Cordelia is Lear’s only daughter with his true interest at heart and by banishing he loses one of the few people in his life he can truly trust. Soon after Lear banishes Cordelia his friend Kent tells him how he is not acting rationally. He points out how Lear is not thinking clearly and needs to reevaluate the situation. He instructs him to “See better, Lear; and let me still remain The true blank of thine eye.” (I.I.167-168). In this instance, Kent expresses how clear Lear’s blindness is. It is apparent to characters around Lear that he is acting without reason and cannot see who has his best interest at heart. Lear does not appreciate Kent’s advice and he immediately banishes him as well. In doing so Lear banishes yet another person who cared about his well being the most. After Lear banishes both Kent and Cordelia the only person who will tell him the truth is the fool. Although the fool speaks the truth Lear does not take him seriously and what he is saying is either laughed at or simply ignored. The fool’s position allows him to speak plainly and honestly without consequence. His words reflect the true nature of Lear’s blindness.
Gloucester is equally as figuratively blind as Lear. When he receives a letter forged by Edmund that states his son Edgar is going to try to kill him he immediately believes it, and sends for someone to kill his son Edgar. Edgar has always been a loyal son, and Gloucester has no reason to believe that Edgar would want to kill him. However, Gloucester’s blindness lets him believe that he is doing the right thing by killing his only legitimate son. His blindness also prevents him from seeing that Edmund is scheming to take Edgar’s position of heir to the kingdom. Gloucester’s figurative blindness turns literal later in the play. After Gloucester helped Lear escape from Dover, Goneril orders for the Duke of Cornwall to pluck out Gloucester’s eyeballs leaving him blind. After Gloucester is physically made blind he has more figurative sight than he did when he could actually see. This is apparent when Edgar is hiding from his father to avoid death and he disguises himself as a beggar, Lear trusts the beggar because he could not tell that he was his son Edgar. “’Tis the times’ plague, when madmen lead the blind. Do as I bid thee, or rather do thy pleasure;Above the rest, be gone.” (IV.I.55-57) This scene is ironic because Gloucester’s figurative blindness is what turned him against his loyal son and it is his literal blindness that reunites them.
Albany, Goneril’s husband is another character in the play unable to see the true nature of those around him. Albany is blind to Goneril’s rapacious actions. When he notices how Goneril so easily takes advantage of her father for his land and wealth, he should have been aware of her dishonesty and expected betrayal, yet he did not. Goneril repeatedly cheats on Albany and he still stays faithful to her. When Goneril plots to kill Albany, in yet another power scheme, he is completely blind to her deception. To Albany’s luck he avoids being killed by Goneril with help from Edgar. Edgar gives Albany sight, inspiring him to confront his wife. He does so by saying “O Goneril,/ You are not worth the dust which the rude wind /Blows in your face!” (4.2.29-31). Albany getting his figurative sight back liberates him from Goneril and he is rewarded by becoming the King of Britain the position Lear had in the beginning of the play.
In the play King Lear written by William Shakespeare blindness is more than not having the ability to see, it is also a mental flaw where one is oblivious to others actions. This recurring theme caused many characters to make flawed decisions. King Lear’s figurative blindness is what causes him to split his land between his disloyal daughters, leading to his fall from power and descent into insanity. Gloucester suffers the same fate, however, when he loses his literal sight he becomes more aware of those around him and who he should trust. Albany is another character who’s lack of sight almost cost him his life, luckily he was able to escape his temporary period of blindness and get control of Britain. These men are prime examples in Shakespeare’s work of King Lear that prove that having sight is more than having the ability to see.