king lear by william shakespeare

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King Lear by William Shakespeare
A tragic hero refers to the protagonist who experiences a tragic fall by his or her choices. William Shakespeare is known for his use of tragedy in plays, with a good example being King Lear. King Lear, the main protagonist, is projected as a just and fair ruler. However, his flaws influence the occurrence of a tragic ending. From an analytical viewpoint, King Lear’s main flaws, pride, and blindness cause his tragic fall.
King Lear is first projected as a kind and generous ruler. As a result of his generosity, he chooses to equally divide his realm among his three daughters. His fall begins when he urges his daughters to pledge the love that they have for him before getting their shares. Goneril and Regan agree but Cordelia who views the praises as hypocritical, refuses to praise him. Pride influences Lear to disown and banish Cordelia because of her decision. Lear compares his daughter to a “barbarous Scythian”; an aspect that compares Cordelia to the savages. He states;
The barbarous Scythian,
Or he that makes his generation messes
To gorge, his appetite, shall to my bosom
Be as well neighbored, pitied, and relieved
As thou my sometime daughter (Shakespeare Act 1 Scene 1)
Therefore, it can be viewed that his first tragic flaw is pride. If King Lear had not been overwhelmed by pride, he would have recognized the false praises from Goneril and Regan.
Pride leads to his second tragic flaw, blindness. Lear is overwhelmed with receiving praises which make him fail to see the falsehood emanating from Goneril and Regan.

Through the false praises, the daughters manage to manipulate him. When Lear loses his mind, the two daughters abandon him to wander off in the middle of a furious storm.
The first three acts set up a tragic ending as they reveal King Lear’s pride and blindness that create a foundation for his fall. It can be viewed that it is from his flaws that Lear loses his mind. He wants to remain the king instead of retiring but does not want to engage in kingly duties. Also, Cordelia’s marriage to the King of France lays out a foundation for France to attempt and save King Lear’s territory during war. The war later causes Cordelia’s death and hence bringing about a tragic ending.
As stated earlier, from an analytical viewpoint, King Lear’s main flaws, pride and blindness cause his tragic fall. His pride influences him to disown his daughter for not praising him while his blindness makes him unable to view the falsehood emanating from Goneril and Regan’s praises. The flaws, in return, prompt the development of King Lear’s madness and the incapability to rule which later place him as a tragic hero.
Work Cited
Shakespeare, William. “King Lear”. Folger digital texts, 2018, http://www.folgerdigitaltexts.org/?chapter=5&play=Lr&loc=p7. Accessed 26 June, 2018.