Comparative Essay
Oedipus the King and King Lear
The Theme of Blindness
March 22, 2000
BJ Wheatley
In Sophocles and Shakespearean terms, blindness means a completely different thing. Blindness can normally be defined as the inability of the eye to see, but according to both plays; blindness is not always a physical quality, but a mental flaw some people possess. Out of both plays, Shakespeare's King Lear has the most dominant theme of blindness. King Lear, Gloucester, and Albany are three prime examples Shakespeare incorporates this theme into. Oedipus is the only one that shows blindness is Sophocles play. Each of these characters blindness was the primary cause of the bad decisions they made; decisions which all of them would eventually come to regret.
The blindest one of all would be King Lear. It is because of Lear's high position in society as king, he was supposed to be able to distinguish between the good and evil; unfortunate for Lear his lack of insight prevented him to do so. The first act of blindness from Lear came at the begging of the play. First, his two eldest daughters deceived him, then he was unable to see the true love Cordelia's felt for him, and as a result, he banished her from the kingdom with the following words:
"...For we
Have no such daughter. Nor shall ever see
That face of her again. Therefore be gone
Without our grace, our love, our benison."
(Act I, Sc I, Ln 265-267)
Kent, one of Lear's loyal followers was also banished because of Lear's blindness. Kent was able to see Cordelia's true love for her father, and tried to protect her from her blind father's irrational behavior. After Kent was banished, he created disguise for himself and was hired as Lear's servant. Lear's inability to determine his servants true identity proved once again how blind Lear was. As the play progressed, Lear' eyesight reached close to ...