King Lear is a play that offers profound meaning and insight into the human condition. For much of the ply most of the characters live a life that is devoid of any really purpose outside of advancing their own selfish interests; they are too consumed by their pursuit of power and pride to think about the consequences of their actions and their poor treatment of those around him. Most of the characters pursue these interests at the expense of all else; the lives of other people, including their own families, are almost completely disregarded. This behavior results in a complete breakdown of the family dynamic in Lear and the result of this breakdown is devastating for the characters in the play as nearly all of them meet a grisly demise by time it reaches its conclusion.
Perhaps no character is more representative of this lack of meaningful purpose than Lear himself. Lear is a king who couldn’t care less about the people he rules over; he is only interested in maintaining his massive ego and ensuring that he is able to continue living his comfortable, carefree life without having to burden himself with governing for the good of his subjects. He is the most powerful and important figure in his society; however, all of the power and influence he commands ultimately does not matter because in the end these values which he prizes above all else are hollow and he has nothing of substance in his life to live for. At the beginning of the play Lear pits his daughters against each other in a contest, asking each of them to proclaim that they love him more than their sisters do, a clear demonstration that he values appearances (even those that are clearly false) over reality.
This is the set up for a play that seeks to demonstrate the destructive ends that result when men live only for themselves and reject others as for the rest of the play; Lear is confronted with the consequences of his own hubris. Reagan and Goneril swiftly move to undermine what little authority he still holds and Lear ultimately chooses to flee the kingdom because he is unable to deal with his daughter’s betrayal. It is only when Lear finds himself wandering a heath during a great thunderstorm, accompanied by his Fool and by Kent, a loyal nobleman in disguise that he is finally forced to confront his weakness and insignificance in comparison to the awesome forces of the natural world. He is confronted with his shortcomings both as a leader (he comes upon a hovel a symbol of the poverty that defined his kingdom during his reign) and a father (he realizes disowning Cordelia was a massive mistake and vows to cherish her above all else if he is ever able to find his way back to her). He truly becomes a more humble and caring individual and eventually finds that he has something beyond his own selfish wants to live for: he concludes that he would rather live in prison with Cordelia than rule again as a king.
It is ironic than that after a lifetime of selfish behavior and hollow living, Lear dies at the very moment he finally finds purpose in life and realizes what he has to live for. Indeed, this is a tragic moment but this tragedy is incredibly meaningful because it shows that man’s world is not a just or fair one. By ending the play in such a tragic fashion Shakespeare begs humanity to ponder whether or not it is valuable to live “morally” (Shakespeare defines a moral life as a life lived for others) when life will end in cruelty and madness regardless of one’s own actions.
Clearly, Shakespeare sees selflessness as valuable for while Lear ultimately dies, he is able to do so with more comfort and purpose than he ever lived with for he knows that he has found a purpose (his daughter) in life.
Clearly, Shakespeare sees selflessness as valuable for while Lear ultimately dies, he is able to do so with more comfort and purpose than he ever lived with for he knows that he has found a purpose (his daughter) in life.
