Ashley Tao

Using the following passages as the starting point for a discussion of appearance vs reality. Not
sure which passages you used here???

William Shakespeare contrasts appearance with reality through numerous examples in “King Lear”, in
order to signify the importance of perception, and thus explore?? tthe possible severe consequences
associated with it in reality. From an initially powerful and self-righteous King to a “foolish fond old man”,
Shakespeare demonstrates, with concise examples, how the journey from blindness to reality may lead to
tragic and incurable consequences. Good attempt at the introduction

The fatal flaw in Lear is perhaps not his arrogance, stubbornness, or his childish demand for publicly
shown love, but his inability to distinguish between the apparent love/loyalty, and the hidden treacherous,
flattery reality. Convinced by Goneril and Regan’s somewhat dishonest, hollow flatteries of love (“Sir, I love
you more than word can wield the matter. Dearer than eyesight, space and liberty ”), Don’t put quotes in
brackets – integrate them into your written text Lear gives away his kingdom to his false-hearted
daughters in a futile attempt to enjoy the fame without fulfilling the necessary obligations and
responsibilities. While the morality of his initial action to conduct such love contest is yet to be questioned,
his blindness to honesty and one’s true identity is indeed quite apparent to the readers.

Not only he is unable to see the true character of Goneril and Regan through their apparent eloquent love
exaggerations in Act 1 (“A love that makes breath poor and speech unable; beyond all manners of so
much I love you”), Lear also fails to recognize that Cordelia is the true embodiment of loyalty and
authentic, silent love. (“I am sure my love’s more ponderous than my tongue. Love and be silent.”) When
Cordelia speaks “what she feels and not what she ought to say”, Lear is outraged at Cordelia’s seemingly
proud “plainness”. His preference of the apparent flattery over hurtful reality is further illustrated when he
demands to question Regan about the mistreatment of his servant – “Kent”. Although it is perceptible that
Regan uses an excuse of ‘illness’ as to avoid confronting him, Lear refuses to believe his beloved
daughter’s, first Goneril and then Regan’s immediate betrayal. Perhaps the irony of the denial to face the
unexpected, and often cruel reality is what causes Lear to continuously repeat his mistakes of seeing
appearance over reality in “King Lear”. Very good discussion of the appearance versus reality theme

It is only until Lear experiences double refusal of accommodation quest from Goneril and Regan in act 2
that he begins to see a fragment of reality – the true opportunistic nature of two of his seemly charming
daughters. “She hath tied sharp-tooth’d unkindness, like a vulture”. Shakespeare exploits appearance vs
reality to such extent that made Lear’s suffering and madness seem sorrow, yet justified at the same time.
Ironically, Lear only gains insight and sees the reality when he is insane, and reduced to “a poor, infirm,
weak and despised old man”. The irony is of course a crucial factor in the play

Good to state the parallel plot Parallel to Lear’s inability/harmatia to acknowledge truth over deceitful lies
and flatteries, is Gluocester’s akin blindness and credulity to trust the bad and to reject his good, legitimate
son. As Edmund, the illegitimate son, confronts Edgar in Act1 Scene2, he says “Brother, I advise you to
the best; I am no honest man if thereby any good meaning toward you” Blinded by the apparently honest
and loyal brother love, Edgar immediately falls into believing the seemingly reasonable “appearance”.
Edgar’s lack of perception in recognizing the ruthless, deceiving nature in “bastard” Edmund, leads to his
instant self-justification. “Some villain hath done me wrong” Paradoxically, his reference to “villain” is in fact
no one else but the seemly “lovable” brother in front of him. It is even more ironic that earlier in scene, the
same term “villain” was used by Gluocester to show his rage and anger towards Edgar’s “apparent
 Ashley Tao

conspiracy”. (”Abhorred villain! Unnatural, detested, brutish villain!”)

Both Gluocester and Edgar are exceptionally credulous in believing Edmund’s one-side statements and
his apparent ‘honesty and loyalty’. The confrontation between Edmund and Edgar, Edmund and
Gluocester in act 1 scene 2, in essence demonstrates the nature of the characters Shakespeare has set in
the play; While the evil, hypocrites (Goneril, Regan and Edmund) disguises themselves through the
apparent loyalties, the good characters ironically disguises their appearances in order to remain loyal.
(Kent, Cordelia and Edgar)
The emphasis on the sight/blindness imagery is strongly developed through the text

It is not until Lear becomes mad and Gluocester lost his physical sight that they begin to gain insight of the
reality over “appearnces”. (“I stumble when I saw”). As Lear wanders mad and hallucinates in the storm,
he sees how the real nature of Goneril and Regan defers from their flatteries. Their illusory flatteries are
merely hollow, empty tools that they employ in order to get a share of his kingdom. He sees the cruel
reality of the disordered society in the storm and confesses that he ‘has taken too little care of this’.
Gluocester too, on the other hand, sees reality of his son’s nature after undergoing enormous, terrible
suffering. He displays unfathomable guilt and regret for mistrusting the legitimate son, wishing to ”live to
see thee in my touch. I’d say I had eyes again.”

In conclusion, both Lear and Gluocester are blinded to the appearance of their deceiving children. Their
rejection to truth and reality, as represented by Cordelia and Edgar, is ultimately responsible for their
poignant suffering and tragic death at the end. Shakespeare cleverly employs appearance vs reality to
warn his viewers that such lack of perception to reality is likely to cause irremeably consequences on
oneself, as well as the people close to them.

A very well structured essay – a clearly developed point of view – obvious understanding of the text – just
work on weaving the quotes into the text rather than just putting them in brackets.

Well done
ET5