Paper Summary:

The paper highlights Shakespeare's theme of wandering and return, in "King Lear", through the physical and mental journey of the protagonist, King Lear, and through Shakespeare's use of the metaphors of sight, perception and blindness. The paper first addresses the indiscriminate ruthlessness of the forces of nature within the play that raises pertinent questions about whether a true return can ever be achieved in the harsh and unforgiving world that Shakespeare evokes. The paper then considers that the spiritual development of both of the characters, Lear and Gloucester, paves the way for a form of "return" and reconciliation. The paper discusses, however, how this moral awakening comes too late and the play inevitably results in tragedy, possibly suggesting that true return can only be achieved through the consolation of death.

From the Paper:

"First and foremost, Shakespeare's play explores the physical wanderings of its protagonist, marking the tumultuous journey from Lear's palace to Dover through an unforgiving storm. As a consequence of their respective self-centredness and naivety, both King Lear and the Earl of Gloucester fall from a state of prosperity and comfort, causing them to flee from civilisation and witness their political authority slip into the hands of disloyal offspring. The increasing impotence of Lear in regard to his drifting status is aptly symbolised by the dismissal of his knights, a poignant loss that prompts Kozintsev to write of a sheltered "microcosm" in which Lear inhabits prior to his downfall, thus leaving him unexposed to the cruel reality of life. In this sense, Lear's departure from regal autocracy to helpless destitution shatters his superficial existence, forcing him to grapple with the concepts of guilt, injustice, and the naked extremes of human suffering."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Algernon Charles Swinburne, "A Study of Shakespeare" [1876]. In The King Lear Perplex, Ed. Helmut Bonheim. (California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, Inc., 1960), p. 38.
• Grigori Kozintsev, Shakespeare: Time and Conscience. (London: Dobson Books Ltd, 1967), p. 68.
• Dieter Mehl, Shakespeare's Tragedies: An Introduction. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986), p. 92.
• Kenneth Muir, Shakespeare's Tragic Sequence. (London: Routledge, 1972), pp. 140-1.

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