In King Lear, the recurring images of sight and blindness associated with the characters of Lear and Gloucester illustrate the theme of self-knowledge and consciousness that exists in the play. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayThese classic clichés are reversed in King Lear, producing a situation in which those with healthy eyes ignore what is happening around them and those without vision appear to "see" more clearly. While Lear's "blindness" is metaphorical, Gloucester's blindness, which advances the play's parallel plot, is literal. However, both characters suffer from the inability to see the true nature of their children, an ability acquired only when the two patriarchs have fallen into the deepest depths of depravity. Through a close reading of the text, I will argue that Shakespeare uses Gloucester's plot to explain Lear's plot and, indeed, contextualizes Lear's metaphorical blindness with Gloucester's physical loss of sight. When the audience is first introduced to Lear, he is portrayed as a furious, vain old man who cannot see the purity of his daughter Cordelia's love for him from the insincerity of his sisters Goneril and Regan. In his burning rage after disowning Cordelia, Lear orders Kent, "Get out of my sight!" (1.1.156). Kent fittingly implores the aged king to "See better, Lear; and let me still remain / The very emptiness of thy eyes" (1.1.157-8). Kent recognizes love in its noblest form in the person of Cordelia, and is able to see through the hypocrisy of Lear's other two daughters. In pleading with Lear to "[s]ee better," Kent is, in effect, asking Lear to look past his vanity and inner pride to see the honesty of Cordelia, who refuses to put her love on display for his father. In the first act of the play, therefore, Shakespeare set the theme of conscience, using the metaphor of sight. Kent's imperative to "see better" is pushing Lear not to use his visual faculty, but, metaphorically, to become aware of what is happening around him; see the world as it really is. It is fascinating that, at Kent's imperative, Lear swears: "Now, by Apollo..." (1.1.159). Since Apollo is the sun god whose maxim is "know thyself," it is especially significant that Lear is invoking the god associated with sharpness of vision and light, when he himself remains unenlightened. The implacable Kent recognizes Lear's blindness as well as the futility of calling on the god of self-knowledge and, despite the king's growing anger, declares, "You swear your gods in vain" (1.1.161). conscience is emphasized by Gloucester's plot in King Lear. Gloucester, like Lear, is an elderly man who has yet to learn the true nature of his children. In this way he shares Lear's metaphorical blindness, but Shakespeare does not stop there; also adds physical sight damage to Gloucester's character. Gloucester is said to need "spectacles" to read the fabricated letter his son Edmund presents to him. Ironically, even with the use of a tool to augment his vision, Gloucester is still unable to see things as they truly are. Without any previous provocation and almost no "ocular" evidence, Gloucester immediately believes that his legitimate son Edgar has hatched a conspiracy against him. Shakespeare increases Gloucester's metaphorical blindness by throwing him offstage during Lear's exile of Cordelia. So in this sense, Gloucester is blind on stage. Had he been present, Gloucester would have been able to gain awareness of children's insincerity, as illustrated by Goneril and Regan, and apply it to his,.