King Lear Group

Question:

snugbug90
snugbug90
Student
High School - 12th Grade

How is redemption present in "King Lear?"

king lear's character

through other characters

any other areas in the play

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Posted by snugbug90 on Saturday October 24, 2009 at 11:38 AM and tagged with characters, king lear.

Answers:


  1. pohnpei397 Teacher
    Community / Jr. College

    eNotes Editor

    The two main places where I see redemption in King Lear are in the stories of King Lear and Gloucester, respectively.

    Both Lear and Gloucester sin, if you will, early in the play.  Lear is cruel to the daughter who least deserves it, while Gloucester disinherits Edgar.

    Both Gloucester and Lear suffer terribly as a result of the wrongs they have done to their children.  Through their suffering they come, by the end of the play to have more empathy and humility and indeed humanity than they had at the beginning.  This, to me, is redemption.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/king-lear/themes

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    Posted by pohnpei397 on Saturday October 24, 2009 at 11:53 AM

  2. osbornis
    osbornis Student
    High School - 12th Grade

    To add to the above ideas, also another portrayal of regeneration in King Lear is that by the end of the play, there is nothing standing in Edgar's way to re-generate society and move it forward due to the events of the play.

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    Posted by osbornis on Friday November 27, 2009 at 4:59 AM