Student Question

Discuss King Lear's flaws as presented in Act 1.

Quick answer:

While at first Lear's flaw seems to be his pride, his flaw is actually more complex than that. His pride blinds him to the virtue in Cordelia, but it also blinds him to his own folly.

Expert Answers

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In the first act Lear is blinded by his pride. He wants things to go one way - to be one way - and when his vision is not carried out to perfection, Lear gets angry. The entirety of Lear's tragedy is predicted by his own flaws, which are clearly articulated in the first act. 

Too proud, too bold, too full of self-regard, Lear fails to see the virtue in Cordelia and fails to see his own folly.

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That King Lear appears as a flawed character in Act I should surprise no one. There are no perfect characters in this play, or indeed, in any of Shakespeare's plays. They are all flawed, as all humanity is flawed in the larger world. However, the king's flaws are more important than the average person's, because his mistakes reshape entire kingdoms. When Lear says "Only we shall retain / The name, and all the additions to a king"  he is demonstrating a dangerous and fundamental misunderstanding of kingship and power. You can't give it away and keep it at the same time, but that's what he tries to do. The result is a kingdom in chaos, and, eventually, many deaths.

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