Divine Justice In King Lear

Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers

is that which Gloucester suffers. The plucking of Gloucester’s eyed can be perceived into another instance in which divine justice is lacking. Gloucester has made several errors in judgment, as has Lear; but the brutal nature of Gloucester’s blinding – the plucking out of his eyes is surely in excess of any errors he might have made.

Both Lear and Gloucester endure terrible physical and mental suffering as punishment for their misjudgment, but before dying, both men are reunited with the child each earlier rejected. This resolution of the child-parent conflict, which earlier tore apart both families, may be seen as an element of divine justice, although it offers little gratification for the audience.

Throughout King Lear, the audience has witnessed Edmund’s growing success as a reward for his evil machinations. But when Edgar and Edmund meet in Act V, the duel between these two brothers is very different from the traditional match for sport:

“Draw the sword,
That if my ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades. Already a member? Login

CITE THIS PAGE: