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King Lear - Online Paper

King Lear

King Lear, one of many of Shakespeare’s plays is a tragedy based on political authority and family dynamics. Aristotle’s idea of a tragedy also fits in with King Lear. He says that a tragic hero is a character of noble stature and greatness. And that the character must occupy a high status position but must also embody nobility and virtue as part of his inner character. This could be used to argue that Gloucester may be an alternative tragic hero to Lear because of the similar characteristics found throughout the play. Both Lear and Gloucester are in high status positions in the play, Lear is king of Britain whilst Gloucester is the Earl of Gloucester.

In my opinion, all tragedies ...

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but because of the fatal flaw in the hero’s own character. Lear’s fatal flaw was the love test, believing his two older daughters instead of his youngest who was in fact the most loyal and Gloucester’s demise was the result of the trust he put into his bastard son Edmund which lead to him plotting against his legitimate son Edgar. Before bad happens to the hero, he comes a moment of realisation, but this realisation comes too late for them to be able to prevent their own fate. Lear and Gloucester realise their mistakes when it is too late. However, whatever their faults, we, as the audience never stop identifying sympathetically with the tragic hero. This can be an argument for Gloucester being the alternative tragic hero since the audience may never have stopped sympathising with him as with Lear.

King Lear opens with the tragic hero at the heights of his fortune, which in this case, is the king Lear himself. The king of Britain is used to enjoying the absolute power and to ...

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King Lear. (2011, March 27). Retrieved January 15, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/King-Lear/96897

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"King Lear." Essayworld.com. March 27, 2011. Accessed January 15, 2026. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/King-Lear/96897.

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 3/27/2011 03:57:39 PM
Submitted By: nilima
Category: Shakespeare
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 935
Pages: 4

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