Consider King Lear as a tragic hero.

Consider King Lear as a tragic hero.

The tragic hero with Shakespeare is a man in high social position, a King, or a Prince who has a fatal flaw that causes his ruin. He wins our sympathy in his error and by seeing his fall we may be conscious of the possibilities of human nature. King Lear is a man of great position but he lacks kingly qualities such as prudence and farsightedness. He has to face a terrible misfortune because of his pride, arrogance and lacking in self-control. The drama shows how the king falls suddenly from his highest peak of glory to dust and this fall causes pity and fear in the minds of the audience.

From the very beginning of the play we note that Lear has a number of faults of character. A long period of despotic rule in which he has been flattered and obeyed by everybody has made him autocratic and tyrannical. He has an "oppose less will" and the least opposition throws him into a violent fit of rage. This is seen in the way in which he disowns Cordelia and exiles Kent. He is haughty and too sentimental and indeed he has almost forgotten that he is a man• The curses which he showers on the head first of  then on the heads of Goneril and Regan, show that he thinks himself to be possessed of supernatural powers.

But Lear's suffering starts the moment he casts off Cordelia completely out of his rage and tries to make his home with Goneril and Regan in turn. He is not only rejected but also dishonoured by' them. King Lear is undoubtedly the most tragic of Shakespearean tragedies. It is true that Lear violates a lot of basic principles of existence in his vanity but his sufferings are out of proportion to his fault.

In King Lear we find both internal and external conflicts. The external conflict is between those faithful to the old King—Kent, Cordelia, Gloucester, etc. and those who seek to do him harm, i.e. his two hypocritical daughters, Edmund, Cornwall, etc. The selfish interest of Edmund brings him into conflict with his father and brother. There is also the invasion of France, and the consequent war of Goneril and Regan against French forces. There is internal conflict too. King Lear is torn within, and it is this conflict within his soul that drives him mad.

Despite all his failings, Lear does not deserve to die, nor does he deserve the quantum of suffering that Shakespeare delivers unto him. Yet once Shakespeare makes Lear suffer so much, he has no  option but to let him die because of his advanced years of eighty and upwards. However, we feel, Lear had an essential noble, frank and generous disposition. It is power which had corrupted him and made him vain, haughty and selfish. It is suffering which revives his true greatness and purifies his soul of various faults. Therefore the death of such a great man rouses our pity, fear and admiration. Thus, Lear surely attains the status of a tragic hero.