The tragedy of William Shakespeare, King Lear, is not simply a story of the harmful effects of aging, but the illustration of a man prey to pride and arrogance. Initially, Lear sees himself as a man worthy of being worshiped by his family and friends, a condition from which he suffers deeply. “The world remains what it was, a merciless and heartbreaking world. Lear is broken, but he has learned…” (Stein 69). Through his experiences, Lear gradually realizes that his pride has made him lose contact with his humanity, which he regains when he is humiliated. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Lear abuses his authority when he plays favorites with his daughters. He is furious to learn that his youngest daughter, Cordelia, has nothing to say while her sisters offer eloquent testimony of their love, but he is all the more hypocritical. He said: “Out of nothing, nothing will come of it. Speak again” (II 90). He is arrogant in assuming that he can control his children's feelings and does not have the humility to accept that his daughter does not feel as important to him. Lear's arrogance prevents him from seeing that the clarity of Cordeila's speech indicated that she loved, but not to win. Likewise, he is unable to detect the insincerity of the cunning and flattering speeches made by Goneril and Regan. After realizing the truth, he is completely humiliated by his vile treatment of his innocent and beloved daughter. He says "I am a very foolish old man...I am for the most part ignorant" (IV.vii 60.65). Lear comes to recognize his limitations because he has been humiliated. Throughout his life, Lear felt that the rules did not apply to him due to his royal position. “A proud obstinacy becomes his case” (Elliott 263). His pride gets in the way when he banishes Kent. His arrogance would not allow Kent or anyone else to point out his wrongs. Busy in his quest for power, Lear is unable to see that Kent is one of the few willing to sacrifice himself for him. He pushes him further than anyone else and ends up losing him. “His passionate affection and loyalty to Lear act on our feelings in Lear's favor: virtue itself seems to be in his company” (Bonheim 19). It is only when he is humiliated that he begins to understand that his pride has caused him to sink even further and lose his sense of honesty and humanity. Due to his lack of humility throughout most of the play, Lear struggles to find his identity. He embodies this uncertainty since he never manages to give his name. He is far too preoccupied with his wealth and royalty to ignore his flaws and shortcomings. The identity he finally decides on is a recognition of present reality and his pitiful condition, a radical departure from the arrogant Lear of earlier scenes. He says "Four-sixty and counting, not an hour more or less;/and to be clear/I fear I am not in my perfect mind (IV.vi 53-6). He is rather shy and excuse, trying to kneel before Cordelia His ability to humble himself in this way indicates that he has begun to learn the true essence of humility In the same scene, Cordelia is seen caring for her father because. that Lear has wronged him, he finds reason for a possible reprimand admitting his faults and anticipating his punishment is a true mark of his humility. It is at this point that Lear abandons his kingship. titles with which she addresses him when told that he is in his own kingdom. replies: “Do not deceive me” (IV.vi. 71). summerhumiliated, he understands that his pride has caused him a huge disaster. Later in the play, Lear brings his guilty daughters to justice. The attempt is in vain, but it is justice as he knows it and wishes to assert his authority. His arrogance has robbed him of patience and so he makes this hasty decision.Lear's mind is constantly in motion, "...in a dynamic pattern of advance and retreat, capitulation and resistance" (Leggatt 78 ). There are instances where he fights his feelings and others where he expresses them directly, but as he recovers from his scourge of pride, he is confused. When his mental and physical frailty becomes apparent, Lear realizes that his pride has brought him to this point and that he cannot win and so he is humiliated. After the confrontation with Goneril, Lear begins to remember what he did. "I know you don't like it; for your sisters/Have, if I remember correctly, hurt me./You have a reason; they didn't do it" (IV.vi. 66-8). His identity is gradually reaffirmed. “I Know You Don’t Love Me” shows him in danger of repeating his old mistake about Cordelia; but at least he reestablishes some sense of his identity, not by counting the number of knights allowed to him, nor by making gestures of respect (he rejects them) but simply by realizing that he has a relationship with Cordelia (Leggatt 87). ).His all-consuming pride prevented him from accepting anyone's disapproval, but he is now aware that his pride has been the cause of great upheavals and is ready to suffer the consequences thanks to the humility he has acquired. There is a tension between Lear's awareness of his worldly surroundings and his absorption in himself. His royalty was a major distraction that increased his level of arrogance and prevented him from staying in touch with his common humanity. Goneril's mistreatment makes him question his identity: does anyone here know me? It's not Lear. Does Lear walk like this, does he talk like this? Where are his eyes? Either his notion is weakening, or his discernments Are lethargic?ha, ​​awakened? This is not the case. Who can tell me who I am? (I.iv. 208-212) Lear's sense of identity depends on how others treat him. Whereas before he had so much confidence in himself, this experience allows him to realize that his pride was making him reject his humanity. As his question indicates, Lear is about to embark on a journey of self-discovery due to the fact that he has become more humble. Lear's decreasing arrogance is also apparent when he is given fresh clothes in order to look respectable in front of Cordelia's husband. "In his previous tirades he was greatly ignorant of his absurdity. Now, with nothing absurd in him," (Leggatt 86), he asks gently, "Please do not mock"; “Do not mock me” (IV.vi. 52, 61[IV.vii]). Lear's old assertive nature begins to disappear. While he began as "...a man who grossly overestimated material things..." (Taylor 365), he is now aware that ostentatious clothing will not erase his pain. He learns that his arrogance made him lose touch with the fact that he was only an imperfect and limited human. Applying his humility, he no longer considers himself superior and realizes that his vanity led to his downfall. Lear's humility is also evident when he shows the pity he feels for the Fool in the midst of the storm: My spirits begin to turn. To deceive) Come on, boy. How is it, my boy? Are you cold? I'm cold myself. “Where is this straw, my friend? The art of our needs is strange, and can make base things precious. Come, your hovel. Poor fool and knave, I have a sharein my heart which is still sorry for you. (III.ii. 67-73) Lear grows in compassion and admits his own failures. Although the fool has an insignificant status, Lear realizes that humans are vulnerable creatures. Whereas before Lear "...ignored, if not out of cruel indifference, simply because he had not experienced it" (Dollimore 73), he now finds pity for a human other than himself . Lear also sympathizes with the poverty of the homeless because he himself is homeless, and with poor Tom because he claims that his daughter has wronged him. As a result of his difficult situation, he discovers pity for his neighbor, which demonstrates his humility. As his humility allows him to accept his bad fate, we no longer see the beast like Lear, but who is calm and more in contact with his humanity. Rumble they have the stomach! Spit, fire! Beak, rain! Neither rain, wind, thunder, fire, nor are my daughters my daughters: I do not impose on you, elements, with malice; I never gave you a kingdom, I did not call you children, You owe me no subscription; then let go of your horrible pleasure; here I am, your slave, a poor, infirm, weak and despised old man. (III.ii 14-20) There is some self-pity evident in Lear's words, but it is evident that he has lost much pride. . “For Lear, the assurance of the interconnectedness between man and nature is crumbling…” (Brooke 33). Through his humiliating life experiences, Lear realizes that pride no longer suits him because it is this pride that has caused him to lose his humanity. Lear's humility is unequivocally a breakthrough that leads him to seek forgiveness from Cordelia. This is not to say that he has undergone a complete transformation, but that Lear is slowly learning to be humble. “He reluctantly gropes toward his new life, trying at first to cling to old certainties of pain and punishment” (Leggatt 88). Lear's mind begins to expand as his concern for his kingship, his justice, and his power diminishes. He begins to worry less about worldly affairs and more about his family, namely Cordelia. From this reunion, it becomes clear that Lear is content to lose the battle and be sent to prison as long as he has Cordelia by his side. Come on, let's go to prison. Only the two of us will sing the birds of life in the cage. When you ask me to bless, I will kneel and ask for three pardons; so we will live, pray, sing, tell old stories, laugh at golden butterflies, and hear poor rascals talk about court news, and talk with them too? Who loses and who wins, who is in, who is out, and take on the mystery of things As if we were God's spies; and we will exhaust in a fortified prison packs and sects of greats who fluctuate and ebb to the rhythm of the moon. (V.iii. 8-19) In his heart there is a void that can only be removed in the company of his dearest daughter and he is ready to sacrifice his royalty to be with her. Lear realizes that being proud and seeking only wealth and status prevents him from recognizing his human need to be loved and therefore becomes more humble. Lear struggles to accept the cold fact that his beloved is dead. Cordelia's death is the final reality of the play, after which the efforts of human words cease to have an effect. His final speech repeats aspects of the entire play. "And my poor imbecile is hanged! No, no, no life?/ Why should a dog, a forest, a rat have life,/ And you, you no longer have any breath? You will never come back./ Never, never, never, never, never (To Kent) Please undo the button (V.iii. 281-6)., 1980.