King Lear is a brutal play, filled with human cruelty and awful, meaningless disasters. Like many of Shakespeare’s plays it involves a tragic hero, as well as King Lear, Macbeth, Hamlet and Othello all contain a tragic hero within their story lines.
King Lear’s basic flaw at the beginning of the play is that he values appearance over reality. He wants to be treated like a king but he doesn’t want to fulfill a kings obligations. His “love tests”, which he asks his three daughters to participate in, demonstrate that he values a flattering public display of love over real love. He doesn’t ask “which of you doth love us most?” but instead he asks “which of you shall we say doth love us most?” Continue reading Example Essay on King Lear