William Shakespeare's tragedy, King Lear, is not simply a story about the negative effects of aging, but an illustration of a man plagued by pride and arrogance. Initially, Lear believes himself to be a man worthy of adoration by his family and friends, an evil from which he suffers deeply. «The world remains what it was, a ruthless and heartbreaking world. Lear is devastated, but he has learned…' (Stein 69). Through his experiences, Lear gradually realizes that his pride has caused him to lose touch with his humanity, which he finds again when he is humiliated. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Lear abuses his authority when he plays favorites with his daughters. He is enraged to hear that his youngest daughter, Cordelia, has nothing to say while her sisters present an eloquent testimony of their love, only it is much more insincere. He says: "From nothing nothing will come. 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 may not have that much feelings for him. Lear's arrogance prevents him from seeing that Cordeila's simplicity of speech indicated that she loved, but not for gain. Likewise, he is unable to detect the insincerity of the sly and flattering speeches uttered by Goneril and Regan. After being made aware of the truth, he is completely humiliated by the vile treatment meted out to his beloved, innocent daughter. He says "I am a very foolish and affectionate old man... I am above all ignorant" (IV.vii 60,65). Lear comes to recognize his limitations as a result of humility. Throughout his life, Lear felt that the rules did not apply to him due to his royal position. “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 mistakes. Absorbed in his quest for power, Lear fails to see that Kent is one of the few willing to sacrifice himself for him. He pushes it further than anyone else and eventually loses it. “His [Kent's] passionate affection and loyalty to Lear act on our feelings in favor of Lear: virtue itself seems to be in company with him” (Bonheim 19). It is only when he is humiliated that he begins to understand that his pride has caused him to sink further and lose his sense of honesty and humanity. Due to his lack of humility throughout much of the play, Lear has difficulty finding his identity. He embodies that uncertainty because he can never give himself a name. He is too busy with his wealth and royalty to fail to consider his flaws and shortcomings. The identity he ultimately settles on is an acknowledgment of the present reality and his pitiful condition, a drastic change from the arrogant Lear of the previous scenes. He says "Four score and upwards, neither an hour nor more nor less;/ and to speak clearly/ I fear I am not in my perfect mind (IV.vi 53-6). He is rather shy and apologetic, trying to kneel before Cordelia Her ability to humble herself in this way indicates that she has begun to learn the true essence of humility In the same scene, Cordelia is seen caring for her father Since Lear has hurt her, she finds reason for a possible admonition admitting his faults and anticipating punishment is a true sign of his humility It is at this point that Lear renounces his kingship He refuses to recognize the titles with which she addresses him when he is told that he is in his kingdom he replies: "Do not abuse me" (IV.vi. 71).humiliated, he comes to understand that his pride has caused him enormous devastation. Later in the play, Lear puts his guilty daughters on trial. The attempt is in vain, but this is justice as he knows it and he wishes to assert his authority. His arrogance has taken away his patience and so he makes this hasty decision.Lear's mind is constantly in motion, "...in a dynamic pattern of advance and retreat, surrender and resistance" (Leggatt 78). There are times when he fights his feelings and others when he expresses them directly, but as he is recovering from the plague of pride, he is confused. As his mental and physical frailty become apparent, Lear realizes that his pride has brought him to this point and that he cannot win and therefore feels humiliated. After the fight with Goneril, Lear begins to remember what he has done. "I know you do not love; your sisters/ They have done me, if I remember correctly, harm. / You have some reason; they have not" (IV.vi. 66-8). Its identity is gradually reaffirming itself. "I Know You Don't Love Me" shows him in some danger of repeating his old mistake about Cordelia; but at least he is re-establishing some sense of his identity, not through counting the number of knights he is granted, or gestures of respect (he rejects them) but simply through the knowledge that he is in a relationship with Cordelia (Leggatt 87). His All-consuming pride has prevented him from accepting anyone's disapproval, but he is now aware that his pride has been the cause of great turmoil and he is ready to suffer the consequences by virtue of the humility he has gained. There is a tension between Lear's awareness of his worldly surroundings and his absorption with himself. His kingship was a major distraction that increased his level of arrogance and prevented him from staying in touch with his common humanity. Goneril's mistreatment of him leads him to question his identity: does anyone here know me? This is not Lear. Does Lear walk like this, talk like this? Where are his eyes? Or does his notion weaken, his discernment lethargic? Oh, awake? It's not like that. Who can tell me who I am? (I.iv. 208-212) Lear's sense of identity depends on how other people treat him. Where before he had so much confidence in himself, this experience allows him to realize that his pride has led him to reject his humanity. As his question suggests, Lear is on the verge of embarking on a journey of self-discovery as a result of becoming more humble. The decrease in Lear's arrogance is also evident when he is given new clothes to appear respectable in front of Cordelia's husband. "In his early tirades, he was quite unaware of his absurdity. Now, with nothing absurd about him," (Leggatt 86) asks gently, "Please don't mock"; 'Don't laugh at me' (IV.vi. 52, 61[IV.vii]). Lear's old self-affirming nature begins to disappear. Although he began as “…a man who grossly overvalued material things…” (Taylor 365), he now knows that ostentatious clothing will not erase his pain. He learns that his arrogance caused him to lose touch with the fact that he was simply an imperfect and limited human being. An application of his humility, he no longer considers himself superior and realizes that his conceit has 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 wits begin to change.( To deceive) Come on, my boy. How are you, my boy? Are you cold? I'm cold too. «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 scoundrel, I have a part of my heart that still feels sorry for you.(III.ii. 67-73) Lear grows in compassion and admits his failures. Although the fool has an insignificant status, Lear realizes that humans are vulnerable creatures. While previously Lear was “…ignored except through callous indifference, simply because he had not experienced it” (Dollimore 73), he now finds pity for a human being 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 harmed him. As a result of his difficult situation, he comes to discover pity for his fellow man, which demonstrates his humility. Because his humility allows him to accept his evil fate, we no longer see the beast as Lear, but calm and more in touch with his humanity. Rumble their bellies! Spit, fire! Throw rain! Nor the rain, the wind, the thunder, the fire, and they are my daughters: it does not tax you, you elements, with malice; I never gave you the kingdom, I never called you sons, you owe me no subscription; then drop 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 a lot of pride. “For Lear, the guarantee of the interconnection between man and nature is failing…” (Brooke 33). Through his humiliating life experiences, Lear realizes that pride no longer suits him because it was that pride that caused him to lose his humanity. Lear's humility is unmistakably a turning point that leads him to seek Cordelia's forgiveness. This is not to say that he has undergone a complete transformation, but that Lear is slowly learning to be humble. “He staggers reluctantly into his new life, trying at first to cling to the old certainties of pain and punishment” (Leggatt 88). Lear's mind is beginning to expand as his concern for his kingship, justice, and power diminishes. He begins to care less about worldly matters and more about his family, namely Cordelia. From the meeting, it becomes apparent that Lear is content to lose the battle and be sent to prison as long as he has Cordelia on his side. Come, let's go away with the prison. We two alone will sing the birds of life in the cage. When you ask me for blessing, I will kneel and ask for forgiveness in three; so shall we live, and pray, and sing, and tell old stories, and laugh at golden butterflies, and listen to the poor rascals talk of the court news, and talk to them too? Who loses and who wins, who is there, who is outside, and we take charge of the mystery of things, as if we were God's spies; and we will consume ourselvesIn a walled prison, herds and sects of the great Who ebb and flow according to the moon. (V.iii. 8-19) In his heart, there is a void that cannot be removed except with the company of his dearest daughter and he is willing to sacrifice his kingship to be with her. Lear realizes that being proud and seeking only wealth and status inhibits recognition of his human need to be loved and he becomes more humble as a result. 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 effect. His last speech includes aspects of the entire work. "And my poor fool is hanged! No, no, no life?/ Why should a dog, a maybe, a mouse have life,/ And you breathless? You will come no more./ Never, never, never, never, never (To Kent) Please undo the button." (V.iii. 281-6). Mentions the fool, the animals and Kent's service. While Lear at one point controlled large amounts of wealth and servants, when the play comes to an end, it is as if everything weighs on Lear, which makes his, 1980.