Appearance Vs. Reality in King Lear

Name: Task: Instructor: Date: Reality versus Appearance In the play, King Lear, written by William Shakespeare, the thematic concern of appearance versus reality is evident throughout. Through various characters, the playwright has demonstrated that most incidents are far from what they appear. In its context, appearance is an imitation or an interpretation of what is seen, while reality is the correct observation of things. Most characters in the play are by far different from how they appear. Considering that, no one can see through their hearts, it is hard to unravel their identity. In the play, characters such as The Fool, Edmund, Regan, and Goneril come out falsely for their personal gains. In view of Goneril and Reagan, the playwright presents them as two daughters who have so much love for King Lear, their father. At one time Goneril expresses her unbounded commitment and love by retorting, "Sir, I love you more than word can wield the matter, dearer than eyesight, space and liberty... (Act I).’’ This is despite the fact that the two keep lying to their father for personal gains. In actual sense, Cordelier is the one who loves the king, but the king does not seem to notice. Lear’s ego appears to be satisfied by the behavior of the two, but immediately they get what they want, they change to the worst. At times, the king loves to hear the flattering from the two ‘‘which of you shall we say doth love us most (Act 1).’’ Ironically, although they betray their father, they too end up betraying one another. Nonetheless, their evil deeds come back to haunt them through the universe disorders. They end up figh...