In King Lear, the recurring images of sight and blindness associated with the characters Lear and Gloucester illustrate the theme of self-knowledge and of the consciousness that exists in the room.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay These classic tropes are reversed in King Lear, producing a situation in which those with healthy eyes are unaware of what is happening around them. They, and those without vision, seem to “see” most clearly. While Lear's "blindness" is metaphorical, Gloucester's blindness, which carries the play's parallel plot, is literal. Nonetheless, both characters suffer from an inability to see the true nature of their children, an ability only acquired once both patriarchs plunged into the depths of depravity. Through a close reading of the text, I will argue that Shakespeare uses Gloucester's plot to explain Lear's plot and, in fact, contextualizes Lear's metaphorical blindness with Gloucester's physical loss of vision. When the audience is first introduced to Lear, he is portrayed as an angry and vain old man who cannot see the purity of his daughter Cordelia's love for him because of the insincerity of his sisters Goneril and Regan. In his fiery rage after denying Cordelia, Lear orders Kent: “Get out of my sight! (1.1.156). Kent rightly implores the aging king to “See better, Lear; and let me still remain / The true emptiness of thine eye” (1.1.157-8). Kent recognizes love in its noblest form in Cordelia and is able to see through the hypocrisy of Lear's other two daughters. By imploring Lear to “see better,” Kent is actually asking Lear to look beyond his vanity and inner pride to see the honesty in Cordelia, who refuses to show her love for her father. Thus, in the first act of the play, Shakespeare established the theme of consciousness, using the metaphor of sight. Kent's imperative to "see better" prompts Lear not to use his faculty of vision, but, metaphorically, to become aware of what is happening around him; see the world as it really is. It is fascinating that, on Kent's imperative, Lear swears: "Now, by Apollo..." (1.1.159). As Apollo is the sun god whose maxim is to "know thyself", it is particularly telling that Lear invokes the god associated with sharpness of vision and light, while he himself remains in the 'ignorance. The implacable Kent recognizes Lear's blindness and the futility of invoking the god of self-knowledge and, despite the king's growing anger, declares: "You swear your gods in vain" (1.1.161). conscience is emphasized by the Gloucester plot in King Lear. Gloucester, like Lear, is an aging man who has not yet learned the true nature of his children. He thus shares Lear's metaphorical blindness, but Shakespeare does not stop there; he also adds the physical impairment of vision to Gloucester's character. It is mentioned that Gloucester needs "glasses" to read the fabricated letter presented to him by his son Edmund. Ironically, even when using an instrument to enhance his vision, Gloucester is still unable to see things as they really are. With no prior provocation and virtually no "ocular" evidence, Gloucester immediately believes that his legitimate son Edgar has formed a plot against him. Shakespeare reinforces Gloucester's metaphorical blindness by throwing him offstage during Lear's banishment of Cordelia. So, in that sense, Gloucester is blind on stage. If he had been present, :.