King Lear and Existentialism Free Essay Example, 1250 words

This is the weakness in Lear that he himself driven away the good things from his life and embraces the evil things. This is the only mistake committed by this noble person which led him to the tragic end. Thus in the beginning his existence was acknowledged. But the situation changes when the superiority in him is replaced by the harsh truth and he then strives for his existence. When he experiences the bitter treatment by his daughters he realizes what the value of human beings in this universe is. â€Å"O, reason not the need! Our basest beggar Are in the poorest thing superfluous. Allow not nature more than nature needs, Man’s life’s as cheap as beast’s You heavens, give me that patience, patience I need! (Act II, scene iv) Lear’s phenomenological development starts with his fury. At the beginning of the play we see the character of King Lear with vanity and his personality inclines towards the flattery. He is shown as swollen with pride who is not able to judge the real values and the genuine love. He is succumbed by the false flattery and lost the real love of his daughter Cordelia. We will write a custom essay sample on King Lear and Existentialism or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now At the time of taking the judgment which is concerned not with his family but with his kingdom he cannot differentiate his relationship as a father and as a ruler. Due to the false decision taken by Lear not only he and his family but the whole kingdom suffers. Storm and existentialism The storm which comes in the third act is very symbolic to express that human being is nothing before the might of the divine power. The storm embodies the awesome power of nature which compels the king to recognize his mortality and the helplessness and the limitations of human might. The storm also symbolizes the justice given by the nature to the wrong deeds of King Lear. Here the storm rages regardless of all the matters like who is Lear, what was his position and what had happened with him now. Thus through the symbol of the storm Lear comes to know his existence as a human being. How insignificant and feeble the human beings are before the Divine Power! Lear apart from the harsh treatment received by his daughters, his psychic observation is that of the violent indifference of the world, which serves as the basis of his existence in relation to the world and that is his complete isolation. His transcendent ego is his new self awareness. Thus with this new ego it is now essent ial for him to evolve into a new existential state. While being with the fool and Edger Lear feels isolation from the world and this isolation and the loneliness make him to be existentially aware.