| ‘With washed eyes/Cordelia leaves you’ | Cordelia Act 1 Scene 1-her eyes are clean, she can see clearly, is not blind like Lear |
| ‘Let’s see!’ ‘i shall not need spectacles’ | Gloucester Act 1 Scene 2-Edmund showing Gloucester the fake letter-semantic field of sight-irony; Gloucester later is made blind, which is then, where he can begin to see the truth. ANAGNORIS |
| ‘Out, vile jelly!’ | Cornwall Act 3 Scene 7-when Gloucester is being tortured and his eyes are plucked out-grim, harsh imagery-suggests Gloucester’s eyesight is ‘vile’/ corrupt |
| ‘All dark and comfortless’ | Gloucester Act 3 Scene 7-he is now blind-sees the world for what it truly is ‘dark and comfortless’ |
| ‘See better, Lear, and let me still remain/ The true blank of thine eye’ | Kent Act 1 Scene 1-when he is banished-Lear is mistaken for banishing him, the person who sees the truth for him-without him, he is blind-suggests Kent represents part of Lear’s conscience. |
| ‘I have no way and therefore want no eyes’ | Gloucester Act 4 Scene 1-doesn’t want to see the word for what it is |
| ‘Hence and avoid/ my sight!’ | Lear Act 1 Scene 1 to Cordelia-Conveys the reality of the human condition that people banish those that give them truth and honest and prefer as well as reward lies and deception- Syntax putting ‘avoid’ at the end of the line emphasises this |
| ‘Blasts and fogs upon thee!’ | Lear Act 1 Scene 4-‘fogs’ depicts Lear’s inability to see peoples’ true character- The use of the plosive ‘Blasts’ and exclamatory punctuation shows Lear’s frustration with his inability to see |
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King Lear- Sight/Blindness
July 14, 2019