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More Sinned Against Sin is something that everybody does, no matter how hard it is. “King Lear” by William Shakespeare the play shows how the character chooses to sin, and even sin against the ones they mortally should not sin against. King Lear proclaims that he is “I am a man more sinned against than sinning.” However it seems that does not only suit him, in the play. Many characters in “King Lear” have out done each other in sinning, because of people deceiving one another causing them to see the truth the result for this only ends in suffering. In relation to blindness, decisions and betrayal the result of being mores sinned against lies in the favour of one character Gloucester and Lear have very similar roles in the play, they reflect each other in many different ways. Mistakes were made by both, one more greatly than the other. Gloucester’s first mistake in the play was his trust in Edmund when he discovered the letter to what seems to be his “evil son” Edgar’s plot against him. .Without any further knowledge in this situation and the letter he right away believes that Edmund is being honest and believes the worst in his son Edgar who is actually legitimate, and this causes him to be sinned against. Lear’s mistake was because if his own pride, which is not the first, time his own flaws has come in the way. Lear is blinded from the truth and because of that he exclaims “Let it be so; thy truth then be thy dower; For by the sacred radiance of the sun. The mystery of Hectare and the night, by all the operations of the orbs / From whom we do exist and cease to be. Here I disclaim all my paternal care. Propinqurly and property of blood. (1.1. 107-119). Cordelia was only being honest to Lear and did not want to take a division of her father’s kingdom only because she loves him, but he thinks it is the other way around, which resulted with him banishing his only daughter that actually loves him. In this quote King Lear says he is not concerned by the truth and because of this he fails to see the truth. This only causes him to bond with his two evil daughters Goneril and Regan more and allowing them to sin against him many times throughout the play. Lear’s mistakes because of his overreaction, and failure to see the truth because of his ignorance, he allows himself to be sinned against. When Lear finally realizes the truth when he becomes fed up with Goneril telling him to behave his knights, “Suspend thy purpose if thou didst intend/To make this creature fruitful. Into her womb convey sterility. Dry up in her the organs of increase,
And from her derogate body never spring/A babe to honor her. If she must teem,
Create her child of spleen, that it may live /And be a thwart disnatured torment to her.” (1.4. 273-278). Lear curses Goneril which shows the temper Lear has, and he allows them to use that against him. Regan’s plot to murder her father would be enough to make up for all the other sins that he has done. However Lear has sinned more than Gloucester with him being sinned against so evilly by Edmund. Gloucester should not have thought Edmund was truthful but he never had a reason to not believe him. His heart led him to believe that he was trusting a loyal person. Gloucester exclaims “O Villain, villain! His very opinion in the letter! Abhorred villain! Unnatural, detested, brutish villain! Worse than brutish! Go, sirrah, seek him. I’ll apprehended him. Abominable villain! Where is he? (1.2.75-78). The dramatic irony in Gloucester’s trust he chooses the wrong to trust. This leads to the further sins Edmund is going to commit against his father. Gloucester’s blindness through ignorance causes him to not see the truth. This causes Gloucester to misconceive the true nature of his both sons. Later on because Gloucester banishes his son Edgar ;Edmund now has the full ability to sin against him. “Out, treacherous Villain! Thou call’st on him that lates thee; it was he / That made the overtune of they treasons to us, who is too good to pity thee” (3.7. 84-87) When Gloucester gets his eyes plucked out because Edmund betrayed his father; in order to take his position he is calling for Edmund to help him. This is when he realized he was wrong about Edmund. Edmund did not care for Gloucester even allowed him to get his eyes plucked out. Throughout the whole play irony is present and in this scene Edmund who Gloucester is calling for to help him is the one who got him there. Gloucester’s good heart believes Edmund throughout most of the play because although Edmund was born out of wedlock, he is still his son to him, where it would not be the case for most that have power and has a child with someone whom they were not married to. Since Gloucester treats Edmund with the respect of a son what Edmund was planning was not something Gloucester would ever expect. Edmund is who Edgar is framed to be, the villain. Edmund sins against Gloucester because he blindly believes him, which he allows himself to be in trouble because of his evil son. When Gloucester realizes that Edmund is evil, it too late for him to do anything because he has already lost everything to Edmund. The reflection of the mistakes they have made in the play would be because of them sinning and because of Gloucester and Lear’s sins they were reflected when they were being sinned against. Lear allowed his pride to stand away from him seeing the truth and because of his ignorance he was exposed to being sinned against by his two daughters Regan and Goneril. He sent the two people that is loyal to him away because he though they were not loyal because of them being honest with him. Lear’s own flaws added to his own destruction, where Gloucester was blindly betrayed by how own son. Lear’s own flaws added to his own destruction, where Gloucester was blindly betrayed by his own son. The realization of Gloucester being sinned against is very important because although he cannot do much when he realizes he was not blinded till the end. Lear could not see the full truth up until Cordelia showed up at the end of the play to save Lear. Gloucester’s realization of disorder is displayed when he proclaimed “… As flies to wanton boys, are we to gods. They kill us for their sport.” (4.1. 70-73). The relection of the profound despair that grips Gloucester causes him to desire his own death. Gloucester suggests that there is no order in the universe. He believes that instead of justice, there is only gods who reward cruelty and delight in suffering. This allusion used to show the suffering Gloucester is faced with in result of Edmund sinning against him. Gloucester is more sinned against then sinning in this play compare to Lear because of many things. Although both characters are being sinned against greatly, Lear has sinned more than Gloucester by far. Gloucester suffers both physically and mentally because of “his flawed heart” in believing the wrong son. The plot against him was very evil and because of all the bad Edmund has done to him, he did not have an idea that Edgar has been watching over him, till the end. Gloucester dies with his last words “Alack too weak the conflict to support / Twixt two extremes of passion, joy and greif / burst smilingly” (5.3. 232-235) Gloucester’s end is literally an overflowing of emotion both happiness and despair a super flux of emotion to the release of his rest. After all the suffering he had to indure he could rest because he finds out Edgar was “crazy Tom”. His blindness literal and figurative causes him to be sinned against but Gloucester hardly sinned at all compared to Lear. The realization of the disorder and unjustified actions has showed Gloucester’s suffering that was placed upon him due to the sinful actions of his untrustworthy son , Edmund. When Gloucester realizes that he was being tricked this whole time, he goes to talk about the disorder in the inverse and his desire for his own death. When the time does come for Gloucester’s death he ends with overflowing of no emotions. The sins Edmund has done against his father built up to his death. The sins that people commit to others has always reflected on consequences. In “King Lear” by William Shakespeare many characters commit sin, and are sinned against. However because of the blindness of the characters, they allow themselves to be sinned against constantly. Bad decisions in trusting the wrong people led them to be betrayed. In result to this Gloucester is more of a man more sinned against than sinning than Lear is.+