nd every word he says is powerful. He has been demoted to nothing more than a man, just as Lear was in the scenes before. He sees that eyes cannot even save him after pushing out his son Edgar. Gloucester can recognize truth now; he sees what is important to a man. Not our means, but our defects. Our possessions can make us over-confident, but it is only our shortcomings that are beneficial (Act 4, Scene 1, 22-23). Edmund was not loyal, that was a defect in his character, and that is what shaped him as a man. Gloucester can finally see this. After Gloucester attempts to commit suicide, Lear crosses his path. Gloucester almost immediately recognizes his voice to be the Kings. Later in Act 4 Gloucester says that the King is mad. Even though Gloucester is blind, he still could see Lears character. But what is deeper is that he is still calling him by his title as king. This shows that he sees past the external character and into what is deep inside of him. Madness and blindness are closely related in this play. While Lear was near insanity in the beginning, Gloucester remained blind to his son Edmunds horrible follies. Lear finally goes completely mad in the storm; then Gloucester gets his eyes bored out. Lear dies mad, but Gloucester could finally see the virtues his son Edgar held. Madness and blindness were inflicted upon the characters so as to let them see the true nature of the other characters in the play. Both Gloucester and Lear were blind to truth, and they unjustly paid by in their demise. ...
