ucester has left, "This courtesy forbid thee shall the DukeInstantly know, and of that letter too.This seems a fair deserving, and must draw meThat which my father loses-no less than all.The younger rises when the old doth fall"( III.iv.21-25 ).Edmund immediately says he will betray his father in order to gain his inheritance. Gloucester never sees Edmund's plan against him because he does not truly understand Edmund. Edmund's betrayal eventually leads to Gloucester's physical blindness. With the loss of his physical sight, though, Gloucester learns to see with his heart. Gloucester says " I have no way and therefore want no eyes; I stumbled when I saw ( IV.i.19-20 ). He is saying that his eyes cannot show him the reality he sees now, so he has no use for eyes. Gloucester finds his sense of insight just in time to save his life from his son Edmund. He sees Edmund as an evil man and Edgar as the loyal and loving son that he is.Lear also cannot see people for who they are throughout most of the story. His lack of insight causes him to be fooled by his two ungrateful daughters. When Lear asks his daughters to publicly profess their love to him in return for a dowry, his two eldest daughters are eager to please. Goneril, the eldest daughter says, " Sir, I love you more than word can wield the matter " ( I.i.60-61 ). Regan, the other greedy daughter tells her father, " I am made of that self mettle as my sister " ( I.i.76 ). These words satisfy Lear's demands, so he grants them each land. He does not see that these two daughters are playing him for a fool. When Lear asks his third daughter, Cordelia, to profess her love to him, she cannot. She says, " Unhappy as I am, I cannot heave my heart into my mouth " ( I.i.101-102 ). Lear does not see what Cordelia's words truly mean. He can only see on the surface and does not understand Cordelia's loyalty to him. His foresight is pushed aside by his anger and embarrassment and h...
