Who is the tragic hero in king lear?
Join English Notes today!
Ask questions, share your knowledge and connect with the English Community!
Create A New AccountLost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link and will create a new password via email.
Ask questions, share your knowledge and connect with the English Community!
Create A New Account
Lucifer
The tragic hero of King Lear is King Lear himself. He enjoys supreme power and comfort and is magnanimous enough to give it all to his daughters. However, he suffers from his fatal flaw i.e. he is blinded with pride.
He falls prey to flattery of his elder daughters and banishes Cordelia, the only daughter who truly loves him. This started a vicious cycle of ill fate and misadventures that lead to Lear’s ordeal, insanity and ultimately death.
His flaw of arrogance brings his whole kingship to its knees and he is forced to rush into storms defenceless and alone. Even though Lear is not blameless hero he is manipulated by his daughters into committing an error of judgment. Therefore, his fall is tragic and receives sympathetic response from the audiences.