As in his Hamlet, Shakespeare uses "sanity in madness" throughout King Lear by using unexpected characters to aid his overall theme of recognition and achievement. However, Sanity in Madness can also refer to Shakespeare himself, because in all the chaos and tragedy that runs through King Lear, he preaches a very real and intentional message to us. Literary scholars often disagree about the final scene of this play, saying that the lack of redemption indicates an ungodly theme. However, we can deduce that there is a reason for Shakespeare's madness, and that the disaster and confusion that runs through the play serves a specific purpose in his work.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In the opening scenes, we see that Lear is mostly sane – ignorant, but sane. He knows what he's doing when he banishes and disowns the only girl who loves him, but he ignores the honesty and love hidden behind his few words. While her sisters carelessly and deceitfully flatter their father with empty words, Cordelia prefers to “love and be silent” (1.1.68). Lear, however, does not see things that way and ignorantly decides that his silence means that she does not love him and divides his kingdom between his two wicked and treacherous daughters. They strip him of his power and humiliate him as he stands there and watches helplessly. As the Fool crudely but honestly points out, Lear "gave them the rod and laid down his own breeches" when he gave away his kingdom. to his daughters (1.4.176-178). This is the first, although minor, of many examples of ignorance on Lear's part. As Lear's reason escapes him, he gradually gains insight and humility. In his madness amid the throes of the storm, Lear expresses some of the play's deepest truths: "The art of our necessities is strange, and can make vile things precious" (3.2.76-77). Initially, Lear seems to have gone mad because of what Goneril and Regan did to him, and this is partly true. But even more, he is going crazy because of what he did to Cordelia. This recognition of his sin and this awareness of difficult truths contribute to his humiliation. King Lear finally begins to learn from his mistakes when his miserable daughters throw him into the storm. He recognizes his sin by denying Cordelia and realizes the emptiness of earthly glory. He finally begins to understand the concept of love and that it is not about power, glory or praise. He puts the needs of others (the Fool) before his own, a sign of true love. Shakespeare chooses to use a sort of unorthodox reversal point in King Lear, with the protagonist making his mistake early in the play and learning throughout. Lear continues to learn until the moment of his death. In the final scenes, with his dead daughter in his arms, he cries: “my poor fool is hanged” (5.3.369). His latest discovery is that Cordelia and the Fool both represented a very fundamental value to him: truth. It is quite possible that in his chaos he confused the characters, or that the word "fool" was used here as an endearing term for a child, but Shakespeare loves to mix reason and madness, and the roles of Cordelia and the Crazy in Lear's life were so similar that he probably confused them. Whether intentional or not, Lear makes this connection in Shakespeare's attempt to contribute to the distinction he makes between love and truth. Lear is aware that he is slowly slidingin a state of madness; he is well aware that his spirits are beginning to spin” (3.1.73). However, he tries to fight against the descent into madness; “Oh, therein lies madness; let me avoid that! (3.4.24). It is the love and honesty that Cordelia, Kent, the Fool, and Edgar show Lear that allows him to see reason in his folly and learn from his mistakes. In his literary criticism, Kim Paffenroth emphasizes that "The Fool and Cordelia embody the truth more than Edgar and Kent". The Fool is painfully honest with the King about his faults and failings, and Cordelia responds honestly to her father in the opening scenes, even though she knows it's not what he wants to hear. “Through their insane devotion and self-sacrifice to the truth, Cordelia and the Fool teach Lear of its infinite value [while he learns] the deadly uselessness of lies and appearances” (Paffenroth). Edgar and Kent, however, exemplify love more than truth. Both Edgar and Kent participated in some form of deception, even though their intentions were good. But both Edgar and Kent know that “love abides longer and abides deeper in us than truth” (Paffenroth). Lear needs both truth and love in his condition, and both have different roles to play in his recognition and education. After being thrown into the horrible storm by his wicked daughters, Lear encounters a chaotic beggar, or rather Edgar disguised as a ruckus. beggar named Poor Tom. In what feels almost like a revelation, Lear understands for the first time the plight of the poor and challenges himself and others like him who take their wealth for granted to "expose themselves to feeling what the miserable” (3.4.39). He begins to understand that love does not necessarily lie in wealth or power. There is much debate as to whether or not justice was served in the final scenes of this play. Because it is a tragedy, a protagonist must die a pitiful death. We can, however, say that justice has been done to Goneril and Regan, as well as to Cornwall and Edmund. All of Regan and Goneril's sins in the play stem from their insatiable selfishness. They pay lip service to the king for their own personal gain. They send all his men away so they don't have to deal with them. They fight for Edmund because they want more than their husbands, dead or alive, can offer. Eventually, they kill each other, directly or indirectly, with their selfish blindness. Cornwall dies at the hands of a good man who opposes a bad deed. He does not repent, which is normal, because he does not deserve forgiveness. Edmund “understands his very clearly.” He dies at the hands of the brother he deceived and betrayed. Whether or not his final attempt at redemption comes from the heart, justice is always served. If he truly changed his mind, then he repented and justice was done. If he tries to negotiate with God, it will not go unnoticed or unpunished. Regardless, we can confidently say that justice has been done to the authors of this work. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Shakespeare uses reason in The Madness of Lear to emphasize the reason for his own chaotic madness throughout the play. In what seems to be the sparsest and most pitiful of Shakespeare's four great tragedies, there is an unstructured beauty that as literary scholars we cannot let go unnoticed. One almost wonders what storm was raging in Shakespeare's mind when he wrote such a beautiful and poignant work of art. We may never know, but we have to learn.