King Lear Essay, Research Paper

The ending of King Lear has proven itself very controversial in its history. in shakespeare’s other play, the conclusions are simple: Othello kills himself, Macbeth is executed, ans everyone dies in hamlet. lear, however, is not as simple as the preceding, and in fact, leaves many questions unanswered. What is wrong with Lear? Is he mad? whu is edmund delayed. critical commentaries vary and are extensive. Knight argues that no matter how cruel the lear universe is, the death of cordelia symbolizes the future victory of love. Snyder commentsthat lear basicaaly dies of old age because life has as exhausted him. Hennedy notes that lear dies assured by the knowledge that cordelia will live on after death. All of these opinion may in fact be true, however three more theories set forth by bloom, foakes, and bradley are the most realistic, and therefore should be explored in depth.