With close reference to the language and imagery in the extract, analyse Shakespeare's presentation of the character of Gloucester In Act 4 Scene 1 [45]

Act 4, Scene 1

With close reference to the language and imagery in the extract, analyse Shakespeare's presentation of the character of Gloucester [45]  

In act 4, scene 1 of Shakespeare’s King Lear, Gloucester is seen to be hopeless and pathetic when he says “I have no way, and therefore want no eyes.” It seems as though Gloucester has lost his purpose in life, and doesn’t even want his eyes back as he doesn’t see the point. Gloucester has been shut out and abandoned. However, this causes the audience to feel sympathy for him, as we know that he is innocent and has been manipulated and wronged by Edmund and Regan. Therefore, we can forgive his hopelessness and desire to give up.

In contrast, Gloucester can be seen as wise; he realises that  he “stumbled when he (I) saw”, and trusted the wrong people. Only from going blind has he been able to really see. Gloucester realises how much he appreciated vision now that he no longer has it, and that having something makes us spoiled (“our means secure us”), whereas a lack of something makes us appreciate what we have got (“our mere defects prove our commodities”).This is a very brave and noble thing to say, as Gloucester has learned from the experience, whereas many would feel that it was a curse. The word “mere” shows that Gloucester does not see his blindness…