Define: Lowest Point

In the essay, it states that Lear's lowest point is when Cordelia sees her father after he banishes her. He wakes up, after recovering from his madness and and the two talk. Lear is sad and apologetic, fully realizing that he has done Cordelia a great wrong and not expecting her forgiveness. He is a broken man with no home, no hope, and a past wrought with mistakes. But his daughter forgives him, renews their father/daughter bond and the Lear finally learns the true meaning of love.

Some people might argue that this is not Lear's lowest point. Lear's fit of madness and rage against the storm is arguably pretty low. He bellows at nature, curses his daughters, and slowly begins to slip into his crazed state of mind. Others might say that Lear is at his lowest in the beginning. Lear was the haughty, vain, self-absorbed king who only wanted to hear how much his daughters loved him. He saw love as a measurement of words, and not really as a feeling or emotion. This haughty ignorance is pretty low.

So it all depends on how one defines "lowest point." The essay suggested that his lowest point was his lowest emotional point. He was broken and miserable, and very sorry. Another low point was his physical low point. He was homeless and crazy. The third low point was his when he was so misguided. Although he may have felt fatherly affection for his daughters, he did not know the true meaning of love, and was still very wound up in his own image.


~Hannah

P.S. It was a really great essay, and I loved reading it! :)