《李尔王》人物性格中的盲目

《李尔王》人物性格中的盲目［Abstract］InKingLear,thefault—blindnessincharactersleadstheminthewrongdirection.Althoughthereisnothingwrongwithhiseyesight,heisablindmanbecausehedoesn’thavethecorrectinsightandunderstanding.Onthecontrary,GloucesterbecomesphysicallyblindbutgetstheabilityofdiscernmentthatLeardoesnothave.ThisbifurcationofcharacterresultsinLearandGloucester’srespectiveidentitycrisis.Throughtheplay,Shakespeareinitiallydeconstructstheprincipleofunityinherentinthenotionsofblindnessandsight;healsorestorestheirunityattheendoftheplay.［Keywords］KingLear,blindness,ShakespeareI.IntroductionOfallShakespeare’splaysMacbethisthemostrapidinmovement,whileHamlettheslowest.Learcombineslengthwithrapidity,—likethehurricaneandthewhirlpoolabsorbingwhileitadvances.Itbeginsasastormydayinsummer,withbrightness;butthatbrightnessislurid,andanticipatesthetempest.\[1\]Whentalkingabout“blindness”inthetragedyKingLear,weusethisterminatotallydifferentway.Itisnotakindofphysicaldisability,butashortcomingofthecharacters’tousetheirthoughtsandemotionstoseeapersonastheytrulyare.Theycanonlyreadwhatispresentedtothemonthesurface.KingLear,GloucesterandAlbanyarethreeprimecharactersthatsuffermostbyhavingthisflaw.Theirblindnesstothetruthandtootherswhooncetrytohelpthemseebringthemtotheirdownfalls.Throughoutthisplay,thegreatwriteranddramatistShakespearewantstotellusthatit’snotenoughtoperceivetheworldonlyusingyoureyes.Thetruenatureofpeoplecanbehiddenundersomemasks,therefore,weshouldthinkwiththemind.Ⅱ.TheClarityofVision:GloucesterGloucester’stragicflawisaspecialkindoflackofinsight.Gloucesterisnotastupidman,butheisamanwhodoesnotaskenoughquestions,whotakesevidenceatitsfacevalue,andconfoundsappearanceandsubstance.Hiswholehistoryisconsistent.Longbeforethetimeoftheplay,heenjoysanadulterousliaisonofwhichEdmundisthefruit—aliaisonwhichindicatesthatheviewssexmoralityentirelyasamanoftheworld.Hisunperceptiveworldlinessistheopeningnoteoftheplay:inthefirstlineshetalkstoKentabouthisescapadewithEdmund’smotherevenwithintheearshotofEdmund.Gloucesterdoesnottakethetroubletogobeneaththesurface.Heeasilyfallsinwithwhateverisgoingonabouthim:thisishiswayofavoidingtheresponsibility.WhenEdmundmakesaspeciouscaseagainstEdgar,GloucesterfallsrightinwithEdmund’splans;heshowswhatwecometorecognizeashischaracteristicsuggestibility,andhedodgestheresponsibilityoffindingoutwhatliesbehindthesuperficialevidence.Gloucesterdoesnotconsciouslyseekevil,ordeliberatelyhuntforfeatherbeds;itissimplythatheistragicallyslowinseeingwhatisimpliedinthesituationsinwhichhefindshimself.HecannotseethegoodnessofhissonEdgar,andthewickednessofEdmund.WhenEdmundgiveshimtheletterwhichissupposedtobewrittenbyEdgar,afterreadingit,Gloucesterbecomessoangrythatheshoutsimmediately.HedoesnotevenstoptothinkitoverwhetherEdgarwillwritesuchaletterbecausehecannotfindouthistruenature.Ironically,itisnotuntilGloucesterbecomesphysicallyblind,whenhismindandthinkingoftheworldbecomesclearinthathecanreallyunderstandwhoisgoodandwhoisevil.WhenGloucesteriscapturesbyCornwall,heaskshimtopluckouthiseyes.“ButIshallsee:Thewingedvengeanceovertakessuchchildren.Cornwall.See’tshaltthounever.Fellows,holdthechair.Upontheseeyesofthine,I’llsetmyfoot.”\[2\]WhenCornwallputsouthiseyes,Gloucester’smindandvisionbecomesclearfromthisverymomentandhelaterknowsthatCornwallhasbeenkilled.Unfortunately,Gloucesterdoesnotseeclearlyeverythinguntilafterheisblind.Intheend,HefindsoutthatitisreallyEdmundwhoisafterhisearldom.GloucesterfeelsverysorryandregretshavingtreatedEdgarinawrongway.Gloucestersummarizeshiswholecareer.Withtheeyeshedoesnotsee,butnow,blind,hehascomealongway—farenougheventoseeintohimself.Heisbeginningtomastertheeternalhumanproblem.ThoughhecannowonlytouchEdgar,heseeshim—thatis,thetruthabouthim—ashedidnotseehimbefore.FromthispointonwecanconcludethatGloucesterlearnstoseethroughtheworldbyusinghismindinsteadofhiseyes,whichisaconceptthatLearwillneverunderstand.Ⅲ.TheBlindnessinLearIntheplayKingLear,someofthecharactersshowthattheyhavenotionoftheworldaroundthemandsome,unfortunately,arecheatedintobelievingthatpeoplelovethem,forexample,KingLear,butactually,thosewhoclaimtolovehimareplayingtricks,whojustcarewhattheycangetfromhim.Lear’svisionisgettingworseandworsebecauseofhislackofdirectioninlife,andhispoorforesight,hisinabilitytopredicttheconsequencesofhisactions.Allinall,allthesecombinetogethertoturnhimintoablindman,whichsourshisrelationshipwithhismostbeloveddaughter,Cordelia.EarlyintheplayLear,Leardecidestoretireandaskshisdaughterstorunhiskingdom;however,CordeliaandKentrealizethisisamistakeandaskhimtothinkitagain,butLearhimselfdoesn’tthinkso;instead,hethoughthehadgoodreasons.Itcanbeestimatedthathistragicfatehasalreadybeenpre-determinedbyhischaracterofblindnessandshortsight.Tohaveeyes,andtoseenot,istobeatthemercyofevil,andthustoaidevil.Moreridiculously,theKingaskshisdaughterstoprofesstheirloveforhiminthecourtbeforeeveryone,sothathewillknowhowtodividehiskingdomamonghimaccordingtotheirloveforhim.WhenLearasksthequestion—whichoneofhisdaughterslovehimmost,healreadyhastheanswerhimsel