Mercy In Shakespeare's King Lear

Mercy is defined as “kind or forgiving treatment of someone who could be treated harshly” (Mariam Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary, 2015). One can observe the importance of this concept in William Shakespeare's famous play King Lear where mercy is intertwined throughout the plot. In the play, when mercy is being extended, people are thinking beyond their own needs, allowing everyone in a society to live together in harmony. Individuals are also able to change and stop their own actions more effectively than when they are forced to stop. Mercy also tempers harsh justice, thus preventing a cycle of violence and cruelty from continuing. Overall, mercy, rather than justice, is the key to civilized human life. Mercy is evidence that people are looking beyond their own wants and acting with other’s needs in mind. Edgar illustrates this after his father greatly wrongs him, when he still decides to disguise himself and “[become his father’s] guide,/ [lead] him, [beg] for him, [and save] him from despair” (V.iii.190-191). After all the hardships his father causes him, it would have been natural for Edgar
This is demonstrated when King Lear expects to be held accountable for wrongly banishing his daughter Cordelia as he tells her he will drink poison if she has it for him (IV.vii.72), to which she replies “no cause, no cause” (IV.vii.75). He expects that, because he was so cruel to Cordelia, it would be just for her to have given him poison. However, doing what is fair is not always what should be done for civilized life, especially considering it would have accomplished nothing. If fire is fought with fire, nothing new or good will come of it, thus, maintaining a dangerous cycle in society that mercy can prevent. In giving him mercy, Cordelia saved this cycle from continuing to spin. Finally, mercy helps to break a cycle of harshness which justice