Traglear And Decisions In Shakespeare's King Lear

During the King Lear seminars, some of my classmates argued that Lear was upset at the world for what had happened to him. I found myself disagreeing with this argument because there are multiple instances where Lear realizes he is responsible for what had happened to him and his kingdom. Although I agree to an extent that the outside world and other people contribute to the chaos, there is a mixture of both Lear’s decisions and decisions of others. By pointing out that Lear takes responsibility for his actions, it strengthens his characteristics as a father and as a king.
Closer to the end of the play, when Lear is regaining his sanity, I found that he begins to register all the betrayal, and regrets his actions. This crucial point, when Cordelia and Lear meet for the first time, since she had been banished, Lear speaks to her, “Thou art a soul in bliss, but I am bound upon a wheel of fire, that mine own tears do scald like molten lead.”(4.7.44-46). The wheel of fire is a metaphor, for the wheel of fortune, which is a symbolic wheel that represents the changes in fate. Lear rides the
Having his most loyal subjects disappear, such as Kent, and family members such as Regan and Goneril, I believe that Lear sees Cordelia as his only hope for trust and order. When Cordelia and Lear are about to be brought to prison, Lear begs like a hopeless dog: “When thou dost ask me blessing, I’ll kneel down and ask of thee forgiveness.”(5.3.11-12). Since Lear had so banished Cordelia and trusted Regan and Goneril, he is trying to regain his relationship with her. The imagery of Lear kneeling on the filthy ground, lowering his level, to beg for forgiveness, from someone whom he treated so awfully visualizes how regretful Lear actually is. This proves that he consciously takes responsibility for his actions and wants to make things better in his family and