It is now that he begins to look deeper into himself to see his own weaknesses and faults. "Here I stand, your slave, a poor, infirm, weak and despis'd old man- (III.ii.18). The betrayal of his daughters begins to drive him insane, and as the play goes on he falls lower and lower into a pit of madness. By the end of the play he is able to admit and come to terms with how low he has become. "They are not men o' their words: they told me I was everything; tis a lie- (IV.vi.100). When he realizes that he is nothing, he becomes something; he becomes wise. "Yet I am doubtful, for I am mainly ignorant- (IV.vii.65). When he realizes he is ignorant, he at the same time releases himself from his ignorance. He is insane, and by the end of the play he is dead. At the point when he reaches his lowest point as a person, he reaches his highest point of self-knowledge.
At the beginning of the play Lear is not only ignorant about his identity as a person, but also about his identity and role as King. One might say that his own self-knowledge has nothing to do with his duties as a king, but this is not true. When he abdicates his responsibility to be king, he is ignoring his responsibility to be who he is. His role as king is part of his identity as a person, and therefore his understanding of this role plays a large part in his journey to self-knowledge. When he still possesses all his power as a king, when he is at his highest point in status, he is the most nave about his role and duties. He can only think about himself, and about how he no longer wants the stress and anxiety that comes with ruling his kingdom. "Tis our fast intent to shake all cares and business from our age, conferring them on younger strengths, while we unburden'd crawl toward death- (I.i.31). Lear does not think about the duty he has to maintain the well being of his kingdom and his people, but he does not realize this. .
As the play goes on however, he gives away his power and responsibility to his daughters.