Physical sight as opposed to the metaphorical sight of truth is a pivotal theme in King Lear by William Shakespeare. Characters move from blindness of reality to seeing the truth as they gain or lose their physical sight. Possession of physical sight does not mean that the character can see the truth of his situation any more than physical blindness hides the truth. This paradox is especially evident in the character development of King Lear and Gloucester, who must each find a way to see the truth before it is too late. .
In the opening scene of the play, both Gloucester and Lear believe their children love them. They both seem to have a firm grasp on who truly loves them the most, but it quickly becomes evident they are actually quite blind to the true feelings their children have for each of them. The first instance of Lear's blindness is while he divides the kingdom among his daughters, giving each of them a piece of property in proportion to how much they flatter him, not how much they love him. Cordelia is the only one who truly loves him as a daughter should, and so cannot simply flatter to gain land because it is a lie. Lear cannot see that she refuses to speak out of her true love for him, so he strips her of her dowry. He also tells Kent to "avoid my sight!" when Kent tries to defend Cordelia, once again demonstrating Lear's inability to see those who really care about him. Oppositely, Cordelia can see very well what is happening in the court, and she tells him she is glad she does not have a "still soliciting eye" like her sisters, always begging for more (1577)1.
Gloucester's first instance of blindness to the truth comes in 1.2 when Edmund reveals he wants to destroy his legitimate brother Edgar and his father, to which Gloucester is oblivious. Edmund believes that Gloucester loves Edgar more because Edgar is legitimate and he is a bastard. Gloucester has also given evidence of favoring Edgar in 1.
