King Lear

In the King Lear play, Shakespeare creates many conditions
in which humans live in the world. The main characters in
the play are used to portray Shakespeare's ideas. One of
these ideas which Shakespeare is trying to portray is evil
between the characters and in the world which are
emphasized throughout the play. The evil, created by
humans, is outweighed by good in the world of King Lear.
 
Evil was created by humans who decided to do wrong to
others. Duke of Albany, said that all evil people will be
justly punished (ACT V, iii, 303). Albany indicated that it
is the people who caused evil and people decided to do
evil, not gods. Edgar, is another character in the play who
believes that evil is caused by humans and not the gods.
Edgar said, "The gods are just, and of our peasant vices
make instruments to plague us" (ACT V, iii, 169). Edgar
clearly says that the gods are right and it is the people
who are responsible for promoting evil in the world. It is
we who make the instruments necessary for evil to spread
and plague the world. In the world of King Lear many
characters believe evil was caused by the people and not by
the gods.
 
Even though evil was created by humans, good will always
exist. After King Lear was captured he showed that even if
evil exists, good will always be present. Lear speaks about
love with Cordelia in the prison cell and how they will
still have each other despite of the evil around them (ACT
V, iii, 8). On another occasion Lear also says that despite
all the evil in the world the raw nature, which is good, is
still unharmed (ACT IV, iv, 90-92). Lear discovers nature's
beauty by playing with the mice and listening to the
singing birds. While all the evil is at its peak and
everything seems to be lost, the raw nature in the play is
unharmed. The good exists even while the evil dominates the
world.
 
Good will not only exist if evil dominates, good will also
outweigh evil eventually. The war which was lost by
Cordelia and Lear, the good side, showed evil win (ACT V,
ii). However, good over powered it after the war by Duke of
Albany. The good in the play first was diminished to almost
nothing but in the end more good was able to defeat evil in
the play. When the two sisters began fighting between each
other evil began fighting against evil (ACT V, i and iii).
Eventually, because of that fighting between evil, good was
able to over power evil. When the evil seemed strong and
good almost non-existent, evil managed to fight itself and
give good a chance to get stronger. At the end of the play
evil was completely defeated and good once again dominated
the world in the play.
 
Although evil will always be present and people will be the
reason why it exists, good will always outweigh evil.
Through the characters, Shakespeare is able to portray how
evil and man compose in the world. The evil will always
exist but good will always win and dominate in the world of
King Lear.