"I’ll never care what wickedness I do, if this man come to good."

I want to address Act 3 Scene 7 where Gloucester's eyes are gouged out by Regan and Goneril. I'm not sure if I, up until this point, had just not been reading closely enough, or what, but this took me more by surprise than anything I think that I have ever read. It was so horrifying, so shockingly brutal I didn't even know what to make of it.

Up until this point, we knew that Goneril and Regan were dishonest and that they have reneged on the deal they made with their father when he gave them their land. They have stripped him of all of his power, all of his dignity, and they leave him out in the storm essentially to die, forbidding Gloucester from giving him shelter. But I did not know they were capable of this kind of animalistic, pack mentality. They seemed to feed off of each others' rage urging Cornwall to hang him, gouge his eyes; they pluck his beard and hurl insults at him. In my opinion, it was truly one of the most horrific scenes in literature. This old man who has already felt betrayed by one son is tortured and forced to realize just before his eyes are gouged from his head that it was really his bastard that had deceived him; he had cast out the son that truly had his best interests at heart.

I could not help, at this point, but draw parallels between Lear and Gloucester. While Lear has not physically been maimed, he has been utterly betrayed by his daughters. He tried to do what he felt was right by dividing up his land between his daughters so as to avoid any argument at the time of his death. What becomes of his good intentions is the casting out of his most loyal and true daughter, and the duplicity of his eldest two daughters makes itself apparent through their neglect and shameful behavior. Gloucester, similarly betrayed by one son and convinced to cast out the other tried to do what he felt was right by protecting and standing by his King in what was clearly his greatest hour of need. What becomes of these also good intentions is a physical maiming and public humiliation. Like Lear, Gloucester is publicly debased and wounded for behaving as he thought appropriate.

This play is not without honest and morally sound individuals however. In Gloucester's case, one of the servants stands up in his defense and draws a sword against Cornwall. The shock of a peasant drawing a blade against a nobleman is enough to convince anyone of the severe wrongness of the situation. If a peasant is willing to lay down his life in defense of a man who, up until this point, had more than he could ever hope to possess in his lifetime, clearly the man must be in a situation of grave ill-use. The servant in fact dies, but not before gravely wounding Cornwall. His dying words to Gloucester are "My lord, you have one eye left to see some mischief on him." Before his remaining eye is gouged he can yet see some justice done. This servant, I feel plays such a crucial role in cementing how completely evil Regan and Goneril truly are. As Regan raises a sword and stabs him in the back, we realize that these people literally have not a single moral fiber in their bodies.

This play is called the Tragedy of King Lear. We know from the start that this will not end well. But after seeing these servants come to the defense of Gloucester, and after seeing Gloucester risk his own life to protect Lear, we know that perhaps there will be some justice in this play. While it may not end well, the villains cannot possibly come to good ends, not after such an heroic display. This may be a tragedy, but it is not lacking a clear sense of right and wrong. The constant and sustaining presence of loyal and good characters are enough of a telling sign that those who have done the most wrong will eventually get their comeuppance.