شيراز رزكار
شهريفان صدقي
احمد محمد
محمد نوري

ABSTRACT

Who is it that can tell me Who I am?, Lear asks this question in the play to discover his inner self and identity in the cruel world of infidelity and distress. William Shakespeares King Lear presents a ruthless and irrational world which we need to understand. The play is an inquiry into human existence, and Lear passes through many phases before attaining self-knowledge and understanding the absurd condition of human beings.

 In the beginning, Lear is in the grip of vanity, and power dominates his person.

However, a series of losses clear Lear’s vision and allow him to see himself and the world as they indeed are. The pain and suffering experienced by Lear eventually tear down his strength and sanity.

 Towards the end of the play, Lear is not strong, arrogant, adamant and filled with pride as he seems at the beginning of the play.

Instead, he is a weak, scared and confused old man. His most significant loss is the death of his daughter Cordelia, and this is also the breaking point that leads Lear to his death.

However, before this final blow, he attains maturity and sees the world with the minds eyes.

Keywords: Identity, Pain, self-knowledge, King, family.