Masters Theses

Date of Award

3-1981

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

English

Major Professor

Mary Richards

Abstract

This thesis is concerned primarily with Shakespeare's plays. King Lear and Troilus and Cressida. The physical shortsightedness of King Lear is explored, and an attempt is made to prove that the King manifests signs of weakening physical vision throughout the play rather than at the end of the drama only. Gloucester, in King Lear, is treated primarily from the standpoint of his effectiveness and credibility as a newly blinded person. The character of Nestor, in Troilus and Cressida, is presented in a new way. If Nestor could be portrayed as a weak-sighted character, he could visibly reinforce the thematic and satiric structure of the play. The possibility and plausibility of portraying him with weak eyes is discussed. Hence, the whole purpose of this thesis is to examine the subject of physical blindness in two of Shakespeare's plays while using other weak-sighted characters in some of his other plays to augment the discussion.

An attempt was made to find as many articles and books as possible which would be pertinent to the subject of blindness in Shakespeare's plays. Since there are so many books and articles about the playwright and his works, the articles and books found had to be sifted through in order to locate pertinent material. An attempt was made to find books and treatises on medicine and blindness of which iv V Shakespeare might have availed himself. In addition, articles and books were sought which treat the subject of physical blindness in Shakespeare, or which offer analyses supportive of the purposes of this thesis.

As a result of this research, it is clear that Shakespeare handles the theme of blindness with facility. His weak-sighted characters and his totally blind character are credible and effective to the balance of his plays. Shakespeare reveals a penchant for the use of blindness in many of his plays. In King Lear, one can find the playwright handling blindness and blind characters with expertise and dramatic power. Both Lear, as a partially sighted, old man, and Gloucester, as his totally blind creation, are effectively delineated. There is evidence that Lear gradually loses some of his visual acuity throughout the course of the drama because of his old age, his changing humors, and his emotional stress. Not only is the King hard pressed to recognize Kent at the end of the play because of his weak eyes, but Lear also demonstrated earlier in the action that he is losing some of his physical sight. The gulling of Gloucester by Edgar during the Earl's attempted suicide is not particularly clumsy. Gloucester's old age, his naivete, his emotional state, his new sensory world, and Edgar's elaborate deceptions make the attempted suicide believable and plausible. Gloucester reacts to his blindness in a way which is typical of almost anyone who is suddenly blinded in old age.

The thematic structure and satiric tone of Troilus and Cressida could permit the character of old Nestor to be portrayed as weak-sighted and decrepit. The play is replete with references to blindness. Many of the characters such as Troilus and Nestor himself are mentally blind to the folly of their own passions and pretense. With Nestor portrayed as weak-eyed the aged orator could physically illustrate some of the themes of the play. Nestor could be added to Shakespeare's list of aged, weak-eyed characters such as Lear, Old Gobbo, and Aegeon. With the suggested portrayal of Nestor as weak in vision, the bitterly satiric quality of Troilus and Cressida could be enhanced as well. With Nestor as weak-eyed and decrepit, he might visibly represent the corruption of the society and the self-delusion of that society's leaders.

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