King Lear, Shakespeare

The play King Lear by Shakespeare does not touch much on the concept of fear. It instead chooses to mainly address sanity and loyalty; however there are a few instances in which fear controls the characters. One example of this is how Edmund manages to get Edgar fearful for his life, by convincing Edgar that he is a wanted man for plotting to murder Gloucester. Edgar, caught up in the moment, and fearful of what was to come, listens to his brother and flees the castle. Another ironic concept involving fear occurs after Gloucester's eyes have been gouged out. Fearful that Gloucester will acquire sympathy from the people and lead to the overturning of Regan's empire, she issues the command for Oswald to kill Gloucester on sight. When Oswald attempts to kill Gloucester he is killed first by Edgar, who then reads a letter revealing Edmund's corruption. It is from the knowledge gained from this letter that Edgar challenges Edmund to a duel, and upsets his plan, along with the entire play. Although the play does not explain why we let fear control us, it is an example of why not to make decisions out of fear. It was out of fear that lead Edgar to rise up and become the "hero" of the play.