Justice vs. Mercy

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Multiple themes are emerged in the play King Lear written by Shakespeare; both justice and mercy are major themes that are fundamental to civilized human rights, but the most command theme represented is justice. Throughout the play, characters constantly ask the gods for help but are rarely answered; they are seen as both just and unjust, either the gods do not exist or they are unimaginably cruel. The extreme cruelty and description of human suffering in the play make the world seem terribly unjust. Within the play both “good” and “bad” die. Is this justified? In this tragedy some justice is being represented, yet again there are more injustices towards the guiltless characters such as; Kent (the nobleman, also known as Caius) who is being sent away from the kingdom for being honest. At this point the king is establishing to lose his sanity and doesn’t realize the important decisions that he is making are wrong. Secondly, Cordelia (King Lear’s youngest and most favourite daughter) didn’t deserve the horrific punishment that she has received; evacuated from her humble home, and later dies a sad death when Edmund (Gloucester’s young son, also known as the fool/bastard) locks both her and King Lear in prison. It is represented that both Kent and Cordelia received unfair punishment. Alternatively, Goneril and Regan deserve the treatments that they get. Therefore the theme of justice is illustrated by the performance of Kent, the Fool, King Lear and also his three daughters Due to old age, Lear decides to step down from the throne and separate his kingdom consistently among his three daughters; he puts his daughters through a test, asking each daughter to tell him how much she loves him. The flattering response given from Regan and Goneril to their farther was false, Kent suspected they were up to no good and informed the King of their wrong doing; by being honest to

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