King Lear: A Story of Blindness King Lear is a story of blindness. Blindness caused by an inability to see past oneself, an inability to see the true nature of those one loves, and what happens when the blinders come off and things are “seen” as they really are. In this essay, I will discuss a passage in Act IV, Scene 1, where Edgar sees his father, the Earl of Gloucester, after Gloucester has been blinded by King Lear’s daughter, Regan, and her husband, the Duke of Cornwall. Throughout King Lear, there are two similar stories taking place. One story involves Lear and his inability to look beyond himself and see his daughters, Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia, for wh