William Shakespeare’s King Lear

"O, let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven!
Keep me in temper. I would not be mad." (Act I, scene v)

King Lear, feeling betrayed by his youngest daughter, Cordelia, seeks refuge by staying with his older daughters. His own heart is torn, however, because of his disowning of Cordelia. When he and his eldest daughter, Goneril, engage in a spat, he announces that he will stay with his middle daughter, Regan. After he sends the Earl of Kent (in disguise) to announce his impending arrival, he begins to dwell on the situation. His fool tries, partly successfully, to cheer up his master, but Lear is intent on concentrating on whether or not he is going insane.

The above quote is a superb example of Lear’s complete confusion. He feels as though he has betrayed the wrong daughter, and his confusion is leading to insanity.

"I have full cause of weeping, but this heart
Shall break into a hundred thousand flaws
Or ere I’ll weep." (Act II, scene iv)

King Lear, despite his random outbursts, has won the audience’s sympathy by this scene. Lear has been struggling with his own mind to retain sanity, and this noble cause is enough to show a virtuous side. By the time of this quote, Lear has realized the extent of his daughters’ evil, and his mood swings from anger, to explosive anger, to sadness. He decides that although he has reason to weep, he doesn’t quite know whether to give in to crying or allow his heart to break.

"I am a man more sinned against than sinning." (Act III, scene ii)

Lear, in the midst of yet another violent storm, once again vents his frustration with his daughter ungratefulness. It is under these circumstances that Lear becomes more and more of a noble figurehead. In this particular quote, after challenging the weather, Lear admits to his own faults in addition to a general accusation of others.