Blood spurts from stabbed eyes. Sipping poison slipped by his own sister. Fathers turning against their sons. These are the horrible consequences of the characters in King Lear. Shakespeare wrote with this play one of the greatest tragedies of all time and, from the very beginning, provided no cushion of happiness for his audiences. They are immediately plunged into a tormented world: Lear's favorite daughter is banished by him, Gloucester is deceived by his youngest son, Lear is sent into the storm by his ungrateful heirs... and the list goes on. But what causes these disastrous consequences? Is it because there are many evil personalities in the room? Many mistakes fathers make by not believing their children to be trustworthy? No. The answer is that the company is ultimately responsible for the final results of the piece. The world of King Lear demonstrates to the audience, by illustrating with its various characters and their actions, that a society built around a social hierarchy and material wealth will always be a place of unhappiness, filled with people committing evil actions. Shakespeare wrote King Lear. between the years 1603 and 1606. It was a tumultuous time as Queen Elizabeth I had died but left no heir or husband to take over her monarchy. The citizens were therefore worried and the competition for his regency was strong. In writing the play, Shakespeare addressed this delicate subject by creating the character of King Lear, who does not really know who to pass on his power to. Thus, Shakespeare constructs a setting with many of the current concerns and problems of his Elizabethan world (yet they are addressed in disguise). This period in England was one where... middle of paper ... blinded me that if the sisters had never stolen their father's trust he would never have gone mad, Goneril would never have poisoned Regan and committed suicide and Cordelia would not have died. Thus, the tragic parts of tragedy would not exist just as a world without unhappiness would be happy. Works Cited “King Lear: Shakespeare Context.” PBS. PBS and Web. January 20, 2014..Signet Classic Edition Teacher's Guide. Hern, Leigh Ann; Ellis, W. Gieger; Reed, Aretha JS (co-ed.), Penguin. WebShakespeare, William, Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. The Tragedy of King Lear. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2009. Print. “The Structure of Elizabethan Society”. Walter Nelson. Np, and Web. January 20. 2014..