Reflections on King Lear

Why is King Lear seen as a tragic hero?
Firstly a tragic hero is the main character in a tragedy that makes an error in judgment(known as the tragic flaw) that leads to his downfall. The hero's downfall is usually his own fault as a result of his own free will. King Lear is seen as a tragic hero for he made unwise decisions which in the end led to his demise. He divided his kingdom among his daughters based on flattery, Cordelia his last daughter was reluctant to flatter for she believed in honesty but because of this her father banished her from the kingdom. The king loved his last daughter very much and wanted to give her the largest portion but her refusal to flatter him made him change his mind, and in turn dividing the entire kingdom amongst Regan and Goneril who didn't really love him sincerely. King Lear's decision to banish his youngest daughter and divide his entire kingdom among the other to lead to his downfall. The king's poor judgement had an adverse effect in the end which was the cause of the loss of many lives including his. The king took no steps to safeguard some of his wealth and give it all away and his daughters to whom he gave it to did not love him enough to use it to take care of him as he in turn did for them. The two daughters that he gave everything to betrayed him and he was lefty with nothing. While he was in trouble and needed help they left him all alone, they even treated him badly. Cordelia the one he gave nothing to in the end put her life on the line for him by trying to fight a battle which resulted in her death. King Lear's rash decisions and poor judgement lead to his downfall which then lead to his death. He is seen as a tragic hero for he posses the characteristics of a tragic hero which are he was a nobleman who had a tragic flaw that then lead to his downfall, his actions resulted in awareness and self- knowledge and the audience must feel pity or fear for the character.

What are his tragic flaws?
A tragic flaw is a flaw in the character of the protagonist which leads to his sorrow or ruin.
His first flaw is his arrogance which leads to the loss of cordelia and Kent. This arrogance leads him not to listen which caused his tragic flaw. Another flaw is his ignorance which is seen through his carelessness and foolishness. He made foolish decisions. His flaw of arrogance led to his ignorance which caused him to make foolish ignorant decisions. He also had the flaw of misjudgement that caused him to make quick decisions which lead to his mistakes. He misjudges his daughters for he does not see which one really loves him and makes the decisions that lead to his destruction.