William's Shakespeare's King Lear

In William’s Shakespeare’s King Lear, both realistic and corrupted aspects of a trial are shown throughout Act 3, scenes 6 and 7. Both of these trials begin as realistic as any trial, but eventually acts but turn into madness in scene 6 and tyranny in scene 7. The main purpose of a trial is to decide whether one is innocent or guilty upon being charged with a crime. In Act 3, Scene 6, Lear takes his daughters to trial, which ends in corruption and madness. Act 3, Scene 7’s trial is Cornwall taking Gloucester to trial, which ends up in tyranny and abuse of power, which ends up exposing all of the power that Cornwall has. This extreme power is shown through the torture of Gloucester, which is performed by Cornwall himself. This event in particular, shows fantasy and unrealistic aspects of the trial. Although both trials start fair, just, and completely ordinary, they end up taking a turn towards an unrealistic, delusional, and strange approach towards “justice.”

During the trial in Act 3, scene 6, Shakespeare displays the sanity and insanity of Lear himself. Lear organizes this trial in attempt to punish two of his daughters, Goneril and Regan, showing the type of delusional madness he suffers from as these are his own daughters. Lear bringing his own children to trial does seem inane, but the trial starts off completely legitimate. This sense of legitimacy is shown through the lines “I will arraign them straight. Come, sit thou here, most learned justicer,” (3.6, 18-19). These lines show that the trial is not insane because it shows how common and ordinary the trial starts off. Lear appoints a well-educate