You see me here, a poor old man, as full of grief as age; wretched in both!

You see me here, a poor old man, as full of grief as age; wretched in both!

The quote “You see me here, a poor old man, as full of grief as age; wretched in both!” is spoken by King Lear in William Shakespeare’s tragedy of the same name. This line encapsulates the profound sense of despair and suffering that Lear experiences throughout the play, as he grapples with the consequences of his own actions and the betrayal of those closest to him.

At the beginning of the play, Lear is a proud and powerful king who expects unquestioning loyalty and obedience from his daughters. However, when he divides his kingdom among them based on their flattery rather than their true feelings for him, he sets in motion a chain of events that leads to his downfall. As his daughters turn against him and he is left to wander the wilderness in a storm, Lear is forced to confront his own mortality and the emptiness of his former power and authority.

The image of Lear as a “poor old man” highlights his vulnerability and helplessness in the face of his own mistakes and the cruelty of those around him. Despite his advanced age and the wisdom that should come with it, Lear is unable to see the true nature of his daughters or the consequences of his actions until it is too late. His grief is not just for the loss of his kingdom and his former status, but for the realization that he has been blind to the truth and that his own pride and arrogance have brought him to this point.

The word “wretched” further emphasizes Lear’s sense of misery and despair. He is not just unhappy or disappointed, but truly wretched in both his physical and emotional state. The combination of age and grief weighs heavily on him, leaving him broken and desolate. Despite his flaws and mistakes, Lear is a tragic figure who elicits sympathy and pity from the audience as he struggles to come to terms with his own mortality and the futility of his former ambitions.