Illogical Yet Necessary

Q. What are the improbabilities or illogical events in King Lear, and what impact do they have on the general effect of the tragedy?

Shakespeare allows the tragedy to expand and the drama to thicken by using many improbable or illogical events. Although these events could never actually occur, they impact the general effect of the tragedy. Each thing just seems to fall into place perfectly to magnify the events that makes "King Lear" the tragedy it was meant to be.
When Gloucester gets his eyes gouged out, a number of improbable things occur. As Gloucester wanders around in agony, it is very convenient that Edgar quickly stumbles upon his poor father. It seems to be a reoccurring act of luck that each character happens to be exactly in the right spot at exactly the right time. Edgar also happened to come upon Lear and the other characters in the storm by chance. Another example of this type of illogical event is when Lear shows up right after Gloucester supposedly falls from the cliffs. Each character always meets up with other characters when convenient. It is completely improbable, but if it didn't happen the important events would not have been able to take place, like Edgar saving his father from jumping of a real cliff.
Gloucester believes that Edgar is a peasant and asks him to take him to the cliffs of Dover so that he can jump of and take his own life. When they are walking, Edgar easily convinces his father that they are walking up a steep hill when the ground is really level. When Gloucester questions this, he quickly puts it out of mind when Edgar says, "Why then your other senses grow imperfect/ By your eyes anguish," (110). Also, with little argument, Edgar convinces Gloucester that he fell from the high cliffs of Dover, when in reality he just fell over on level ground. "'Have I fallen or no?' 'From the dread summit of this chalky bourn,'" (112). The fact that Gloucester fell for these lies to easily is so illogical, however, if it wasn't so then Gloucester would have tried to kill himself again. After this occurred, Gloucester believed that the Gods saved his life and that he had a reason to live.
Another thing that was very hard to believe while reading this Shakespearean play was that by putting a little disguise on or changing your voice can make you completely unrecognizable. Edgar put on an act as a peasant, and apparently a darn good one; but honestly, could he really trick is own father? Even before Gloucester had his eyes violently removed he couldn't recognize his son. Also, Lear had no clue that his servant was really Kent, a man he had known for years, which is highly unlikely. I'm quite sure that their disguises weren't even that good considering the day and age. However, if these characters were recognized for who they truly were, the plot would have been completely ruined. These characters needed to stay in the story and the lives of the other characters, and to do so, Shakespeare made it so their identities stayed hidden.
The fact that each character magically showed up in every important situation, the silly and unlikely trickery and the bad but believable disguises are all improbable and illogical, however, it is all completely necessary. Shakespeare knew what he was doing, and although we may read the play and think to ourselves, "that would never happen," we have no right to question this famous play. Illogical events are what makes the plot successful and how Shakespeare intended it to be.

chemsford.