Self-awareness is a common struggle among people; self-awareness is the ability to perceive oneself and others and how humans interact with one another. The play King Lear by William Shakespeare is a tragedy with many twists and turns, self-awareness is a skill that Lear struggles with as the play develops. Lack of self-awareness leads to madness which results in awareness of the true nature of those around one and those who can bring true happiness. The lack of self-awareness is evident in King Lear, primarily in the main character, King Lear. The lack of self-awareness is evident in the king from the first acts of the play. Lear makes many tragic mistakes due to the lack of self-awareness he obtains. Lack of self-awareness ultimately leads to madness. Once one overcomes their insanity, they realize what truly makes them happy. Lear becomes aware of the things that give pure happiness. Lear is deceived by his lack of self-awareness. Self-awareness is absent in Lear in the first acts of the play. Lear's lack of self-awareness is recognized based on numerous events. At the beginning of the play, Lear, the King of England, has the brilliant idea of ​​dividing his kingdom into three parts, one for each daughter. Lear decided to prematurely divide his kingdom in hopes of resolving possible future conflicts after his death. Lear explains how he will divide the kingdom between his daughters: Meanwhile, we will express our darkest purpose. Give me the map there. Now that we have divided our kingdom into three... To shake away all the cares and affairs of our age, bestowing them upon younger forces while we crawl unburdened toward death. (1.1. 37-42)...... middle of paper...... Since Lear was selfish and lacked self-awareness, he was unwilling to accept the opinions of others, causing him to discover by himself which is the root of his happiness. Lear suffers from his madness to understand who can bring him true happiness. Self-awareness is difficult to develop in a person. The play King Lear is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare that develops several characters throughout the play with downfalls and valuable lessons learned. Lear suffers from a lack of self-awareness; because of this, Lear makes many selfish mistakes. Through lack of self-awareness, Lear becomes “mad” because he is unable to face all his faults. When Lear is mad, he realizes those who truly love him and who can bring him happiness. Unable to see his own flaws, Lear descends into madness and discovers the people who can bring him true happiness..