In King Lear, what is the name of the character who is blinded?

In King Lear, the character who is blinded is Gloucester, the Earl of Gloucester. Cornwall and Regan order the brutal punishment after Gloucester helps Lear and supports the arrival of a French force.

Gloucester’s blinding occurs at his castle after Edmund betrays him by revealing that he has aided Lear. Cornwall gouges out one of Gloucester’s eyes, but a servant intervenes and wounds Cornwall. Regan then urges Cornwall to remove the other eye, leaving Gloucester completely blind before Cornwall later dies from his injury.

The assault transforms Gloucester’s understanding of his family. Before the blinding, he trusts Edmund and wrongly rejects Edgar, his legitimate son. Afterward, he realizes that Edmund has deceived him and that Edgar was loyal. Edgar, disguised as Poor Tom, becomes Gloucester’s guide without initially revealing his identity.

Gloucester’s subplot mirrors Lear’s emotional blindness. Lear cannot recognize Cordelia’s honesty, while Gloucester cannot see Edmund’s treachery. Shakespeare’s source traditions included a blinded father figure, but the play intensifies the parallel between literal sight, mistaken judgment, and painful recognition.