G.W. Knight takes a completely different stance on King Lear, referring to the play as a “comedy of the grotesque.” Knight begins Chapter VIII of The Wheel of Fire by describing Shakespeare’s purpose in writing King Lear as a means to blend realism with imagination (160-161). Knight goes on to analyze several elements of the play and explains what makes them comical. Knight starts with King Lear, explaining how asking for love is silly yet part of human nature. In addition, while King Lear’s act of disowning Cordelia is childish, it is also representative of how he was unable to understand his children. These scenes help explain the play’s theme of greatness and immaturity, as King Lear is portrayed with heroic instincts, but no sense