Blindness:


King Lear frequently references blindness, both metaphorically and literally. Most notably Lear and Gloucester, who misunderstand their children and commit catastrophic errors as a result, are two characters in the play who are misled by their egos and aspirations. 

Gloucester is brutally blinded later on in the play, which makes him weak and defenseless but also remarkably smart. The play implies that Gloucester has an acute sense of understanding that he did not have at the start of the play as a result of losing his sight.

The Fool:

The Fool in King Lear is a well-known instance of a comic relief character who ends up having a considerably bigger impact on the play's events. Perhaps the most astute character in the play is Lear's fool, who makes remarks that accurately reflect Lear's lack of self-awareness and anticipate Lear's demise. 

Lear's ego is demonstrated by the fact that he prefers to criticize his fool rather than listen to him, and by the play's conclusion when Lear starts to speak in a manner that is similar to the idiot's earlier speech.

Weather:


Act Three's storm serves as a metaphor for Lear's disorganized state of mind. He even admits to having a "tempest in [his] mind" at one point (3.4). The storm's thunder and lightning allude to Lear's and many other characters' certain demises as well as England's political unrest following Lear's division of his realm.

Crown of Lear:


Lear's fool says that by choosing to partition his kingdom, Lear has unintentionally cut his crown in half early in the play. As a result, Lear's crown represents both his dominance and the stability of his realm. Later on in the play, Lear makes an appearance with a crown made entirely of flowers, a metaphor for his total loss of control. 

This floral crown also links Ophelia from Hamlet, a different Shakespearean figure who spreads wildflowers to onlookers right before her demise, to King Lear. Ophelia's actions have frequently been described as a manifestation of grief-driven lunacy, and Lear's actions at the play's conclusion fit the same description