the tragic ending

King Lear mourns Cordelia's death, James Barry, 1786-1788

King Lear is very much a tragic play, and it is more tragic than Sophocles’ Antigone. In this play, both Lear and Gloucester die due to the misbehaviour and betrayal of their children, signifying how painful the heart will be to have ingratitude children that it causes death. Comparing Lear with Gloucester, I feel that what has happened to Gloucester is more tragic than Lear, because Gloucester is blinded before he dies, a double punishment for him. The part where his eye is plucked out has been regarded as the most terrifying scene where it was avoided to be acted on stage during the Shakespearean time so that the audience is not shocked.
Towards the end of the play, Shakespeare shocks his audience by bringing the worn and haggard Lear onto the stage, carrying his dead youngest daughter. He taunts them with the possibility that she may live yet with Lear saying, "This feather stirs; she lives!" But Cordelia is dead. Not long after that, Lear dies due to his grief and sorrows. On the other hand, Gloucester dies of heart attack, because of “joy and grief”. Joy is due to his reconciliation with Edgar, while grief is towards his illegitimate son, Edmund’s betrayal on him.