Nature In King Lear Essay

An Analysis of Nature in King Lear

The concept of Nature in Shakespeare's King Lear 1[1] is not simply one of many themes to be uncovered and analyzed, but rather it can be considered to be the foundation of the whole play. From Kingship through to personal human relations, from representations of the physical world to notions of the heavenly realm, from the portrayal of human nature to the use of animal imagery; Nature permeates every line of King Lear. However as I intend to argue, Nature in all of these contexts is a social construct, which is utilized in order to legitimize the existing social order. In order to do this it is first necessary to draw a very brief sketch of the political and social beliefs of the Elizabethan and Jacobean

This contradiction again underlines the distinction between Nature and the 'natural social order' and perhaps can be seen best when examining the characters of Regan and Goneril and the reaction of other characters towards them. At the beginning of the play Goneril and Regan comply with their Father's request for them to declare how much they love him. However once they have received from their father his power and his lands, their attitude and behaviour towards him swiftly changes. Goneril almost immediately finds fault with the behaviour of Lear and his knights, and when she confronts Lear, he berates her and calls her a 'detested kite' 17[17]on whom Regan would show her nails to her 'wolvish visage.' 18[18] When Lear speaks to Regan about Goneril's attitude, he describes it in terms of animal behaviour, 'Thy sister's naught. O, Regan, she hath tied / Sharp -toothed unkindness, like a vulture, here.' 19[19] Lord Albany also speaks of the two sisters in comparison to animals; he calls them, 'Tigers, not daughters,' 20[20] and names Goneril a 'gilded serpent.' 21[21] All of these images, tigers, vultures, kites, are of animals who eat other animals, satisfying their hunger at the expense of others. This comparison of Goneril and Regan to animals is similar to

Lear is dead, Cordelia is dead, Gloucester is dead, as we have seen Edmund, Goneril and Regan are dead and so is Cornwall; Kent is soon to die for he says, 'I have a journey, sir, shortly to go; / My master calls me, I must not say no.' 24[24] The only two characters remaining at the end of the play are Edgar and Albany. This emphasises the disasters that follow disobedience, for all those who died have disobeyed the 'natural' social order, whereas both Edgar and Albany acted in accordance with it.

In conclusion, I have attempted to show that the representation of Nature in King Lear is more than simply one theme amongst many. I have shown that not only is it an intricate part of the play but also inherent in contemporary society. King Lear reflects the social and political beliefs at the time whilst also reinforcing them. This can be seen from James I recommendation to his heir:

And in case it please God to prouide you to all these three Kingdomes, make your eldest son Isaac, leauing him all your kindomes; and prouide the rest with priuate possessions: Otherwayes by deuiding your kingdomes, yee shall leaue the seed of diuision and discord among your posteritie; as befell to this Ile, by the diuision and assignement thereof, to the three sonnes of Brutus, Locrine, Albanact, and