King Lear Research Paper

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Recommended: Evaluate the character of King Lear

Sindy Lin
Dr. Gavin Paul / TA Madeleine Lascelle
ENGL 105W
26 May 2016
The Tempest in King Lear: The Inextricable Relationship Between Nature and Mankind
A storm is well known for its turbulent interference of the normal condition of the atmosphere. King Lear, a tragic play written by William Shakespeare, makes use of this natural phenomenon to create an apocalyptic imagery while foreshadowing the upcoming tragedy. In the play, the storm on the heath echoes the connection between nature and mankind because its presence can be interpreted as some kind of divine justice as if the gods are irate about the actions of the characters. Furthermore, the storm scene exhibits significance as the storm itself is emblematic as it reflects on King Lear’s …show more content…

The combination of thunder and lightning reflects on his emotional turmoil and impending madness caused by the betrayal of his daughters. Nevertheless, Lear still believes that his words hold power as he tries to manipulate the storm by challenging it to do the worst against him: “Blow, wind, and crack your cheeks! Rage, blow, / You cataracts and hurricanoes, spout / Till you have drowned the steeples, drowned the cocks” (9.1-3). His speech reveals his attempt to connect with nature but he notices that he cannot control the power of nature. This causes the powerless king to recognize his own moral weakness which leads to him feeling a sense of humility that he has never experienced before as he says, “Here I stand your slave, / A poor, infirm, weak and despised old man” (9.19-20). Lear realizes that a king and an ordinary man caught in a storm is the same. He further learns that an “unaccommodated man is no / more but such a poor, bare, forked animal as thou art” (11.96-7). The storm allows Lear to understand that all men are vulnerable to natural events, or defenseless in general, and the opulent clothes that he wears on a daily basis are just to obscure a man’s true nature. Therefore, the storm scene is significant because it is when Lear learns that he is

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