The Storm

“Who’s there, besides foul weather?” — Kent

“Contending with the fretful elements. Bids the wind blow the earth into the sea or swell the curled waters ‘above the main” — Gentleman

“Since I was man, Such sheets of fire, such bursts of horrid thunder, Such groans of roaring wind and rain, I never remember to have heard.” — Kent

“Let the great gods that keep this dreadful pudder o’er our heads find out their enemies now. Tremble, thou wretch That hast within thee undivulgèd crimes unwhipped of justice. Hide thee, thou bloody hand, Thou perjured, and thou simular man of virtue That art incestuous. Caitiff, to pieces, shake, That under covert and convenient seeming hast practised on man’s life. Close pent-up guilt, Rive your concealing continents and cry These dreadful summoners grace. I am a man more sinned against than sinning.” — Lear

• In the above quote, Lear believes God has created the storm and is judging the sinners. His wish is that all the bad people should be trembling in fear of the storms rage towards them.

• This is a significant scene/moment in the play as the storm reflects the disordered state of Lear’s kingdom since its natural ruler has unnaturally given up his position and let disordered chaos return to the kingdom. The storm reflects the conflict among the three sisters, Goneril, Reagan, and Cordelia and the strife within not only the kingdom but Lear’s state of mind.

“The tempest in my mind Doth from my senses take all feeling else Save what beats there.” — Lear

• Lear says the violent storm is nothing compared to the “tempest” in his own mind. He says that his daughters are ungrateful but decides that dwelling on Goneril and Regan will make him go mad.

Lears Dialogue

• In this act, Lear is beginning to go mad. We can tell this by several changes in his language. For example, his word choice is usually eloquent and proper but in this act, his sentences become shorter and more jumbled, he uses common words. To elaborate on his jumbled sentences more, we can begin to feel the storm brewing in his head and clouding/blinding his vision by the random and confusing tangents he often goes off on. Lear’s speech also begins in verse at the start of the act and deteriorated to prose as the battle in his mind and with the weather intensifies.

Lear Highlights

“Here I stand your slave, A poor infirm, weak and despised old man.“

“No, I will be the pattern of patience; I will say nothing.“

“I am a man more sinned against than sinning.“

“The tempest in my mind Doth from my senses take all feeling else Save what beats there.“

“O, that way madness lies; let me shun that!“

“Poor naked wretches, wheresoe’er you are, That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm… O, I have ta’en too little care of this! Take physic, pomp; Expose thyself to feel what wretches feel…“

“Is man no more than this? Consider him well. Thou owest the worm no silk, the beast no hide, the sheep no wool and the cat no perfume…“

“Is there any cause in nature that make these hard hearts?“

The Greek Allusions

Shakespeare has many Greek allusions throughout all of his plays which shows that he most likely studied a variety of Greek legends during his education. Shakespeare most likely added several lines that were a play on words that allude to previous stories/legends as they add an extra effect as fate an fortune is a huge part of his storytelling.

“Nothing will come from nothing” is a play on words on the “from nothing, nothing comes”, which was an argument made by philosopher Paramedes. This contradicts that God originally created everything from nothing.

The Clothing Symbolism 

“Unaccommodated man is no more but such a poor bare forked animal as thou art. Off, off you lendings! Come, unbutton here.”

Clothing symbolism in this act represents the tragic hero’s, king lear’s, status being reduced to that of poor Tom. During the storm, King lear strips his clothes this is symbolism as Lears intensifying insanity is stripping down not only his status but his character, his identity. While doing this Lear is in company with poor Tom who has already reduced his status to filth and wears rags to disguise himself, now Lear has come to the same fate.

The Court Scene

Justice is important in King Lear as it seems that justice isn’t always served through the authorities and more through the idea of karma and punishment from God (fate). A quote from Cornwall supports this idea of injustice he says “Though well we may not pass upon his life Without the form of justice, yet our power Shall do a court’sy to our wrath, which men May blame but not control.” Cornwall is talking about how men do not have the power to apply justice and the only true deserver of this power is god. Several of the characters are able to murder and punish people due to their anger without suffering the consequences. In the farmhouse, Lears does an imaginary trial to give justice to his daughters as he wants them to pay for the disrespect and cruelness they have shown him.

The Tension Builds

The three main types of irony are verbal, situational and dramatic.

It is not uncommon for Shakespeare to build tension by using irony. An example of this is in Act 3 when Gloucester has his eyes violently gouged out. This is situational irony as Gloucester has been technically ‘blind’ the entire time as he was unable to see Edmunds evil plan. This moment shows the audience the insanity of the whole situation and the chaos that runs through the veins of the kingdom and realm.