The tragedy "King Lear" - one of the most profound social and psychological works of world drama. In Shakespeare's story of a cruel and ungrateful children served as the basis for the psychological, social and philosophical tragedy, which draws a picture of the prevailing injustice in society, cruelty, greed.
The text of the play is most common with word "nature", and the theme of nature is connected with the general philosophical conception of Shakespeare.
In the tragedy almost all the characters are turning to nature, mention it, call it into an ally, blame it for their troubles. This is profound meaning: a person in all aspects of life is in those or other relations with the outside world. Many metaphors arise in connection with the life of nature and human society. Especially often turn to the forces of nature Lear and the old Duke of Gloucester, shaken cruelty by ungrateful children. Lear remembers how negligible fault of Cordelia, like an instrument of torture, wrenched his nature from its usual place, plucked from the heart a love and added bile - introduced features of the phenomenon of physiology, when under the influence of sudden shock, distress and anger blood pours from the heart, and bile as though spreads throughout the body. Leare perceives the instructions and teachings of Goneril as a perversion of human nature: ingratitude - a marble-hearted demon. It is more disgusting than sea monsters. And Lear calls upon the nature of revenge for the violation of its laws.
After confirming that the second daughter as ungrateful and cruel, Lear feels like going crazy. The new blow caused such a strong shock that Lear compares his state with hysteria when the heart rises nausea, his grief climbs upward.
At this point he turned accusingly to the gods, asking to grant him patience and inculcate noble rage: do not do me like a fool, so I dutifully endured it, do not let the "gun women - drops of moisture - staining men's cheeks." When Lear with the clown leaves the castle, the old Duke of Gloucester tries to arouse pity for the King, talks about the approach of the storm, but Regan orders to lock the gates.
The scene in the desert during a storm is seen as a symbolic allegory and the climax of the action. Unnamed Lord of the King 's suite says Kent, in what condition he had seen King Lear - who fought the raging winds, tore his hair, and wind gusts in the "eyeless rage" carried away strands of hair into oblivion. After this description goes a scene in which Lear defies heaven and the raging elements. Lear turns to the great rebel, covered by noble anger and sorrow. The figurative rapid speech the King addressed to the elements. Its question is not about a particular case, but the shock of the whole universe.
Exactly in moments prior to the loss of reason, Lear starts to converse with the elements as with living beings. In nature he sees powerful forces, not only hostile but also helpful to people, so appeals to them with accusations, reproaches, sorrowful. Due to metaphorical speech events of his life take a cosmic scale, symbolically correspond with the terrible events in the natural world.
Many images in Lear's angry monologues addressed to Regan and Goneril, expressed his indignation and disgust for the ingratitude and cruelty: the boil, a plague sore, carbuncle, damage, swamp evaporation, fog. The viewer should feel the collapse of the foundations of the universe, a monstrous state of the world where such cruel things exist.
The final scene - the emergence of Lear with dead Cordelia in his arms causes a feeling of deep sorrow. The message of the death of Regan and Goneril, Edmund is perceived as a "trifle", "trifle" - in such a way Albany responds to the news. Everybody is covered by compassion for Lear whereas Edgar tries to bring Lear back in feeling, thinking that the king is still alive, Kent keeps him with the meaningful remark: "One hates him, who would like to continue his torture on the rack of this rough world." In this metaphor is a measure of the suffering of King Lear.
In the symbolic and allegorical scenes, Lear acts as judge of society, however, being accuser insane and deprived of power. But evil forces are destroying themselves in the moments when a strong rivalry between the two worlds takes place.
Cited Works
"Folger Digital Texts." Folger Digital Texts. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.
