Random AO4 for Lear

Nature

• Appears 50 times- highly polysemic
• Mother Nature
• Human Nature- instinct/individual personality. Related to your identity- clothing/ sumptuary laws/stripping of clothing and restoration of clothing 
• Natural - bonds between parent and children
• Bastards- unnatural children
• Natural fools
• Crowns of flowers with weeds- duality. External human nature/ similar to a Fool's cap

Emblem of Map

• Map represents his kingdom- demarking his land and power
• Map making increased during this time due to increased global discovery
• Initially the land is fertile, plentiful but there's a destruction of the land/withering away= represents the loss of his power. The earth is 'empty and bleeding' (Jan Kott) 

Gods

• They are either there but are benign- In 'King Leir (source material), the Gods were obliging but in Lear they're notable for their absence
• Or not there at all
• Absurdism - left to struggle - sense of recklessness and constantly moving but to nowhere
• Compassion is shown in the servants 

Religion and Suffering

• For Lear his suffering to the absolute limit of suffering - irreligious as no salvation or no hope
• Humanism- Dollimore: 'experimental play' - Lear is late in WS's work 
• Play revolves around 0 therefore a tragedy of nothing
• 1530's break from Rome = Protestanism = cataclysmic and discord
• Erasmus- Praise of Folly which corresponds with KHVIII = Humanist thinker - man is at the centre
• Medieval belief system is shattered and redefines relationship between God and man
• L starts and ends the play as King= circular structure but nothing happens seen through the symbol of 0
• Hope which is seen in the source material of 'King Leir' is lost
• Reconciliation of 4.7= false sense of security and sets up a greater tragedy    

                                      Othello - tragedy of deception/race

                                      Hamlet- tragedy of revenge

                                      Macbeth- tragedy of ambition 

• People with power and how they handle this power eg. Richard III
• Most negative ending of any of the tragedies- bleak
• Normally 1 tragic hero dies - 1 person who can take over in order to represent the future. But Edgar's speech is so depressing that there's no feeling of hope

This is the disease which occurs when the hierarchy is destroyed. 

Job is like Lear but is denied any divine compensation- hints of a Christian redemption - Cordelia is showcase through Christian imagery but this hope is dashed. 

Orthodox Christian journey 

SIN - SUFFER - REPENT - REDEMPTION

Many critics argue that there is no redemption however it can be argued that there are slivers such as the new found humility of Lear that redeems him from his former arrogance. Or Cordelia's forgiveness.