The Theme of Justice in King Lear Essay examples -- King Lear essays

The Theme of rightness in faggot Lear Many themes are evident in world power Lear, but perhaps one of the most prevalent relates to the theme of legal expert. Shakespeare has developed a tragedy that allows us to see mans decent into chaos. Although Lear is perceived as a man more sinned against than sinning (p.62), the treatment of the main characters encourages the referee to reflect on the presence or lack of justice in this world. The characters also vary in their inclination to view the world from each a fatalistic or moralistic point of view, depending on their beliefs close to the presence or absence of a higher power. The theme of justice in relation to higher powers crowd out be illustrated from the perspective of female monarch Lear, Gloucester, and Edgar. When reading King Lear, it is helpful to understand the Elizabethan Chain of organism in which nature is viewed as order. Rosenblatt (1984) states that there was a belief in an established hierarc hy within the universe. Everything had its own relative position arising with Heaven, the Divine Being, and the stars and planets which are all above. On earth the king is next, and then the nobles, on down to the peasantry. Holding the lowest position were the beggars and lunatics and finally, the animals. Interrupting this order is unnatural. King Lears sin was that he disrupted this chain of being by give up his throne. By allowing his daughters and their husbands to rule the kingdom, the natural order of things was disturbed. His notion that he can still be in control after dividing the kingdom is a delusion. According to Elizabethan philosophy, it wou... ...the universal conflict that members of society have perpetually had in understanding their fate in this world. Works Cited and Consulted Bradley, A.C. King Lear. 20Lh light speed Interpretations of King Lear. Ed. Jane Adelman. New Jersev Prentice-Hall, 1978. Colie, Rosalie. Some Faces of King Lear. Ed. R. Colie & F.T. Flahiff. UniversitV of Toronto Press, 1994. Curry, Walter. Shakespeare s Philosophical Patterns. capital of the United Kingdom Mass Peter Smith, 1968. Hunter, Robert G. Criticism on Shakespeare s Tragedies.. University of Georgia Press, 1996. Matthews, Richard. Edmunds redemption in King Lear. Shakespeare Quarterly. Winter, 19q5. pps. 25-29. Shakespeare, William. King Lear. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Canada Inc. Toronto. 1990. Snyder, Susan. King Lear and the Prodigal Son. Shakespeare Quarterly. declension 1966. pps. 361-369.