British Literature Essay

  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Prithee, go in thyself. Seek thine own ease./ This tempest will not give me : leave to ponder/ On things would hurt me more. But I’ll go in. -/ In, boy; go first.- You houseless poverty -Nay, get thee in. I’ll pray, and then I’ll sleep. [Fool exits] Poor naked wretches, wheresoe’er you are,/ That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm! How shall your houseless heads unfed sides,/ Your looped and windowed raggedness defend you! From the seasons such as these? 0, I have ta’en! Too little care of this. Take physic, pomp./ Expose thyself to feel what wretches feel, / That thou may’st shake the superflux to them! And show the heavens more just.† — Act III, Scene 4, Lines 27—41 Literal Interpretation of the Passage King Lear is being turned out of his own castle by his daughters, Goneril and Regan. A fierce tempest is raging outside the castle and the daughters heartlessly have their father thrown out. A totally depressed King Lear speaks these lines to Kent and the Fool when they lead him to a hovel to protect him from the storm raging outside. The king asks them to go into the hovel instead and seek comfort from the storm. He is already shaken and tells them that the tempest will not let him ponder on things that will disturb him anymore. For a moment, the confused king tells them that he would go in, but immediately asks Fool to enter the hovel first. He tells them that he would like to pray before he goes to sleep. Fool enters the hovel and the king’s disturbed mind extends pity to the houseless people who are exposed to the ravages of nature. He wonders how people without a roof over their heads and without proper clothing would survive the cruelty of such a fierce storm. He wonders how wretched people, who don’t even get proper meals, get protected from seasons as harsh as these. He feels compassionate towards them and regrets that he had never before thought about things such as these. He wishes for a purgative that would flush out his pomp and seeks to expose himself to the harshness of what wretches experience. He hopes to shake some of his superfluous splendor on the wretched people and thus seek justice from heaven. Symbolic Interpretation of the Passage The play gains momentum in the third act when the king is turned out into the storm. The scene starts by the king crying out to Kent and Fool about â€Å"filial ingratitude.† He expresses his shock at his own plight and cries out aloud. The raging storm symbolizes the king’s mental status, and the intensity of the scene is immense when the old king is mercilessly made to face the storm both from outside and from within. The storm symbolizes the king’s inner turmoil and the madness that is soon to overtake him. The powerful storm also stands in stark contrast against the frail king who kneels down and prays after sending Fool inside. This is the first time in the play that the king prays. Pathos reigns supreme when the king all too suddenly remembers the â€Å"houseless heads.† The king’s own limitations, where he is thrown out in the open from the luxury of the castle is portrayed here. When the king rambles about â€Å"the pelting of this pitiless storm,† he alludes to the merciless nature of his daughters who mercilessly turn him out. The line â€Å"O, I have ta’en! Too little care of this† portrays the king’s understanding that he has been stripped of all royal pretensions and that he has never ever given a thought to something like this. He reproaches himself for being heartless in not caring for the homeless before. This throws light on the humanization of the king. Moral Interpretation of the Passage This passage highlights the plight of a mighty king who is betrayed by his own daughters and is rendered homeless. The hopeless situation to which the king is exposed is well expressed in this passage. He has lost the love of his daughters, his kingdom, and is now in the verge of losing his sanity too. The king divided up his kingdom and resigned from his duty. He was also stupid in not recognizing the affection of Cordelia and in sending her out because she refused to be a part of a flattering game. This is his sin and he is simply left to lurch in the thunderstorm by his own daughters. In such a backdrop, the brewing storm kindles the human spirit in the king. Though nature is not gentle towards the king, it does arouse the gentle feelings in him. It makes the same king who was vein enough to turn out his daughter for not taking part in a flattering game, wonder about other commoners. This play demonstrates the absurd nature of vanity and its results. The king learns a great many things by being exposed to harsh nature than when he was in the cozy realms of the palace. The great suffering of the king is beautifully depicted in this passage and one can foresee the tragedy that is soon to befall the king.