This segment of King Lear is one of the turning point of the play .
King Lear is defeated morally, physically and mentally .The thunderstorm with its noises and as a whole may be seen as the representation of all the turmoil that Lear has to go through .
Lear is already fairly advanced on the path of madness : he blindly put his health in danger staying under the rain , he thinks the tempest in his mind is much more dangerous to him than the one outside , and he doesn't even listen to Kent anymore , the voice of reason . As soon as he saw Edgar he takes him as the proof of what only he wants to see and hear. He mentions the term daughters in the very first line that he addresses to Poor Tom , précising its quantity , on line 48 .
Edgar hasn't even said anything about him that Lear " knows " it's the fault of his daughters .
He somehow harass Poor Tom , desperate to have the confirmation of his thoughts . He ask Edgar again on line 62 if it is his daughters that brought him to this " pass " , which is an interesting term as in the notes of the book , it is indicated that it stands as a synonym for predicament . Yet a pass could also be a mountain pass , a narrow and often dangerous , even more back in those days , path between , interestingly enough , two rocky barriers ... And Lear " knows " it's the fault of his two daughters if he's in such a poor state now. In the whole passage but even more there , " his " daughters concerns both , the frontier is blurred .
Kent has to assure Lear that Poor Tom " hath no daughter " , but again it fails : Lear doesn't listen to anyone apart from himself , for the second time in the scene he refuses to listen to the voice of reason which is Kent .
The segment which might be considered as the climax of the scene is when Lear tears apart his clothes to give some part to Poor Tom . It is paradoxical as on one side Lear has reached the bottom of humility, admitting that man is not so much separated from animals , he ends up half-naked and disillusioned under the rain without his kingdom , if it was not for Kent and Gloucester he would really be alone . But on the other side all of this could be seen as the summit of his craziness .
In a way , it's when he is the most disconnected from reality that he reached the truth itself about his current state and humanity .
And this physical degradation is in fact the punishment for his conduct , for trampling the rules of monarchism , sacrificing the respublica for his daughters , and even more those who were the least meritorious , sweeping away the only one who was always faithful and honest , Cordelia .
Even Gloucester begin to lose his sense of reality , asking " What a night is this ? " on line 166 , while and though Lear is not listening to him , as if he was somehow asking it to the spectator .
Edgar too is somehow embarked in crazyness toward the end of the passage his behavior is more and more erratic : When Gloucester asks the group to enter in the hovel , while Edgar recognized his father, And why Lear address him as a noble philosopher, he only says " Tom's a-cold " which could be interpreted in two different ways , that both conveys the same meaning = it is simply the recognition of the fact that the storm is still ongoing . It seems flat as on line 98 it is said in a stage direction in italic " storm still " .
Another proof of Lear insanity is when on line 171 he says " Come let's in all " . Theoretically he includes him for he says " Let us " , while at the same time the us is eluded . And while Kent indicated him the direction , with deference " my lord " , he turns away and insist on remaining with Tom .⅛
From the mountain came only a mouse , in a way . He only quit when his father says there is no time for words , they need to hurry , and even after that he paradoxically becomes more prolific than on line 169 , and only to engage in an aberrant reinterpretation of the Chanson de Roland .
King Lear
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Thunderoad
This segment of King Lear is one of the turning point of the play .
King Lear is defeated morally, physically and mentally .The thunderstorm with its noises and as a whole may be seen as the representation of all the turmoil that Lear has to go through .
Lear is already fairly advanced on the path of madness : he blindly put his health in danger staying under the rain , he thinks the tempest in his mind is much more dangerous to him than the one outside , and he doesn't even listen to Kent anymore , the voice of reason . As soon as he saw Edgar he takes him as the proof of what only he wants to see and hear. He mentions the term daughters in the very first line that he addresses to Poor Tom , précising its quantity , on line 48 .
Edgar hasn't even said anything about him that Lear " knows " it's the fault of his daughters .
And Tom is saying that he has physically suffered , exacerbated by his nakedness , from evil spirits that he obsessively qualify with the phrase " foul fiend " , recalling on lines 50/52 " fires and through flames , through ford and whirlpool " . This last word shows that he was trapped into something much more powerful and larger than his self against which he couldn't do anything , saying on these lines he was being " lead " . And if he was unable to resist , it is because those evil spirits are inside him as he religiously cry " Bless thy five wits " .
He somehow harass Poor Tom , desperate to have the confirmation of his thoughts . He ask Edgar again on line 62 if it is his daughters that brought him to this " pass " , which is an interesting term as in the notes of the book , it is indicated that it stands as a synonym for predicament . Yet a pass could also be a mountain pass , a narrow and often dangerous , even more back in those days , path between , interestingly enough , two rocky barriers ... And Lear " knows " it's the fault of his two daughters if he's in such a poor state now. In the whole passage but even more there , " his " daughters concerns both , the frontier is blurred .
Kent has to assure Lear that Poor Tom " hath no daughter " , but again it fails : Lear doesn't listen to anyone apart from himself , for the second time in the scene he refuses to listen to the voice of reason which is Kent .
The segment which might be considered as the climax of the scene is when Lear tears apart his clothes to give some part to Poor Tom . It is paradoxical as on one side Lear has reached the bottom of humility, admitting that man is not so much separated from animals , he ends up half-naked and disillusioned under the rain without his kingdom , if it was not for Kent and Gloucester he would really be alone . But on the other side all of this could be seen as the summit of his craziness .
In a way , it's when he is the most disconnected from reality that he reached the truth itself about his current state and humanity .
And this physical degradation is in fact the punishment for his conduct , for trampling the rules of monarchism , sacrificing the respublica for his daughters , and even more those who were the least meritorious , sweeping away the only one who was always faithful and honest , Cordelia .
Even Gloucester begin to lose his sense of reality , asking " What a night is this ? " on line 166 , while and though Lear is not listening to him , as if he was somehow asking it to the spectator .
Edgar too is somehow embarked in crazyness toward the end of the passage his behavior is more and more erratic : When Gloucester asks the group to enter in the hovel , while Edgar recognized his father, And why Lear address him as a noble philosopher, he only says " Tom's a-cold " which could be interpreted in two different ways , that both conveys the same meaning = it is simply the recognition of the fact that the storm is still ongoing . It seems flat as on line 98 it is said in a stage direction in italic " storm still " .
Another proof of Lear insanity is when on line 171 he says " Come let's in all " . Theoretically he includes him for he says " Let us " , while at the same time the us is eluded . And while Kent indicated him the direction , with deference " my lord " , he turns away and insist on remaining with Tom .
From the mountain came only a mouse , in a way . He only quit when his father says there is no time for words , they need to hurry , and even after that he paradoxically becomes more prolific than on line 169 , and only to engage in an aberrant reinterpretation of the Chanson de Roland .
King Lear is defeated morally, physically and mentally .The thunderstorm with its noises and as a whole may be seen as the representation of all the turmoil that Lear has to go through .
Lear is already fairly advanced on the path of madness : he blindly put his health in danger staying under the rain , he thinks the tempest in his mind is much more dangerous to him than the one outside , and he doesn't even listen to Kent anymore , the voice of reason . As soon as he saw Edgar he takes him as the proof of what only he wants to see and hear. He mentions the term daughters in the very first line that he addresses to Poor Tom , précising its quantity , on line 48 .
Edgar hasn't even said anything about him that Lear " knows " it's the fault of his daughters .
And Tom is saying that he has physically suffered , exacerbated by his nakedness , from evil spirits that he obsessively qualify with the phrase " foul fiend " , recalling on lines 50/52 " fires and through flames , through ford and whirlpool " . This last word shows that he was trapped into something much more powerful and larger than his self against which he couldn't do anything , saying on these lines he was being " lead " . And if he was unable to resist , it is because those evil spirits are inside him as he religiously cry " Bless thy five wits " .
He somehow harass Poor Tom , desperate to have the confirmation of his thoughts . He ask Edgar again on line 62 if it is his daughters that brought him to this " pass " , which is an interesting term as in the notes of the book , it is indicated that it stands as a synonym for predicament . Yet a pass could also be a mountain pass , a narrow and often dangerous , even more back in those days , path between , interestingly enough , two rocky barriers ... And Lear " knows " it's the fault of his two daughters if he's in such a poor state now. In the whole passage but even more there , " his " daughters concerns both , the frontier is blurred .
Kent has to assure Lear that Poor Tom " hath no daughter " , but again it fails : Lear doesn't listen to anyone apart from himself , for the second time in the scene he refuses to listen to the voice of reason which is Kent .
The segment which might be considered as the climax of the scene is when Lear tears apart his clothes to give some part to Poor Tom . It is paradoxical as on one side Lear has reached the bottom of humility, admitting that man is not so much separated from animals , he ends up half-naked and disillusioned under the rain without his kingdom , if it was not for Kent and Gloucester he would really be alone . But on the other side all of this could be seen as the summit of his craziness .
In a way , it's when he is the most disconnected from reality that he reached the truth itself about his current state and humanity .
And this physical degradation is in fact the punishment for his conduct , for trampling the rules of monarchism , sacrificing the respublica for his daughters , and even more those who were the least meritorious , sweeping away the only one who was always faithful and honest , Cordelia .
Even Gloucester begin to lose his sense of reality , asking " What a night is this ? " on line 166 , while and though Lear is not listening to him , as if he was somehow asking it to the spectator .
Edgar too is somehow embarked in crazyness toward the end of the passage his behavior is more and more erratic : When Gloucester asks the group to enter in the hovel , while Edgar recognized his father, And why Lear address him as a noble philosopher, he only says " Tom's a-cold " which could be interpreted in two different ways , that both conveys the same meaning = it is simply the recognition of the fact that the storm is still ongoing . It seems flat as on line 98 it is said in a stage direction in italic " storm still " .
Another proof of Lear insanity is when on line 171 he says " Come let's in all " . Theoretically he includes him for he says " Let us " , while at the same time the us is eluded . And while Kent indicated him the direction , with deference " my lord " , he turns away and insist on remaining with Tom .
From the mountain came only a mouse , in a way . He only quit when his father says there is no time for words , they need to hurry , and even after that he paradoxically becomes more prolific than on line 169 , and only to engage in an aberrant reinterpretation of the Chanson de Roland .