Shakespeare's presentation of Lear's world challenges us to consider what is meant by the terms 'natural' and 'unnatural'. How Far do you agree with this view?

Both plays explore the concept of what's "natural" and "unnatural" behaviour in man. It could be said that both monarchs have naive expectations of what they believe and fail to realise is human nature. In 'Lear' kind Lear expects his daughters to flatter him in the fist scenes "which of you shall say doth love us most?". He foolishly believes it's in their nature to love him and to treat him with kindness and respect as he is their father and that is natural behaviour for many people. Although, human nature isn't good or bad but Lear fails to see this and it blinded by lies and sycophants such as his daughters. Therefore he believes Goneril and Reagan's flattery and lies as that's their nature to be cruel and selfish. Lear calls Cordelia a "monster" when she fails to flatter him which is ironic as it is actually Goneril and Regan who are the true monsters but Lear fails to see this at this point. Lear believes that it is unnatural for Cordelia not to flatter him and tells her that "Better thou Hadst not been born that no t'have pleased me better." And his ignorance to the lies his two sycophantic daughters tell him is more natural to him then Cordelia telling the truth. This mirrors the sub plot where Edmund the illegitimate son of Gloucester frames him half brother Edgar the rightful air to Gloucester by manipulating and lying to them both. "Legitimate Edgar, I must have your land." Edmund knows he is doing evil towards his father and his brother who are both good people, but yet he does not care. The jacobean audience at the time of the play being written would have found it wrong that Regan and Goneril disobeyed and did wrong by their father, they acted unnaturally towards their father. Lear being head of the family and head of the country but being blinded by sycophants and lies which cloud his judgement could be a lecture to James the first who was has recently come into power of the country, their were many concerns that he would divide the country as he was Scottish and the monarch before him was Elisabeth the first who was a good, insightful monarch.
Oedipus also fails to realise his unnatural behaviour and is too naive at the begging of the play to see that he is the cause of the plague "There is none so sick as I" which is ironic as he is the cause of hundreds of sick and dying people but also because his action were sick and unnatural.

Both plays use aspects of nature to suggest the experience of man's sinful behaviour. In 'Lear' the weakness and strength on man is presented through the storm that is going on through out the majority of the play. Lear has his anagnorisis when he is out side in the storm and realises the nothingness of man, while earlier he thought he could control the storm "Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow!" to punish Goneril and Regan for being cruel to him. This is ironic as soon after wanting to control the storm to punish his daughter he has realises that he his just a man, nothing powerful "expose thy self to feel what wretches feel, that thou mayst shake the super flux to them, and show the heavens more just". His understanding that man is nothing and he cannot control nature this is the most insight he has had through out the play. He thought eh purpose of the monarch was for the people to serve him, but he finally realises that it is the other way round, under his clothes Lear is equal to the beggar "Is man no more that this...forked animal as thou art...come unbutton here. He is the one who should be looking after his country. Many Jacobeans would have interpritated this a lesson for James the first, he was there to protect and look after his country, not for him to make poor judgements and to mess the country up.
In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus see's himself as a father figures and frequently calls people his "children", Oedipus is so convinced he is the one who can fix the plague because of his knowledge but later finds out that it's because of his unnatural behaviour, he is "The ammoniacal contaminator."

Both plays present flaws in human nature as being typical of a tragic hero as both the main characters have an anagnorisis and this then leads to their down fall which is inevitable. In Lear, King Lear fails to see that he is blind and without insight, he divides the country which is not the role of a monarch, he falls for sycophantic lies and fails to accept the truth, he also see's him self as better and stronger than nature. Although he thinks he is doing right, without having insight and allowing those who do to help him "Hence and avoid my sight" he's not being a good monarch or father but thinks he is. This flaw that is present in human nature as being typical of a tragic hero is followed by Lear's anagnorisis where he realises that he is a "Man more sinned against that sinning" which is true in a tragic hear, the punishment is far grater that the action he did. This is ironic as he felt he was doing good, While Goneril and Reagan knew they were being evil the whole time, "let us hit together". They go out of their way to manipulate and lie to get what they want. Lear often describes them as animals or monsters as he cannot see what they have done as a nature thing, but for them, it is natural, that is who they are. When Lear gains insight after his anagnorisis, he is out side in the storm, surrounded by nature and can see that his hubrisness is the cause of all that has happened, And his down fall will be the loss of his favourite daughter "I loved her most" Cordelia.

Shakespeare's presentation of Lear's world challenges us to consider what is meant by the terms 'natural' and 'unnatural', Many of the Jacobean audience would have been christian and believed that the bad are punished and the good are rewarded, but in nature there isn't justice, people do what is nature to them be it deemed good by society or bad. Therefore the presentation of natural and unnatural is used to show us that people just do what comes naturally to them, even though this may be deem unnatural to others.

	Created by Ffion Groom over 8 years ago

A-Level English literature Note on The depiction of nature essay , created by Ffion Groom on 25/04/2016.