Shakespeare's use of the Renaissance Idea of Fatalism and Imagery in King Lear

Shakespeare's use of the Renaissance Idea of Fatalism and Imagery in King Lear

In a play about individual tragedies, fatalism plays an important

part. Shakespeare effectively uses cosmic imagery to define his

characters and to explore the idea of journeys linked to

self-discovery by relating it to the imagery of rotating circles.

Shakespeare uses Renaissance theology to explain character motivation.

In the 16th century there was a great belief in astronomy. People

believed in the harmony of the spheres and they were ruled by this

idea of thhe natural alignment of the nine planets in their orbits.

Shakespeare incorporates this into "King Lear" in highlighting Edgar

and Gloucester's superstitious beliefs and using Edmund as a contrast

to show that unnaturalness and disharmony are connected. Another

symbol of natural alingment of fate used is the "Wheel of Fortune"; a

Pagan idea in which life is considered to go round in a circle, a

never-ending rotating odyssey in which life works toward its peak and

experiences downfall after. In the play, King Lear experiences his own

journey on the "Wheel of Fortune" as does Edmund who comes to realise

and accept his own fate at the end of the play. The plot moves in

opposite directions at the start and merge together to form a circular

plot. Both the wheel and spherical references throughout the play lead

to an anticipated climax in which the circular main-plot and sub-plot

at the end with characters reaching self-realisation through

confrontation of justice, and honesty and the wheel of fortunes.

Edmund is arguably the most unnatural character due to his bastrd

status and evil nature. In his firs...

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the points they are making reinforcing the normality of the use, thus

making Edmund stand out. The 'wheel of fortune' is used to explain why

the characters and the plot develop and give the audience a sense of

forthcoming events and impending doom. Life goes round in a continuous

circle, which the characters cannot escape no matter how powerful they

are, death is the only escape. All the characters must move forward

even if the results are tragic; they are only consequences of their

own actions, therefore human judgement still remains faulty. Lear

never fully learnt his lesson. He still remained individualistic by

obsessing over Gonerill and Regan's injustice to him, right to the

very end; he was selfish in his personal tragedy. Human nature still

prevails, all men must fall according to the 'wheel of fortune'.