A Detailed Commentary On Act 3

Write a detailed commentary on the extract taken from Act 3, Scene 4

When we read ‘King Lear’ for the first time we are presented, on the whole, with a pessimistic view of men and society. In other parts of the play Regan, Gonerill and Edmund define treachery, whereas the character of Kent creates a stark contrast, showing us a strong sense of loyalty by following and supporting Lear throughout his torment. Remembering that Kent was betrayed by Lear in the first scene of the play, this emphasises the goodness of Kent’s character. At the beginning of the extract Lear asks ‘Wilt break my heart?’ In response to this Kent declares ‘I had rather break mine own’. This is just one of many examples in the play where Kent is willing to take Lear’s suffering upon himself. Every time Kent enters we get a feeling of relief because he is there to fight evil, a personification of the rare goodness of mankind. Kent also shows his loyalty and steadfastness for his King in the way in which he tries to shelter him from the storm. When Kent says that ‘The tyranny of the open night’s too rough for nature to endure’, he is really trying to make Lear think it is the storm that is to blame for his discomfort, although Kent is fully aware of the true reasons for Lear’s pain.

In the play ‘King Lear’ grief reaches the utmost depths that any Shakespearean character has ever portrayed. In this particular extract the storm taking place on the heath symbolises and runs parallel with the storm in Lear’s soul. His mind is so wracked with the treachery of his two daughters that he actually finds comfort in nature’s cruel elements. This is conveyed when Lear says that the tempest…

“…will not give me leave to ponder

On things would hurt me more.';

No matter how much physical discomfort the storm inflicts, Lear feels that in comparison to his mental torment the storm is of little consequence:

“This tempest in my mind

Doth from my senses take all feeling else

Save what beats there.';

At the beginning of the extract, Shakespeare uses Lear’s reference to the ‘contentious storm’ to show us the extent of his suffering. He tells us that the storm…

“…invades us to the skin: so ‘tis to thee,

But where the greater malady is fixed,

The lesser is scarce felt.';

This reference to the word ‘contentious’ also gives us an insight into Lear’s state of mind.