King Lear Research Paper

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The idea of justice and equality within a culture is one of extreme importance. Not only is criminal justice important to a society, but moral equality is essential to the welfare of a civilization as well. William Shakespeare’s play, King Lear, centers on the theme of justice, or rather injustice, in the world. The foolish King Lear must navigate through a society in which the only way there can ever be justice is when humans behave justly toward each other, which very rarely happens. King Lear takes place in a world where “justice is anything but constant, and fortitude, prudence, and temperance are called into question” (Graham n.pag.). Without the help of any divine force, the existentialist characters in William Shakespeare's King …show more content…

The stars alone—the destroying planets who hate the human race—rule the world” (Stopford n.pag.). According to Seàn Lawrence’s essay, “the characters in the play create gods in their own images, but which fail them” (Lawrence n.pag.). Alongside that idea, the characters’ views of God, or any divine force for that matter, change many times throughout the play. For instance, the characters believe in and pray to an omniscient God early on in the play. Soon, though, they begin to realize that any divine justice that may have been present is no longer available. For example, when King Lear’s loyal servant, Kent, hears about Regan and Goneril’s plan to overthrow their father, he says “Fortune, good night. Smile once more. Turn thy wheel” (Shakespeare 2.2.165). Another instance of a character praying to a divine force for help is when Regan and her sister deny Lear to stay at their house. After fighting with his daughters, Lear questions “You see me here, you gods, a poor old man/ As full of grief as age, wretched in both (Shakespeare 2.4.263-264). Because his daughters refuse to let any of his servants stay with them, Lear is forced to wander around the kingdom while a fierce storm starts to brew. King Lear witnesses first hand the lack of both moral and divine justice in Act II of the play. Clearly, King Lear draws many conclusions …show more content…

Lear yells to the gods and asks for retribution, which eventually does come. In the third act, Lear also says “I am a man/ More sinned against than sinning,” making the point that more people have wronged him than he has done to others. (Shakespeare 3.2.57-58). While out in the raging storm, King Lear has an epiphany about the amount of injustice and homelessness that appears in his kingdom, which is seen in his following speech:
“Poor naked wretches, whereso'er you are,
That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm,
How shall your houseless heads and unfed sides,
Your looped and windowed raggedness, defend you
From seasons such as these? Oh, I have ta'en
Too little care of this! Take physic, pomp.
Expose thyself to feel what wretches feel,
That thou mayst shake the superflux to them
And show the heavens more just” (Shakespeare

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