Source: "The Emotive Use of Animal Imagery in King Lear," in Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol. 13, No.3, Summer, 1962, pp. 321-25.
[McCloskey examines the association of images from the world of "animals, insects, and the more repulsive denizens" of the seas With the shifts in Lear's emotions. The king's selfishness and moral blindness, together with his inability to understand others, lead him into a world of disordered nature, the critic maintains. McCloskey notes that as Lear moves from resentment in Act I to indignation in Act II, and, finally, rage in Act Ill, the imagery changes to reflect the increasing intensity of his moods and to underscore the theme of unnaturalness.]
It has been said that we must accept the passionate, irrational King Lear, with his plan for dividing his kingdom, and the devoted yet strangely.....
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