King Lear: Significance of the storm scene

 Significance of the storm scene in King Lear.

Ans. "King Lear" is not only a simple tragedy ; it is also a touching tale of a haughty man's journey from darkness to light or enlightenment through suffering, when darkness stands for ignorance and inhumanity, and light stands for self-knowledge and humanity. And this spiritual journey commences as he faces the external tempest pointing to the inward restlessness. His spiritual regeneration begins not until his suffering have reached a climax in the storm, when he is driven insane, that we feel really confident that he is eventually achieving spiritual regeneration. Shakespeare makes use of storm in many of his plays like "Macbeth", "The Tempest”. So we see that Nature specially the storm plays a vital role in Shakespearean dramas.

In "King Lear”, the storm scene occurs in act III, scene I. When the old king driven out into the heath by the cruelty of his two daughters, a violent storm breaks out. King Lear, the Fool and Kent are in the storm. In act III, scene I , King Lear wants to out-storm the furious wind and rain as he is not satisfied with the destruction of the storm. He tears his silvery white hair and is himself in a state of rage. Even he wants to stop the process of creation.

King Lear wants the destruction of the world because most ungrateful persons such as his two daughters are born her. He invites the elements to drench him with water and to burn him with the fire of the thunder bold and do whatever other horrible acts on him as it pleases them. Out on the open heath the old and infirm King feels the scourge of the storm on his very person and is very naturally reminded of the scourge on his mind and heart struck by his two daughters. But the King thinks that if the storm troubles him in the most unbearable way, there is nothing wrong or unnatural in it, for the elements of the storm are not his children and he never gave away his kingdom to them.

The storm is used as a symbol to expose the unfathomable grief and repentance of Lear's heart. But the most dramatic function of the storm scene is when the old King goes mad. The madness represents the climax of his suffering from which he will eventually emerge as a new man. With the cooling down of the rage of the storm, we notice a change in the heart of the old king. It marks a new beginning. The redemption of King Lear starts. He can now see into the depth of his heart where truth has been born out of the selfish and arrogant attitude. His vision is now clear and he confesses:

"I am a man

More sinned against that sinning"

So the scene is very important as it corresponds to the inner turmoil of the Lear and sets off the process of his moral regeneration through sufferings. So it is the storm that kindles truth in Lear and it is the misery caused by the storm lifts up the coverings of his heart.

Misery and suffering open his eyes and he can see the truth. Thus the storm scene corresponds to the inner turmoil of his moral regeneration through suffering.

To conclude, we may say that, the storm scene reveals the psychological discerning of Lear and it directs the reader's attention in insight into the mind and conscience of Lear. The storm in Nature actually correspondences combustion of Lear's heart.