Animal Imagery In King Lear

Bastards, scorn sisters, vengeful family members and numerous amounts of deaths, what a tragedy. Shakespeare’s play “King Lear” allows the audience to watch as two families are torn apart by greed for the same reason, power. Among the themes developed through animal imagery, the most notable ones would be those of Madness, Family and Nothingness. In the well renowned play “King Lear”, animal imagery is used throughout the play to give thorough insight to the themes of Madness, Family and Nothingness.

In the beloved play “King Lear” written by William Shakespeare, we watch as Madness begins to slowly interact with each character throughout the play. Some characters unable to describe Madness in words use animal imagery. Edgar being the legitimate
When Edgar is told about what his half-brother Edmund has been spreading lies about treason Edgar plans against his own father, he has nothing else to say but this: “Wine lov’d I / deeply, dice dearly: and in woman out-paramour’d / the Turk: false of heart, light of ear, bloody of hand; / hog in sloth, fox in stealth, wolf in greediness, dog in / madness, lion in prey” (III.IV.86-90). With that quotation there are several references that use animal imagery. One of the first was Edgar using animal imagery to describe himself he does that when he states ‘Hog in sloth’ he relates himself to a pig which is almost useless and only creates mess and that the word ‘Sloth’ meaning laziness, is one pf the seven deadly sins. He also states that he is a ‘Fox in stealth’ which correlates in which that Edgar is clever. When he states ‘Wolf in greediness’ it is expressing on how wolves will always attack animals lower than them on them on the food chain. The reference to a ‘Lion in prey’ is adding on to the fact that the great chain of being is currently opposite than the way it should be going. As a result of on how