King Lear

King Lear : Clothing Imagery
Hamza,Saharded,Younes,Deion

Learning Objective
In King Lear the role of clothing is a recurrent image that Shakespeare uses to underscore certain themes in the play.

Discussion Questions
-Do clothes have an influence on the weares mindset? use examples from the book or personal experiences
- Does clothing imagery still have a role in modern society? Explain
-How does examples from King Lear connect with modern society? -How does using Clothing Imagery help develop the plot? explain
-How does clothing imagery affect a person's opinion on another person

Thesis

Shakespeare uses clothing imagery throughout King Lear to display different themes within the play. The main themes that relate to clothing imagery are Justice, Power and Society/Social Class. Clothing and nakedness imagery is used to show the mental and physical state of the characters. As the character's state of mind changes throughout the play, their clothing reflects this change.
Quotes
Justice-3
Power-4
Social Class and Society-3

Conclusion
The clothing worn by the characters in the tragedy King Lear reflect their mental and physical state in the play. Clothing imagery and nakedness is shown through the quality of the clothes a character wears. Nakedness is also connected with the masked identity characters such as Edgar and Kent possess and later reveal later on in the play. Characters in King Lear hide behind a disguise to avoid conflict in the play and unmask their true feelings later on.

HAMZA
Shakespeare uses clothing imagery throughout King Lear to display different themes within the play. The main themes that relate to clothing imagery are Justice, Power and Society/Social Class. Clothing and nakedness imagery is used to show the mental and physical state of the characters. As the character's state of mind changes throughout the play, their clothing reflects this change.

Justice

DEION
The justice given to characters in King Lear is based on the clothing, or lack of, that they wear.
"Through tattered clothes (small) vices do appear. Robes and furred gowns hide all [Plate Sin] with gold" (4 6 180-182)
The characters within the play illustrate that the wealthy get away with injustices because of how they are presented to society through their appearance. Lear finally sees that while he was in power he favoured the wealthy over the poor.

SAHARDED
"Poor naked wretches, wheresoe'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? O, I have tak'en Too little care of this. Take physic, pomp. Expose thyself to feel what wretches feel, That thou may'st shake the superflux to them and show the heavens more just." (3 4 32-41)

Lear begins to realize how he has failed as a king. Through living in the pouring rain, he understands how difficult the living conditions are for them. Lear suggests that every person should stop and live like the poor. The poor typically in Shakespeare's time would be either naked or have minimal clothes on.

YOUNES
"Our basest beggars are in the poorest thing superfluous." (2 4 305-306)
Lear refers to how even the poor have more than what is necessary and how it is unjust for the wealthy to own excessive amounts of useless items yet wont give any to help those who need it.

HAMZA
The clothes that the characters have or lack, in King Lear, ultimately decide what position they obtain in society.
"Ay, madam. In the heaviness of sleep, we put fresh garments on him." (4 7 25-26)
After Lear is cleaned up and dressed well, he appears to be more sane. In the play, there is a connection between appearance and a sense of sanity.
DEION
"I will preserve myself, and am bethought to take the basest and most poorest shape that ever penury in contempt of man brought near to beast. My face I'll grime with filth, blanket my loins, elf all my hairs in knots, and with presented nakedness outface the winds and persecutions of the sky." (2 4 6-12)
Once Edgar has changed his clothing and appearance everyone automatically believes that he is just a crazy beggar, Poor Tom, because of his dress, showing that the society does not bother to learn who he really is, even his own family members.
YOUNES
"Thou ow'st the worm no silk, the beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the cat no perfume. Ha, here's three on's are sophisticated. Thou art the thing itself; unaccommodated man is no more but such a poor, bare, forked animal as thou art. Off, off, you lendings! Come, unbutton here" (3 4 110-116).
Lear through his downfall of sanity, he decides to live as something he never wanted to live as. Lear would talk about how living like an animal is wrong and he would never act like that. Lear contradicts what he had said in the past and decides to take all of his clothes off and live like a beast.
HAMZA
"There, take my coxcomb. Why, this fellow has banished two on's daughters and did the third a blessing against his will. If thou follow him, thou must needs wear my coxcomb.-How now, nuncle? Would I had two coxcombs and two daughters." (1 4 104-109
The Fool gives Lear the coxcomb to show that he is acting foolish. Society will assume that since Lear is wearing this that he is stupid and unable to have power. Society will not look further than how Lear is dressed.

SAHARDED
The amount of power possessed by a character is reflected through the clothing that they wear.
"Thou art a lady; if only to go warm were gorgeous, why, nature needs not what thou gorgeous wear'st, which scarcely keeps thee warm. But, for true need." (2 4 308-312)
Lear has devoted everything for his daughters. Lear tells his daughters that they would be nothing without the clothes and materialistic items that he has given to them. Without the love and generosity he had towards his daughters, they would be worthless.
DEION
"You, sir, I entertain for one of my hundred; only do I not like the fashion of your garments. You will say they are Persian, but the them be changed" (3 6 82-85)
Lear talks to Edgar about having him being one of his 100 knights. Lear is all about appearance and being powerful. Lear doesn't like the way Edgar dresses and wants him to change it, if he wants to be a part of his army of knights
YOUNES
"When thou clovest thy (crown) i' th' middle and gav'st away both pars, thou bor'st thine ass on they back o'er the dirt. Thou hadst little wit in thy bald crown when thou gav'st thy golden one away." (1 4 163-167)
The Fool refers to Lear splitting his kingdom into two and giving away the halves to his daughters, Goneril and Regan. The Fool is also playing with the dual meaning of crown (his head or the crown worn ontop) demonstrating that Lears decision to split the kingdom reflects an unstable mind.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS ON THE PRESENTATION

HAMZA
The clothing worn by the characters in the tragedy King Lear reflect their mental and physical state in the play. Clothing imagery and nakedness is shown through the quality of the clothes a character wears. Nakedness is also connected with the masked identity characters such as Edgar and Kent possess and later reveal later on in the play. Characters in King Lear hide behind a disguise to avoid conflict in the play and unmask their true feelings later on.