Ignoring the Great Chain of Being: Chaos in King Lear

Humans, like all creatures, have the privilege of the freedom of choice. There are two broad ranges of factors that affect the decisions that a person makes. The first factor that affects decision making is internal, and includes a person’s character and intellect. The second factor is external, including such things as environment and interaction with other people. Naturally, each decision a person makes results in a repercussion of some degree, usually either helpful or hindering, and rarely inconsequential.
The concept of justice and revenge is based on the fact that decisions are always followed by consequences. It strictly adheres to the rewarding of good deeds and the punishment of bad deeds. Thus, some would argue that repercussions resulting from deeds – whether good or bad – are more a natural event than a man-made one. If one were to abide by the way nature intended things, resulting repercussions would always be good. Conversely, if one were to disrupt the w...