Symbolism and Imagery in King Lear

Symbolism and Imagery in King Lear

Writers often need to convey very complex characters and ideas to their audience. An essential means of doing this is through symbolism and imagery. Symbolism is the use of physical things to represent abstract ideas, while imagery uses language to create mental pictures. In Shakespeare’s King Lear, symbolism and imagery help define characters and the environment. In this report we will attempt to discuss the family and the state, the wheels of fortune and fire, madness versus reason, the storm, and nakedness and clothing.
The condition of the King Lear’s family and Gloucester’s family represent the condition of the state. What happens in one is reflected in the other. The family and the state can be though of as the micro and the macro respectively. The decline of the state begins right at the start of the play, where King Lear divides his kingdom and disowns his daughter. The ...