King Lear

            King Lear is not only a story of the trials and tribulations of the parent-child relationship, but also one of love, hate, honor and betrayal. Nature is used as the reasoning for most of the actions between the characters. Nature is presented in many lines throughout the play, such as "Sure, her offense Must be of such unnatural degree" (Act 1.1, line 221); "Though the wisdom of nature can reason it thus and thus, yet nature finds itself scourged by the sequent effects" (Act 1.1, line 104); and "Hear, Nature hear! Dear goddess, hear!, (Act 1.4, line 271). Among many more lines, King Lear presents the notion of natural law, that man is ordained by the stars as to what and how he will be, and that is our destiny to be what we are. It is out of our control to be good or evil, honest or dishonest, thus reinforcing the idea of destiny. A thief can be nothing but a thief, and king none other than a king. For example, when Lear hears Cordellia's response to his question of love, "Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave My heart into my mouth. I love your Majesty According to my bond, no more nor less" (Act 1.1, line 100), he replies "Let it be so! Thy truth, then, be thy dower! For, by the sacred radiance of the sun, The mysteries of Hecate, and the night; By all the operation of the orbs From whom we do exist and cease to be" (Act 1.1, line 110) While desirable traits are represented by faith, loyalty and honesty, these traits are only apparent to those who are the tragic figures on the story. Cordellia is banished for being honest with Lear, Kent is banished for revealing his objection to Lear's actions, and Gloucester has his eyes gouged out for being loyal to Lear, while Edmund, Gloucester's bastard son, is trusted by Gloucester over Edgar, the illegitimate son. Parallel to this, Regan and Goneril each receive wealth from their father for being "truly loyal", all the while betraying his trust that he will continue to hold the title as king.