Nature vs. Fate

The topic of nature comes up a fair amount in Act I of King Lear. It is a different approach to the idea of nature that Shakespeare normally takes. He makes his characters show their reliance on nature as some sort of God-esque being, while also making references to Christianity. It leaves me with a questionable view as to why Shakespeare would do something of this nature. I have a feeling that in reference to Shakespeare’s common theme of appearance vs. reality throughout all of his plays, he is ensuing a new theme; the belief in nature vs. fate. The themes of both appearance vs. reality and nature vs fate would almost tie together in the play King Lear.

In Act I Scene II, Shakespeare shows the heavy reliance on nature through the character of Gloucester. When he finds out that Edgar has allegedly written a horrible letter to Edmund plotting against their father, he states that the reason for this is the eclipses. He states “Though the wisdom of nature can reason it thus and thus, yet nature finds itself scourged by the sequent effects.” He then goes on to say the terrible events that the eclipses cause, stating that brother is set against brother, son is set against father and that for no rational reason, love dies. Gloucester is blaming the eclipses, an occurrence of nature, for the odd events that are happening. However, his belief is not valid because through situational irony, the reader knows that Edmund created this mess of a situation. It is not nature that possess Edmund, but fate.  Edmund helps me with my belief that it is fate that is leading him through his actions by him stating, “Fut, I should have been that I am, had the maidenliest star in the firmament twinkled on my bastardizing.” He knows that people rely on nature to be the sole reason events take place, but he does not buy into it. He believes that no matter when he was born he would have come out as the same person.

Through this situation, I believe that appearance vs. reality and nature vs. fate tie together. While it appears to Gloucester that Edgar had turned against his father, the reality is that it is all a part of Edmunds plan to be favored by his father. Gloucester’s reliance on the force of nature contrasts with the fate of the relationship between Edmund and Edgar. The fact that Edmund points out that it is not nature’s force that leads this event to take place, leads me to believe that it is not a rash decision that he made, but the effects of built up resentment of his brother. Nature does not affect people’s lives as it appears to Gloucester, it is fate that leads them to the decisions they make.