Environmental Issues and the Interconnection between Humanity and Nature in Shakespeare's King Lear: An Ecocritical Perspective

Abstract

The objective of the study is to analyze how the natural world is represented in Shakespeare's King Lear and its relationship with the human condition, focusing on themes such as ecological disruption, human hubris and the interdependence of all living beings. Shakespeare uses the storm as metaphorical and realistic symbol of ecological disharmony which mirrors social instability in romantic and political relationships. The research is qualitative in nature and uses content analysis by utilizing ecocriticism as a theoretical framework. The study also shows how people such as Lear and Gloucester transform from beings who view nature as something over which they have power over to beings who have to bow to the force of nature. The implications of the study are akin to the agenda of ecocriticism as the play raises the concern of human nature’s detachment from nature and that nature should be preserved in order to achieve social-cohesiveness.