"I am bound/ Upon a wheel of fire, that mine own tears/ Do scald like molten lead."
-Lear (Act 4 Scene 7 Lines 52-54)
"Rumble thy bellyful! Spit, fire! Spout, rain!
Nor rain, wind, thunder, fire, are my daughters:
I tax not you, you elements, with unkindness;
I never gave you kingdom, called you children,
You owe me no subscription: then, let fall
Your horrible pleasure; here I stand, your slave,
A poor, infirm, weak, and despised old man."
3.2.14
I really like the first quote simply for its colorful descriptive language! To start with it is very descriptive. He is "bound" to a wheel and his tears "scald" him like "molten lead". you can imagine a painting of this! Also while having such imagery the words really describe the situation well. Lear is "bound", therefore in this situation not by his own will. Secondly he is on a "wheel", therefore like a wheel his world is spinning out of control, and finally his own "tears", his sadness at the fact that he is now so helpless brings him great pain to now he is not the powerful king he once was. So in one sentence Shakespeare paints a beautifully descriptive sentence while using symbolism to explain Lear's feelings.
ReplyDelete-Chris