Justice & Society

• ‘Why should a dog, a horse, a rat have life, / And thou no breath at all?’ Act 5 Scene 3


  Lear’s use of animal imagery here serves to convey the injustice of unworthy beings being alive and the worthy Cordelia being killed. Furthermore, the use of an interrogative suggests Lear is questioning the sense of the universe which to him relies on justice. His despairing reflects the hopelessness of this world while depicting the confusion of human grief. 
• Gloucester: ‘As flies to Wanton boys are we to the gods;/They kill us for their sport’ 


  Isolated line of ‘they kill us for their sport’ emphasizes the dark nature of this world and view that life is just a game suggesting that justice isn’t deserved. Also animal imagery/dehumanization to flies suggests a sense of nihilism surrounding human life adding to a sense of injustice.
• “The gods are just.” 5.3 


  Truncated line – we see the brothers finally understand that his fate to be a “base” would never be changed. Unmitigated declarative places emphasis on the statement and Edmunds very delayed anagnorisis. Highlights that justice DOES exist in this world, however skewed or perverted it may be. 
• ‘Enter Lear with Cordelia in his arms’ 

  ‘Howl, howl, howl!’  


  This shocking stage direction strips any hope the audience may have had for justice. The anachronistic, secular pieta image highlights the harrowing loss of goodness, emphasised by Lear’s savage, animalist cries which horrifyingly convey his devastation, loss, and suffering.    
• Lear: There’s hell, there’s darkness, there is the sulphurous/ pit – burning, scalding, stench, consumption! Fie, fie,/ fie! Pah, pah! (IV.6) 


  The pejorative diction choices create aggression and passion in his speech, the hellish imagery elicits images of justice to be served by the Gods in the afterlife, and also anachronistic to a Christian hell – recognisable by a Jacobean audience. The hyperbole creates a tone of disgust at female sexuality. 
• “this shows you above, you justicers” Albany 4.2.95 


  Direct address ‘you’ suggests Albany to be a believer in divine justice and vengeance. This could be implied to be a symbol of naïve ambition, as justice seems to be randomly placed throughout the play. 
• 'Thou robed justicer' - Lear 


  Perversion of imagery of justice – lear describes the madman of Edgar as a ‘robed juticer’ - the contrast between the imagery of poor tom and that of a judge is stark and demonstrates the perversion of justice  
• “Pluck out his poor old eyes,…flesh stick boarish fangs.”- Act 3 Scene 7 


  Animalistic imagery- highlights the vicious and wild nature of Regan’s cruelty - not only emphasises excessive brutality also reflects the chaotic and arbitrary nature of justice in the play- actions are driven by primal instincts rather than reason or fairness
• Gloucester:

  ‘I have so often blushed to acknowledge him’

  ‘the whoreson’

  ‘He hath been out nine years, and away he shall again.’ 1.1 


  The play begins with an injustice of social status as Edmund is called a ‘whoreson’ and dehumanised due to his bastard status, the insulting address term highlighting a disrespect despite being his father. The use of third person pronoun ‘away he shall again’ reinforces Gloucester’s hubris
• ‘The laws are mine, not thine. Who can arraign me for’t? 

  Goneril 5:3 

  Rhyme and first-person pronoun suggest mockery alongside rhetorical question. Demonstrates her corruption,