Melody and spectacle are the sounds and visual effects of the play.
How does Shakespeare us melody and spectacle in King Lear
- The fools songs
- Clothes – Lear stripping all his clothes off
- The storm – nature, gods will, mental state of lear, chaos of the country
The Fools songs
The fool is the voice of reason through the play, he is the only person that Lear allows to criticise him and call him out for his actions.A fool is usually a stupid person or someone saying dumb stuff so it shows the state of the world the fact that the fool is the voice of reason “Mum, mum; He that keeps nor crust nor crumb Wary of all , shall want some” In this quote the fool is explaining that Lear has given away all his power, he has none left comparing it to”nor crust nor crumb”.The quote also says he is wary of all saying the fool knows the daughters were just saying how much they loved him and that it was ingenuine “shall want some” refers to the fact the fool knows lear will want some of his power back
The storm
The storm is a symbol used in King Lear.The storm and bad weather are usually a negative symbol for society.The storm is the start of his pirapetia, it is intended to show how Lear, a frail old man, has been rendered homeless by his two daughters. Second, the storm is intended to represent visually and dramatically the turbulent emotions that Lear is experiencing. He is not the least bit afraid of the storm or troubled by the cold and wet. His inner feelings are so powerful that he is indifferent to any physical discomfort.The Storm can represent how Lear is feeling at this time .the chaotic state of the world in the play England is in chaos because of the turmoil going on in the kingdom.The storm represents Lear’s madness as well as the chaos that is happening in England right now“Rumble thy bellyful! Spit, fire! Spout, rain!” a quote that Lear says during the storm showing that he isn’t afraid of the storm at all.
Clothing
Clothing is another symbol used in King Lear.Clothing in the play represents a persons mental state and their power.At the start of the play the King and all the characters who are higher class for example Lear who starts the play as king before he gives away his kingdom to his daughters is dressed as. king would be , later in the play he strips down to nothing representing that he has lost all his power and he has gone mad.Edgar who starts off as glousters legitimate son to inherit all his land and title begins in the upper class but he ends as “poor tom” wearing nothing but a piece of fabric.“Through tatter’d clothes small vices do appear;
Robes and furr’d gowns hide all. Plate sin with gold,
And the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks:
Arm it in rags, a pigmy’s straw does pierce it.” – Lear This quote shows that we hid our weaknesses and faults and cover them up with materialistic items. Lear taking all his clothes off and stripping down to nothing represents that he has been stripped of all his power. “Poor, bare,forked animal” “is man no more than this ?consider him well.Thou owest the worm no silk,the beast no hide,the sheep no wool,the cat no perfume”Lear is using these because without these the animals would be naked like he is at this point in the story , In the great chain of being animals are below humans and almost at the bottom of the chain now that lear has lost all of his power he or feels worthless