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In brief scene 3, consisting of one soliloquy, Edgar transforms himself into mad Tom o’Bedlam. Examine his language closely. What else does he “put on” besides rags? Why this disguise?

Note that a storm or tempest is brewing on the barren heath. How does the weather mirror the action in the human realm?

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The weather encapsulates the power of nature, which intern makes the king release his mortality and the frailness of human beings. Being powerless himself, he starts to feel humility, and comes under reason after action irrational by cursing the storm. The storm may reflect the state of humans as confusing and unpredictable, but the realm that the humans live in (as controlled by nature) as justice. It symbolizes the inside of Lear’s head as well, considering his madness and constant confusion. In essence, the storm mirrors King Lear’s maddening thoughts, the unpredictability of the human race, and the angry justice of the divine nature in the play.

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