Amidst his mad ramblings to Gloucester and Edgar, Lear stumbles upon a fundamental legal problem: law is subjective and only truly favors those in positions of power. In Act IV scene 6, Lear rebukes Gloucester’s hypocrisy, “Why dost thou lash that whore? Strip thy own back. / Thou hotly lusts to use her in that kind / For which thou whip’st her. The user hangs the cozener” (161-163). It’s unfair that the woman should suffer alone given that Gloucester also wanted to engage with her. Lear points out that everyone sins and therefore, should not be blamed selectively: “None does offend, none—I say none! I’ll able ‘em” (168). Paradoxically, although Lear seems to have lost his wits, he has gained a new understanding of law and the ways of organized
