In Shakespeare’s King Lear there are many themes and motifs that are intrinsically related. Specifically, the motif of clothing in the play reflects the theme of identity, for clothes are often used as a key element in disguises, altering the perception of the wearer’s identity, even to those that know them well.
Clothing first reflects a change in identity in Act 1, wherein Kent dons different clothes to assume a disguise. After King Lear orders him from the kingdom, it is necessary for him to disguise himself to maintain loyalty to the king, and clothes play an important role in helping him conceal his true self. “If but as well I other accents borrow That can my speech diffuse, my good intent May carry through itself to that full issue For which I razed my likeness” (1:4 1-4). While he does use other techniques to maintain this illusion, clothes are what allow him to succeed in his disguise, for they greatly alter …show more content…
As king he was unassailable, allowed to do whatever he wanted without being questioned, but as a beggar he was just another man, subject to the whims and caprices of the world just as everyone else; “Through tattered clothes small vices do appear. Robes and furred gowns hide all. Plate sin with gold, and the strong lance of justice breaks. Arm it in rags, and a pygmy’s straw does pierce it” (4:6 180-184). In this passage Lear admits that he is a different man when he wears the rags of a beggar, going to show that not only do clothes have an effect on how others perceive a person, but they also change a characters’ outlooks about themselves. Edgar even states his agreement with Lear, saying “Reason in madness” (4:6 193). While Edgar perceives Lear as mad, partly because he is and partly because he looks it, he sees the truth in what the old king states about the effect of clothing on perception and
Clothing first reflects a change in identity in Act 1, wherein Kent dons different clothes to assume a disguise. After King Lear orders him from the kingdom, it is necessary for him to disguise himself to maintain loyalty to the king, and clothes play an important role in helping him conceal his true self. “If but as well I other accents borrow That can my speech diffuse, my good intent May carry through itself to that full issue For which I razed my likeness” (1:4 1-4). While he does use other techniques to maintain this illusion, clothes are what allow him to succeed in his disguise, for they greatly alter …show more content…
As king he was unassailable, allowed to do whatever he wanted without being questioned, but as a beggar he was just another man, subject to the whims and caprices of the world just as everyone else; “Through tattered clothes small vices do appear. Robes and furred gowns hide all. Plate sin with gold, and the strong lance of justice breaks. Arm it in rags, and a pygmy’s straw does pierce it” (4:6 180-184). In this passage Lear admits that he is a different man when he wears the rags of a beggar, going to show that not only do clothes have an effect on how others perceive a person, but they also change a characters’ outlooks about themselves. Edgar even states his agreement with Lear, saying “Reason in madness” (4:6 193). While Edgar perceives Lear as mad, partly because he is and partly because he looks it, he sees the truth in what the old king states about the effect of clothing on perception and