It is significant to point out and compare the superstitious beliefs of the characters in King Lear to indicate just how deeply ingrained these tendencies were in the mindsets of Elizabethan citizenry. ... Animals and nature were frequently personified to give depth to characters" personalities and help explain behaviors held toward the world they saw around them. ...
Gloucester is very superstitious and, using the recent eclipses, Edmund assures his father of how the evil in the stars is not only producing the tribulations of Lear but also proving Edmund's declaration of the plot of his half-brother, Edgar, to kill the Earl. ... They defy natural law through their behavior towards their father and also abuse their functions as humans through their lust for Edmund, which results in a murder and a suicide, and ironically, all these violations compound the sisters' descriptions as animals as appropriate (Spenser 143). ...
Gloucester is very superstitious and, using the recent eclipses, Edmund assures his father of how the evil in the stars is not only producing the tribulations of Lear but also proving Edmund's declaration of the plot of his half-brother, Edgar, to kill the Earl. ... They defy natural law through their behavior towards their father and also abuse their functions as humans through their lust for Edmund, which results in a murder and a suicide, and ironically, all these violations compound the sisters' descriptions as animals as appropriate (Spenser 143). ...
