Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors
used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
The Storm
As Lear wanders about a desolate heath in Act
3, a terrible storm, strongly but ambiguously symbolic, rages
overhead. In part, the storm echoes Lear’s inner turmoil and mounting
madness: it is a physical, turbulent natural reflection of Lear’s
internal confusion. At the same time, the storm embodies the awesome
power of nature, which forces the powerless king to recognize his
own mortality and human frailty and to cultivate a sense of humility
for the first time. The storm may also symbolize some kind of divine
justice, as if nature itself is angry about the events in the play.
Finally, the meteorological chaos also symbolizes the political
disarray that has engulfed Lear’s Britain.
Blindness
Gloucester’s physical blindness symbolizes the metaphorical
blindness that grips both Gloucester and the play’s other father
figure, Lear. The parallels between the two men are clear: both
have loyal children and disloyal children, both are blind to the
truth, and both end up banishing the loyal children and making the
wicked one(s) their heir(s). Only when Gloucester has lost the use
of his eyes and Lear has gone mad does each realize his tremendous
error. It is appropriate that the play brings them together near
Dover in Act 4 to commiserate about how their blindness to the
truth about their children has cost them dearly.
