Today, every group in our clas agreed on one thing; the climax of King Lear. The only problem with this agreement was that we were completely incorrect. I think that everyone thought Act III. Scene 4. Line108-120 was the climax of the play because this is the one part of the play where we see Lear completely throw everything to the wind. He has lost everything, he doesn't know what to believe anymore, and he is learning the truly important things. Lear admires Tom's (Edgar's) blunt honesty in his nudity and style of life. He sees Tom as being nothing but who he truly is. Tom is not changing himself through the clothing he wears or his lavish lifestyle, he is simply Tom (Edgar). I believe the main reasoning all of the groups found in choosing this passage the fact that Lear sheds his clothing. Nudity is always a signal for a character returning to an innocent/childlike state or becoming one with nature. In this sense I see Lear as going to his true natural state. I don't know for sure which passage is the true climax, because I believed strongly that this pasage was the climax. However, my best guess on what the climax passage is, is Act III. Scene 4. lines 27-42. I see this as the climax because this i one of the first times that Lear has a realization about just how much of his life was unnecessary and how much of his life he could make it without. His first thought of truly going back to nature. The main line that made me believe that this is the climax is line 39 where Lear says, "Expose thyself to feel what wretches feel, That thou may'st shake the superflux to them/And show the heavens more just." Lear basically says how he has a surplus of items and would rather live as poor Tom does. Lear is going back to basics and that to me is the climax of this play.
-Maddie
