Experiencing something as through human eyes can provide someone with an answer as to something is natural or unnatural. Watching someone pick and eat a red apple is natural, since fruit is grown to be eaten and apples are naturally red. Watching someone pick a blue apple and use it as shampoo for their hair is unnatural, since we as a species know already that apples were created for consumption and are inherently not blue. Those are examples of natural and unnatural experiences, something that appears very often throughout the story of King Lear. Natural is something likely born or occurs often, something that would with the objects normal character description, like King Lear creating a law or something of the sort. An unnatural act would be of him acting like a maniac outside as he stares at the violent storm, while simultaneously losing his mind. There are many themes and occurrences regarding how humans perceive circumstances to be either natural or unnatural, those include, justice, regarding how King Lear handled his daughter's actions in Act 1, Scene 1, the authority that bred into chaos as the story progressed as Lear began down the road of madness, and the scene with King Lear shouting as the violent storm rage around him. Those actions, thoughts, and witnessing, contributed to the human perception of natural and unnatural; with the overall thematic statement being that if something natural is unrooted from its natural element, it can then form into an entity that is unnatural.
The words spoken and actions involved in the occurrence between Lear and his daughter Cordelia were, in those days, nothing out of the ordinary. He planned to give the largest part of his kingdom to her, who had had the most affection for the King. Him planning to take a step back at his position and let his daughter and the younger generation take over was natural because that happens when royalty gets old, they hand down the power. Unfortunately, Cordelia does not indulge in the festivities the way her father wanted her to, as she did not show off her flattering speech to compete for the King’s affections (this is somehow natural). The King claims not to love his daughter anymore and repeats the word “nothing” multiple times to imply that he will not complete his end of the bargain because of her actions. Lear’s response in his eyes was natural since she did not comply with his demands, while Cordelia’s response, or lack thereof, was unnatural since she if she had so much affection for her father and earned for the crown she would have simply done as he asked. It turns out that she acted out of character because of her sister’s sinister plan and blackmail.
Authority appears throughout the play often, not the words persay, more of the implication of it, such as when Lear claimed he would not give a portion of his kingdom to his most beloved daughter, he used his authority. Once again, a natural action that can be used since that is the King’s job and he possesses that authority. In its natural state, that power belongs to the King, having been achieved through royalty, obedience, and normal actions. Edmound wants this this authority as well, which is probably normal because many people do, but the means in which he goes about trying to gain access to the kingdom through murder, decietfullness, and lies is unnatural and unlawful. He contains motives to punish his own father and his illegitimate brother, Edgar. He does something else that is unnatural for him as an evil villain when he saved King Lear and Cordelia. He admitted himself that it was, “Some good I mean to do, despite my own nature,” he declares. (King Lear 5.3.291 - 292).
One of the most baffling and out of character occurrences in the entire play happens when King Lear is outside as the storm rages. He screams as he is transformed mentally and emotionally. The storm itself embodied the power of nature, forcing the king to recognize his mortality and frailness of human beings. He feels humility and the powerlessness of human beings is normal and is great for his character arc, but is completely out of character at the moment, as he has been acting irrational and cursing the storm all the while. The storm symbolized the raging thoughts and chaos that materialized inside of the King;s head; the madness and confusion that he had been encountering throughout all his maddening thoughts were an unnatural occurrence through his eyes as he had never encountered that type of pain or unpredictability and hopelessness before.
