‘King Lear is a study of brutality, not only of human beings, but also of the natural world’. Evaluate this view of Lear

AO1 Lear’s peripeteia is one of mental illness and neglect as those around him abandon him as fast as he exiles Cordelia and Kent. This brutality serves as the main arc of the play. AO2 King Lear utilises the semantic fields of sight and negation to reinforce Lear’s plight and to shed light on the kingdom he inhabits. Gloucester’s blinding is a literal representation of the blindness of Lear, who is warned by Kent to “see better”. Both characters neglect their family and are blind to the prejudices they harbour. AO3 From a Marxist reading, Lear is only truly humble when lowered to the status of his people. Sheltering from the storm on the heath, Lear’s announcement that he has taken “too little care of this” could be seen as a proto-socialist statement, with Lear resolving to be a more compassionate King. He lives up to this, reconciling with Cordelia and Kent, delivering his kingdom into the right hands. AO4 King James was a firm believer in the divine right of Kings, giving a speech at Westminster declaring that he had ultimate power after God and control over his people. Lear wields this control in a childish manner and suffers the consequences. In this sense, Lear’s interaction with his people, and his anagnorisis on the heath are a warning to King James to look after his people better, lest his kingdom suffer.