Family relationships, the (un)natural, and the nation. When Lear asks Cordelia to declare her love for him,
she says: “I love your Majesty / According to my bond, no more nor less… You have begot me, bred me,
loved me. / I return those duties back as are right fit” (1.1.101-6). She expresses a sense of duty that is
natural to the bond between parent and child. In addition, Edgar’s and Edmund’s conditions as legitimate
and illegitimate are explored intricate wordplay. Throughout the play, family relationships unravel, conflict
abounds, and acts of unkindness and even violence mark the bonds of family. This conflict parallels civil
disorder and insecurity in the state of England as well. How are family relationships used to explore ideas
about nature and the nation in the play? (FOCUS ON ONE OR TWO TEXTS IN THE PLAY AND PROVIDE
ANALYSIS)
Sample Solution
