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King Lear vs Hamlet

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King Lear vs Hamlet
Q: How does Shakespeare uses Imagery to show the development of theme and characters in King Lear and Hamlet?
Ans: Shakespeare who was popular for his tragedies created two masterpieces which were quite different in plots but carried almost the same themes. They were two popular plays which developed in their plots with the help of imageries.
Both the plays shared the theme of tragedy, and the important imageries which helped bring these plays to its climax were Animal Imagery, Imagery of Disease, Imagery of Sin Evil and Corruption, Imagery of revenge. Imagery of Madness.
Animal Imagery is shown both in Hamlet and King Lear, the use of animals to show the situation and the elements in human being are prominent in both the plays.
In Hamlet the animal imagery is prominent in these lines:
“Not where he eats, but where he is eaten. A certain convocation of politic worms are e’en at him.” -Hamlet (Act 4, Scene 3, Lines 22-24)
The Animal Imagery of warms was used by Hamlet when Claudius questions him about the whereabouts of Polonius’ body. Hamlet talks about worms eating Polonius’ body, as worms being decomposers. We can assume that Polonius’ body is probably decaying. This was a direct reflection of the state of Denmark at that point.
“For if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a good kissing carrion…”- Hamlet (Act 2, Scene 2, Line 197-198)
In these lines Hamlet was talking to Polonius. Hamlet in these lines tells Polonius not to let his daughter walk in the sunlight. Hamlets used the imagery of a dead dog being decomposed which Polonius fails to understand as he is thought to be insane by everyone in the country. Hamlet in reality was trying to warn Polonius of the bad things happening in the country it was actually done so to keep Ophelia safe, as Ophelia was Hamlets girlfriend, and he still cared about her and he wanted her to be safe.
In King Lear the Animal Imagery is used by King Lear and Albony the husband of Goneril. King Lear uses the Imagery

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