How Does Shakespeare Use Animal Imagery In King Lear

King Lear is one of Shakespeare’s most refined works. In accordance to the majority of Shakespeare's tragedies, the characters in King Lear are well developed and portray evident personalities. Their characteristics and actions are so extreme that they closely mirror those of animals. In particular, Shakespeare uses animal imagery in King Lear to illustrate the vulnerability, cruelty, and perceptivity of critical characters.
Animal imagery in King Lear is used to effectively emphasize the vulnerability of Kent and Gloucester. When Kent is sentenced to a night in the stocks, he is tied “by th’ legs” like “dogs and bears by th’ neck” (2.4.8-9). The comparison of Kent to chained animals illustrates the extent of his vulnerability in the stocks.
Throughout the play, Goneril and Regan are like "cuckoo[s]" who are "fed" too long by "the hedge-sparrow" and thus, "bit[e] off" their father's head (1.4.205-206). His two cruelest daughters not only deceive him, but also mistreat him after he naively surrenders his kingdom to them. To describe Goneril as only "a thankless child" is understating her cruelty (1.4.279). Thus, Shakespeare cleverly inserts that she is "sharper than a serpent's tooth" in order to fully convey the extent of her brutality to the readers (1.4.278). This description provides the reader with a deeper understanding as serpents symbolize evil and their teeth are often associated with deadly venom. Likewise, in the play, Goneril has a cruel and vindictive heart and murders numerous people. Similar to her sister, Regan is capable of tormenting those who stand in her path. In the play, Regan “rash[es] boarish fangs” at Gloucester after he helps King Lear escape and she encourages her husband to "pluck out [Gloucester's] poor old eyes” (3.7.54, 56). Regan is similar to a boar, and just as malicious. Although Albany and other characters in the play are fully aware of the sisters’ potential for evil, Shakespeare implements several animal images to ensure that the reader understands as
Despite his initially cordial relationship with Goneril, Albany soon realizes that his wife is an appalling woman. He later compares his wife and her sister to “tigers” showing the readers that Albany has become fully aware of Goneril’s cruelty (4.2.40). He is not the only character in the play with this understanding, as Kent also calls Lear’s daughters “dog-hearted” (4.3.45), an adjective used to describe inhumane and cruel people. Goneril and Regan, however, are not the only ruthless individuals in the play; Edmund is seen to be equally heartless. Edmund's betrayal of his family does not go unnoticed as Albany calls him a “gilded serpent” and Edgar refers to his brother as a "toad-spotted traitor” (5.3.85, 137). By calling Edmund a “serpent” and a “toad-spotted traitor”, metaphors that symbolize evil, the readers recognize that Albany and Edgar fully condemn Edmund’s behavior throughout the play (5.3.85, 137). The use of animal imagery in this scenario also enriches the reader’s understanding of Edmund, one of the play’s central