Thursday, March 29, 2012

Which scene in Shakespeare's King Lear is known as the "heath scene"?

The "heath scene" you're referring to in Shakespeare's King Lear is most likely Act 3, Scene 2, in which King Lear and his Fool wander on a heath in the midst of a terrible storm. This scene is perhaps one of the most important moments in the play, as it focuses on one of the play's most important themes: the meaninglessness of the human condition in the face of the unfeeling, pitiless forces of Nature. The barren and desolate setting of the scene serves as the perfect backdrop for Lear's ravings, as the old man launches into a tirade against injustice, his family's betrayal, and the hopeless nature of his position. Moreover, the storm in which the characters wander becomes a metaphorical representation of Lear's agonized emotional and mental state. All in all, the heath scene illustrates the tragic plight of human existence faced with the wild anarchy of Nature.

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Thomas Jefferson's election in 1800 is sometimes called the Revolution of 1800. Why could it be described in this way?

Thomas Jefferson’s election in 1800 can be called the “Revolution of 1800” because it was the first time in America’s short history that pow...