ABSTRACT
In order to explain King Lear's generational politics, this chapter examines elders' use of the natural world in relation to the discourse of age both in the play and in early modern culture at large. Though in both contexts the definitions of "natural" and "unnatural" initially seem apparent, when considered closely these terms are revealed to be fraught with contradictions. The play predicts that when parents and children understand the terms of the youth-elder relationship differently, elders' authority over the young is threatened. Thus, clearly defining the meaning of age and the terms of the parent-child relationship, King Lear illustrates, is key in maintaining the youth-elder hierarchy. Calling on vipers and other animals to make their points about good and bad offspring, contemporary texts that discuss youth-elder relations are often likewise hard pressed to distinguish between natural and unnatural children. All animals should demonstrate natural qualities because of their innate drives and their distance from human society.
