ABSTRACT
Modern critics of King Lear, however, have been slow to recognize the importance of formal rhetoric, particularly of the figures of speech, in shaping a full response to this play and the issues it raises. The world of King Lear is certainly not one of perfect justice, but we can do more than stand before the unfairness and howl in rage like some wounded animal. In the world of King Lear, effects do have causes, and there is an order to the existence which is at least partly visible for those who will struggle to suppress their animal nature and try to see it. Thus eloquence, especially as it appears in "the figures that be Rhetoricall," functions as a guide to character in King Lear. As the play progresses, language continues to reflect the changing mental states of the characters and a language of madness assumes a special prominence.
