Shakespeare’s tragedies are among the most analyzed and discussed literary works. In his tragedies Shakespeare follows the Aristotelian pattern of drama, so it is easy to notice there all the elements of a tragedy presented in Aristotle’s Poetics. In this paper I will define what climax in literature is and explore the climax of one of the four great tragedies of Shakespeare, that of King Lear. As a masterfully structured play, the central part of the play is the climax itself. But what is the climax of this play, how is it presented, does it have any impact on the characters, how does it change the course of events, etc? Answers to these questions will be given here. As an example of the interactions between men and weather conditions in Shakespeare’s drama, I will explore climate as climax. The climactic moment of the play is the storm, in the 3rd act, when we see the psychological rage of King Lear. Unsurprisingly, Shakespeare exposes the issue of how the local weather durably affects the nature of men as well as by the way their humours are temporarily changed by climate and environment. Yet, I will argue that this issue actually prompts him to reverse traditional points of view in order to show that things also work the other way round. Indeed, in some of his plays, the playwright insists on men’s unfortunate capacities to provoke violent climactic disorders and to generate chaos on earth. So, it is not only the weather and climate that affect the behaviour and humour of people, but the way people feel and behave. The case with King Lear is a perfect example of this problem. The storm that Lear finds himself is actually reflected in his inner state, in his psychological rage due to his disappointment with his two daughters, and facing with the harsh reality for a father, but mostly for being unjust to his younger daughter, Cordelia.
Māori environmental knowledge of local weather and climate change in Aotearoa – New Zealand