Shakespeare Electronic Conference, Vol. 5, No. 0059. Monday, 24 January 1994. From: Cliff Ronan <CR06@SWTEXAS> Date: Sunday, 23 Jan 1994 13:39 CST Subject: 5.0055 Q: *MND* and *Lear* Comment: RE: SHK 5.0055 Q: *MND* and *Lear* Good luck, Julie. Besides the dichotomies that you instance (nature vs. nurture, and family/state/society vs. the individual), there is the continuity/similarity of a movement from a flawed civilization into a nature that is nightmarish and, in the case of *MSND*, downright hallucinogenic. The old orthodoxy tended to suggest that the trip into the wilds in *King Lear* was simply tragic, while that in *MSDN* led to comic reintegration and redemption of the self. What do you think? Cliff Ronan Southwest Texas State