Theme of Wilderness in King Lear and Wuthering Heights

Abstract

In Wuthering Height too, as in King Lear the wilderness being created in the wild workshop of the unconscious of the protagonist takes three phases in between the beginning and the end. In the first phase, we have both the negation and assertion of the acquisition instinct by turns; at the assertion stage we have the clash with the love instinct. In the second phase, this clash results in wilderness, not only of the personality of Hearhcliff but also of Catherine. In the third and the last phase, there is the resurgence of humanity and complete surrender to the divinity of love. These two characters, like King Lear, pass from love to love through the turbulence of their wild mind and wild nature. The comparative-analytical approach is followed in this research.