The question of"nature"that Lear in Shakespeare's King Lear keeps asking is,in essence,a ques-tion about ethics.The process of answering the question is also a process whereby Lear's bodily ethical cog-nition is unfolded and changed,and his ethical identity is remolded.In the beginning,as Lear's inquiry about"nature"and"office of nature"is reduced to the performance of body politic,he is caught in an ethical bog where he doubts his moral self.I hrough the metaphorical transfer of bodily illness,as well as the"anato-mization"and"trial"of the bodies of his eldest and second daughters,Lear is able to get rid of his own bodily illnesses and make ethical choices.The revelation he achieves in hugging Cordelia's body in his arms pushes him towards ethical salvation and transcendence as an individual and a father.The convergence of"the world's body"and body politic ultimately leads to the"devinir"of Lear's king's body and the reshaping of his ethical identity as a king.Lear's bodily cognitive process confirms the very idea that an individual is but an ethical being.The process also serves as an unmasking and ethical critique of the true nature of the so-ciety and era depicted in the play.
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