Is man no more than this? Consider him well. Thou owest the worm no silk, the beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the cat no perfume. Ha! here’s three on ‘s are sophisticated! Thou art the thing itself: unaccommodated man is no more but such a poor, bare, forked animal as thou art.

– William Shakespeare

King Lear, Act 3, Scene 4. Astonished at the sight of Poor Tom (Edgar), who is practically naked and wearing just a blanket to cover his loins, Lear shows considerable sympathy for him. In one of the biggest and most profound questions of the play, Lear asks, is this all a man is? Looking at Edgar, the man without possessions, "a poor, bare, forked animal," Lear then proceeds to tear off his own clothes and be on the same level as a beggar, identifying with Poor Tom. This scene shows how far Lear has fallen from his high social status and powerful position as King. There is a nihilistic tone of hopelessness to Lear’s words and mood here, as he sees man (and himself) stripped of possessions and family and reduced to a poor naked animal. In the line before this quote he says you would be better off dead than face the violent storm with just your naked body – "Why, thou wert better in thy grave than to answer with thy uncovered body this extremity of the skies." The storm of course being a symbol of Lear’s inner turmoil.