The opening lines of this scene, which describe Lear's appearance, show how far from his royal state the king has descended. In Act I, Lear assumed the mantel of royalty with accustomed ease, and now he appears covered in weeds. Lear's choice of weeds for raiment, rather than the equally available flowers in the fields, is significant. The king's temperament is as wild and ungoverned as the weeds, which grow so freely, and which represent the unplanned chaotic state of nature.