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As Leonato and Hero’s relationship is in a bumpy course, Leonato and Hero still have a
relationship. Leonato is unable to disown his daughter as he proves when he curses “frugal
nature’s frame” for giving him only one child (4.1.128). Even though Leonato wishes he had
adopted someone who was not biologically his, so he could easily disown that child, their
relationship is still active because Hero is still in a sense obeying Leonato as she has fainted.
Howell explains this phenomenon of Leonato’s current relationship with Hero in that “Mastery
and control of nature replaced respect for nature, since the appropriate response to the wild
woman was to tame and control her” (236). Leonato uses that second image of nature Howell
discusses to continue relating Hero to nature, which maintains their father-daughter relationship
throughout the rest of the play as he governs his daughter when deciding her fate with Claudio.

Another father who shares a similar relationship with Leonato and Hero is Lear with his
daughter Cordelia. As Leonato introduces the relationship with his daughter to nature through
means of basic reproduction, Lear introduces the relationship with his daughter by
complimenting her through means of nature. Lear hopes to establish a relationship in terms of his
governance and his daughter’s obedience when he equates his daughter to being part of the
natural land as he plans to give her off for marriage. Before Lear is rejected by Cordelia’s
unsolicited response to his love game, he compliments her with, “Now, our joy/… to whose
young love/ The vines of France and milk of Burgundy/ Strive to be interessed” (1.1.82-85). Lear
is clearly establishing his patriarchal relationship to his daughter because he expresses how she is
the most desired part of nature. Her two suitors with their vineyard and milk pasture desire her as
natural land as a metaphor for her hand in marriage. However, their relationship is thrown off
balance when Cordelia gives an unwanted response. Lear questions his daughter’s response and
her connection to nature when he says, “Nothing will come of nothing” (1.1.90). His quote