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King Lear Study Guide
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Act 1
(new conventions vs older traditions) (familial relationships) (Betrayal and false intentions) (Contextual information and societal views)
Quotes and Examples Explanation / Analysis Context / Further Ideas
neither can make choice of either9s moiety
Internal rhyme
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Shows that the world is already in chaos, as internal rhyme is often used in riddles or poems, but now by existing in dialogue it is breaking conventional rules of speech.
It also shows the confusion about the division of the kingdom among the King9s subjects as now the empire is divided, which is new compared to the unusual handover of property between father and eldest son.
Do you smell a fault? Rhetorical question, foreshadowing (?), hyperbole
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Edmund is introduced in the scene he is the 8fault9, which already labelled him as a mistake in society. Important quote which shows that even Edmund9s own father and society is treating him unjustly for factors that are out of his control.
Also saying that Glouchester accepts him?
The introduction of the main villain before the hero is also unconventional, it is the opposite.
Unburdened crawl toward death
Dramatic irony, foreshadowing (?), almost ironic (second quote)
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Lear believes that he will be able to live peacefully, which doesn't happen. The tragedy begins when Lear attempts to divide the kingdom in an unconventional new way. He claims that he wants to 'shake all cares' and pass the power to the younger generation, however that is not possible because he still wants to be treated like a person in power. This also can9t happen or doesn9t happen as Lear, even in just saying that he is splitting the kingdom, pits the sisters against each other as he explains how he is going to split the kingdom. He creates a conflict or rivalry between the sisters by whilst saying it is in the name of preventing future strife or conflict.
His intentions to divide the kingdom are to avoid conflict between his kids, which happens anyways. He wants to maintain a peaceful life, but the audience can easily tell things will go south and everything. The atmosphere presented is almost fairy tale like and the audience can9t help but wonder if this is where he starts the problem.
Future strife may be prevented now
A love that makes breath poor and speech unable.
Dramatic irony, hyperbole,
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She is unable to talk about her 'love' because she doesn9t love him. She is hiding her true intentions towards Lear in order to gain a part of the kingdom. Almost abusive and upsetting.
Dearer than eyesight, space and liberty
Dramatic irony, motif of sight
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Lear loses space and liberty, absence of saying anything at all, whilst Glocester loses his eyes and thus 8sight9. Gloucester is also a parallel of Lear. This may also show that people who are vauguly like Lear (old, powerful, gullible) all meat the same fate
I shall study deserving Foreshadowing, tone (cold)
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shows his ill intent, or the possibility towards his extreme future actions that will gain him recognition or 8knowledge
Meantime we shall express our darker purpose.
?? could 8foreshadow9 his purpose of making daughters express their love for him and the 8darker9 side to doing that.
He makes it clear that the king is doing something sinister, or possibly alludes to the idea that giving up king is something he doesn't necessarily want to give up It could also allude to his 8darker purpose9 of making his daughters pit for love and thus his wealth. 8Dark9 referring to serious in nature
What shall Cordelia speak? Love, and be silent.
Aside, illeism, hypophora (1) Second quote: Synecdoche ---- ----
She takes her sister's comments and knows that they are far from the truth and that wonders if she should stay silent, as her love is greater than her sister's. Stays silent as she doesn9t know how to say anything 8better9 or 8more9 as Lear asks her to say something more to get a more opulent third, but she doesn9t know how to say her love.
She speaks to the audience instead of speaking to her family in order to resolve this internal conflict. It attempts to show her purity in comparison to her sister. Omission of truth. Says her love larger than what she she can express in language
Then poor Cordelia! And yet not so, since I am sure my love9s More ponderous than my tongue.
Nothing will come of nothing.
Cordelia's "Nothing" is paradoxical as she speaks anyways. It is in reference to how inability to say more than her sisters. Lear misinterprets this is meaning "Nothing", then saying something happening as in this warning about nothing.
motif of nothingness, irony
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The two daughters who end up getting the entire kingdom by professing their deep love for their father actually have no feeling for him at all. And Cordelia who loves her father the most, ends up with nothing. Lear himself ends up with nothing, because of the partial truth this sentence speaks.
Lear, himself, says that he is "an 'O' without a figure," or a circle which has nothing in the middle. Even the fool says that while he is a fool, Lear himself is nothing. Could also refer to his 8lack of power9 in a position of power he gives up and doesn9t realise he doesn9t have anymore? Could also refer back to his identity and perception of identity as King and as a father, an empty title he refers to himself as but isn9t necessarily recognised as by i. Goneril and Regan?
stars and celestial bodies and fate, but instead blames his nature on how he is a bastard son. This is contradictory as he blames his nature on something completely out of his control similar to those that believed in fate and the astrology causing fortunes and misfortunes of their lives.
Unnaturalness between the child and the parent, death, dearth, dissolutions of ancient amities, divisions in state, menaces and maledictions against king and nobles, needless diffidences, banishment of friends, dissipation of cohorts, nuptial breaches,
foreshadowing
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Edmund is talking about the things that will happen in the play further in and shows how everything is fated to happen.
I am no honest man if there be any good meaning towards you.
Dramatic irony ---- (4 below)
Edmund is not an honest person as we see in the earlier scenes, this is exceptionally ironic and his brother also falls for this act as he has placed a lot of blind trust in his brother.
That can my speech diffuse, my good intent
Ironic
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Cordelia's manner of speech also hid her good intent, which Kent is attempting to replicate. This shows that now good people have to hide in order to commit good deeds and where bad deeds go unnoticed.
Who am I, sir? rhetorical question
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Duality, the king questions his own power in the kingdom and decides to show his authority.
This is also the first time where he questions his identity and power within the kingdom.
You were best take my coxcomb
??
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Fool offers his hat to Kent because in this scenario Kent is the fool for coming back to serve Lear, who clearly doesn9t value his judgement. Basically, good people are fools for serving a King, who has no compassion for his subjects.
Have more than thou showest Speak less than thou knowest
Rhyme, irony, analogy? ---- ----
This has come to a time where the fool gives advice to the king. The fool speaks in rhyme as if reciting a riddle, but the advice he provides is basic and known to all. It is not a secret meant to be cracked.
Can you make no use of nothing, nuncle?
Motif of nothingness, rhetorical question ----
This time the fool questions the King's judgement in banishing Cordelia. If Cordelia9s love truly amounted to nothing then that means the king should be satisfied with it as It is still greater than the love his other daughters have for him.
Come place him here by me. Do thou for him stand.
Iambic pentameter
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The fool speaks more clearly than many others in the play and ironically he is the symbol of wisdom and clarity.
The king in many ways is the opposite of the Fool, his judgement is irrational and he lacks basic wisdom. The fool is a representation of what Lear could have been and he is the voice of reason in the play.
The other found out there.
Symbolism?
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Give me an egg, nuncle, and I9ll give thee two crowns.
?? Implying that the title Lear owns has no value as he has given everything away, the matter within the eggs is gone. And all that is left is the useless 8crown9 or title.
Thou hadst little wit in thy bald crown when thou gavest thy golden one away.
Symbolism? Metaphor?
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King Lear is dumb for banishing Cordilia, who is called to be his 8golden one9 and his judgement is opposed again. It is plain that the fool doesn9t support his decision.
I am a Fool, thou art nothing
Motif of nothingness
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By giving away his power to his daughters, Lear has become nothing. The fool claims that even he holds more value than the King, as he has autonomy and clear judgement. Lear is simply a puppet.
Are you our daughter? Rhetorical Question, motif of madness
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Lear displays his first symptom of madness when he questions his daughter9s identity and is in shock about his treatment at her home. He questions his relationship with her, as he believes that he would not be treated the way he is if she really were his daughter.
Doth Lear walk thus? Speak thus? Where are his eyes?
Rhetorical Question, motif of madness and sight
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Even the mad version of Lear questions his conscious judgement as eyes are a symbol of judgement. He wonders where Lear's judgement is, when asking <Where are his eyes?=
How sharper than a serpent9s tooth it is To have a thankless child
Metaphor? Monologue? Apostrophe
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Lear compares Goneril9s thankless behaviour to a serpent9s tooth. He is talking to the Heavens and wishing harm on his own child, which is hypocritical on his own part.
He believes that he is wronged by his own daughter and gains more clarity through the play as he gets more hurt. In many ways, Lear is just like a newborn kid, he doesn9t have the amount of experiences and wisdom someone should have at his age.
I did her wrong- Anagnorisis
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King Lear reassesses his own actions towards Cordelia were wrong and it is the first moment of clarity in the play. This causes a huge shift in his personality.
thy wheel. ----
(3 below)
Bedlam beggars, who with roaring voices
Allusion to the 8Bedlam9 patients, motif of madness ---- ----
All the honest people in the play go mad, or pretend to be mad. It is almost as if madness is associated with honesty and good morals in this world. All those with good morals are mad because in this world, the good morals get them nowhere and only crazy people would continue to do that even after the constant scrutiny they face.
That9s something yet. Edgar I nothing am.
(4 below)
Motif of nothingness
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The quote makes the audience question why they trust without judgement, all that love turns them into nothing as they give away their power of judgment with their love.
Edgar claims that he is nothing now, as he lost his father9s trust and now he's considered to be an illegitimate son. He thinks that even the patients at Bedlam are more than him because at least they have independence and freedom.
Fathers that wear rags Do make their children blind. But fathers that bear bags Shall see their children kind.
Rhyme
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Normally, the rich have better children, but now the times have changed and the children are deceptive no matter what. Full reminisces of the older times where the poor fathers had worse children as he had nothing to give. But now even the richer have the worse children since they gave their wealth away and the amount equal to the poor father.
I would divorce me from thy mother9s tomb, Sepulchring an adultress.
Simile, irony?
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Shows his problematic relationship with Regan, where he only loves when others treat him with respect and it shows his true intentions.
He talks behind Goneril9s back claiming that she is a vulture, displaying his clear and true intentions. He compared her to vile animals such as vultures and serpents, in true manner, he never loved his two eldest daughters if he was so easily swayed by a simple decision. He only wants control and as soon as he loses some, he loses his mind.
Regan will have his curse in the future.
Sharp-toothed unkindness, like a vulture, here.
Most serpentlike, upon the very heart.
No, Regan, thou shalt never have my curse.
Now, I prithee, daughter, do not make me mad.
Motif of madness
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When he begs his daughter's not to make him mad, he's only talking about him losing control. As his daughter's gain more power, he is unable to let them follow his lead.
Cordelia made Lear mad when she refused to simply answer his question undermining his authority and similarly, when these daughters gained any form of power, it drove Lear mad, since he wasn't in control
anymore.
I9ll make a sop o' th' moonshine of you.
Informal to formal diction, hyperbole
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Kent is not afraid to draw his sword to fight 'evil' and doesn't think the action through. Even though his actions are well-intentioned, Kent thinks he can defeat 8evil9 alone.
He suddenly changes his manner of speech to display how easily one can deceive another. He also does this to please the duke, it encourages the audience to be dishonest in order to save themselves
Under th' allowance of your great aspect,
Will pack when it begins to rain And leave thee in the storm. But I will tarry. The fool will stay.
Foreshadowing
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The daughters are superficially loyal and they don't hesitate to leave to fend for themselves in the storm.
The 'fools' who stay are loyal, like Gloucester and Kent. They are fools as they gain nothing by staying with Lear, but they do so as they are loyal.
Thy fifty yet doth double five and twenty, And thou art twice her love.
??
Quantitative language/register ---- ----
The love is compared in a materialistic manner, the king doesn9t truly love his daughters.
And let not women9s weapons, water drops, Stain my man9s cheeks! No
Monologue, hypophora, pathetic fallacy.
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Tears are considered to be weapons in society and men are not supposed to use them as they are meant for women. Lear is upset at the fact that his daughters refuse to accept his wishes for 100 knights and storms out in fury.
He refuses to let them see him in pain as it is a sign that they have hurt him. Emotional turmoil and vital character growth.
You think I9ll weep? No, I9ll not weep.
—O Fool, I shall go mad!
Motif of madness, enjambement, pathetic fallacy
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The weather is changing according to Lear9s emotions, and this gives a rare internal sight into Lear9s suffering. He has realised that he has lost any form of authority over his daughters, and realises that he is really not worth anything to them. He exclaims that he will go mad, meaning that he has finally lost control of his emotions.
Act 3
(new conventions vs older traditions / changes in the world) (familial relationships) (Betrayal and false intentions) (Contextual information and societal views)
than sinning.
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innocent man. He says that he was treated badly, but he doesn9t take responsibility for his actions like Edmud, who admits that he is responsible for this.
The younger rises when the old doth fall.
Aphorism, allegory?
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This is universal knowledge passed out by the villain, though it is true, the audience doesn9t want to believe it, since it can be seen as cruel.
The nature of society is questioned, because if they can9t accept this, they are blind to the truth.
But where the greater malady is fixed The lesser is scarce felt. Thou9dst shun a bear, But if thy flight lay toward the raging sea Thou9dst meet the bear
analogy, Pathetic fallacy
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Tells the audience what Lear is going through and helps them sympathize with his situation. He is comparing his internal pain with a stormy sea, showing that the physical pain is easier to deal with.
The foul fiend follows me!
Alliteration
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The repetition of the 8f9 sound is used to show that Edgar is mad, the foul fiend may also represent his brother.
Obey thy parents, keep thy word9s justice, swear not, commit not with man9s sworn spouse, set not thy sweet heart on proud array.
Allegory??
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all these things happen in the play and the lesson is this. This is also the solution to all the problems Edmund mentioned in Act 1.
Edgar is a symbol of hope in the play and he is the opposite of his brother.
Is man no more than this?
Rhetorical question
Allusion to greek philosopher
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Lear finally questions his own circumstances, he wonders if the people in society amount to 8Poor Tom9.
He considers Edgar to be a learned person, as he is someone who has suffered hardships in life and gained more clarity than him.
I9ll talk a word with this same learnèd Theban.—
Thou say9st the king grows mad. I9ll tell thee, friend, I am almost mad myself.
Motif of madness
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The king is actually going mad because he has gained clarity about his daughter's intentions, while Gloucester is still blind to Edmund scheming his demise. This shows that madness can arise from both, the truth and the lie.
How malicious is my fortune, that I must repent to be just!
dramatic irony
Apostrophe
He has not done the right thing, in fact he has been tricking them all along, he is doing this all for more power. Really shows that Edmund is a vile character
O heavens, that this He wished this to the heavens, which is another form of betrayal, as he treason were not, or not
I the detector! ---- doesn9t believe in astrology.
thou shalt find a dearer father in my love.
Dramatic Irony
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Cornwall doesn't love Edmund like his own father and is only using him for his own benefit.
Edmund is not tricked by this, however, because he is also doing this for himself. Two selfish people interacting.
Frateretto calls me and tells me Nero is an angler in the lake of darkness.
Allusion
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Edgar makes reference to historical figures, Nero was a terrible ruler who played a fiddle while the kingdom burned, which is a parallel to king Lear who is wandering the country after giving away his power which is causing the demise of the kingdom.
Prithee, nuncle, tell me whether a madman be a gentleman or a yeoman?
???
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Lear answers this question with 'a king' admitting that he has gone mad and accepted his fate.
This is also a reference to Gloucester, whose son is now at a higher social position than he was. Lear is a dynamic character, who has learned and grown from his experiences.
He9s mad that trusts in the tameness of a wolf,
Personification, irony
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Both Lear and Glouchester trusted the 8wolves9 and cast their loving children away. This could have all been avoided if they had not been so trusting.
Shows that when people love they lose sight of what they should do and fall easily into traps.
Arraign her first. 'Tis Goneril.
Apostrophe
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He is counting the injustice that happened to him, and wants to punish her accordingly. Vengeance is present in Lear, which is not present in other characters like Edgar or Codelia or Gloucester, and it is questioned if he is truly the innocent poor father he claims to be.
My tears begin to take his part so much,
Aside
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Edgar feels sympathy for Lear and cannot maintain character. Truly shows that Edgar is a pure character, who is treated badly.
Is there any cause in nature that makes these hard hearts?
Logos, rhetorical question
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Lear may be questioning his way of raising his daughters and wondering if he did something wrong. This also some of the few moments when he questions his own ways and tries to reason his wild actions.
Make no noise, make no noise. Draw the curtains—so, so, so.
Repetition
??
Lear has gone mad beyond all.
When we our betters see bearing our woes, We scarcely think our miseries our foes.
rhyme, monologue, aphorism
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Edgar forgets about his own misery when he encounters Lear who is suffering much more. He says that humans forget their miseries when they encounter someone with worse misfortune.
In his anointed flesh Metaphor Animal-like qualities associated with humans and truly degrading the
back. ---- that his own blood would treat him like trash.
Reason in madness! Aside
Oxymoron ----
You really can9t find reason in madness and Edgar is commenting about Lear in this scene. Lear is mad, but by being in painful citations he has gained wisdom and grown mad.
Then, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!
Repetition, apostrophe??
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King Lear is so angry at his injustice he is willing to commit murder. It really shows that if he truly loved his kids like Gloucester did, if his actions are valid.
To this great stage of fools.
Metaphor
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LIfe is a great stage for fools and it is truly meaningless to live as long as the king did only to endure suffering and never truly get justice.
If thou wilt weep my fortunes, take my eyes.
Hyperbole
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Moral message to care about your own wounds before catering to someone else. The king suggests that Gloucester should not be sad about Lear9s misery because he doesn9t have Lear9s eyes and worry about his own anyways.
I am even The natural fool of fortune.
Symbolism
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Lear comments on his bad luck saying that he is a fool everywhere including fortune.
<Let our reciprocal vows be remembered. You have many opportunities to cut him off.=
Ironic, monologue?
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It was a letter that deceived Gloucester and its also a letter that clarifies things for him, this is ironic because when he read the letter and now he is unable to read. He hears and still trusts.
So should my thoughts be severed from my griefs, And woes by wrong imaginations lose
?? ??
Child-changèd father! paradoxical truth
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The king is more like a child than a king and even Cordelia admits to that.
All my reports go with the modest truth, Nor more, nor clipped, but so.
??
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What Cordelia said to Lear at the start, motif of duty? Kent is saying things similarly signifying his purity. He is honest and honest people don9t speak grandiosely.
I am mightily abused. I should ev'n die with pity
Hyperbole The king is ironic because Gloucester was in a worse condition and he did not pity him. Really shows how fake the king is.
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Sir, do you know me? Motif?
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Reference to previous scene, when Lear asks 'does anyone know who I am?'
Recognition of identity further in the scene and a lot of clarity, Cordelia also asks a deeper question wondering if Lear truly knows her.
Thou art a soul in bliss, but I am bound Upon a wheel of fire
Metaphor
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Cordelia is a symbol of purity and Christianity through the whole play and even Lear recognises that she is unbelievably kind.
Yet better thus, and known to be contemned, Than still contemned and flattered.
Anadiplosis
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This may be a reference to King Lear and Gloucester as they are openly hated by their children, instead of internally hated but flattered. He thinks that it is better than them hating their own children who love them and facing the hardships head on.
I have no way, and therefore want no eyes.
Motif of sight
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Gloucester realises what his mistakes were and he admits what he did was wrong. He wants to make amends and regrets his decisions greatly. His emotional turmoil can be seen easily though the act as he knew that I stumbled when I saw. things went wrong when he could see.
Might I but live to see thee in my touch, I9d say I had eyes again!
Motif of sight
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After finally losing everything Gloucester gains the full picture and accepts his mistakes in trusting easily and not communicating his opinion throughout the play so far. He takes responsibility for his actions which are not present in Lear.
O gods! Who is 9t can say <I am at the worst=?
aside, apostrophe
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Reference to the wheel of fate and the unpredictability of life. He wonders when things will stop getting worse for him, and just settle down.
As flies to wanton boys are we to th' gods.
Analogy
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He claims that we have no control of our fortune and accepts that his fate is filled with bad luck because he is as valuable to the Gods as flies are to boys. (he is worthless)
'Tis the time9s plague when madmen lead the blind.
Ironic? Paradoxical?
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The state of the world is so chaotic, that now the madmen are allowed to lead the blind.
Bad is the trade that must play fool to sorrow, Angering itself and others.
Aside
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Shows Edgar's true intentions as he claims that he doesn9t want to be a beggar anymore and comforts his father. This scene is vital as it shows a clear difference between Edgar and Edmund (who willingly threw his father under the boat and kept pretending to be loyal)
but never man so changed.
?? The character changes in Albany's behavior, shows that he has true intentions.
I will die bravely, like a smug bridegroom.
pun for 'die' which is slang for orgasm. ----
Similar to comparing orgasm to death as both require a lack of awareness.
I am a king, my masters, know you that?
Motif? Repetitive dialogue?
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Instead of questioning his own identity he affirms it by saying, I am King. He does not question if they know his value, instead he realises that his value is not defined by what other people think of him is a king, despite the way he is treated by his eldest daughters.
Lest that th' infection of his fortune take Like hold on thee.
Ironic
----
Both Gloucester and Edgar have terrible luck so Oswald9s comment doesn9t really matter..
So I am, I am Repetition
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She speaks twice to confirm her intentions, the older sisters only truly flattered him once. She says things twice to affirm her true intentions, and make Lear believe her. She also confirms her identity, something that King Lear otherwise sought for confirmation from others to determine his 8identity9 after losing his title as 8King9.
No cause, No cause
Act 5
(new conventions vs older traditions / changes in the world) (familial relationships) (Betrayal and false intentions) (Contextual information and societal views)
Quotes and Examples Explanation / Analysis Context / Further Ideas
Their going hence even as their coming hither. Ripeness is all.
??
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Masculine and sexist views in society about how life's meant to be lived. Edgar saying this is meant to be encouraging to Gloucester.
I had rather lose the battle than that sister Should loosen him and me.
Aside, ironic
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Truly despicable nature of Gonerail is revealed; she is ready to sacrifice the kingdom for her own selfish reasons. In the end she is also deceived like she deceived Lear in the start, all things come around like they do in the wheel of fortune.
If e'er your grace had speech with man so poor,
Irony
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Edmund was the disguised one, who deceived his brother by acting like he was honest and caring, but now his brother is disguised and deceiving him, by working behind his back.
Each jealous of the other as the stung Are of the adder.
Simile?
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They are compared with animals again and it truly shows that they were not caring people, they had selfish intentions like the animals do.
He that parts us shall bring a brand from heaven And fire us hence like foxes.
Simile
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Birds are creatures who crave freedom and are oppressed. He also says that they are like foxes, who in the time were considered to stick by each other9s sides?
We two alone will sing like birds i' th' cage.
Myself could else outfrown false fortune9s frown.
dramatic irony, alliteration ----
She says that she can wait for fortune, which turns out to be false. It shows that fate controls all and that fighting against fate is useless.
We are not the first Who with best meaning have incurred the worst.
Aphorism
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Recognises that they are not the only one who has suffered and doesn9t blame it on anyone. She says that fortune is one to blame.
An turn our impressed lances in our eyes Which do command them.
Motif of sight
----
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Edmund is afraid that if people start to gain clarity of what is happening, they will turn against them. He is protecting himself by letting them be unaware of the truth.
If you will marry, make your loves to me,
Tone (sarcasm) Albany has finally gained clarity on what his wife is like and announces her betrayal to the world. He is furious about how he was deceived and wants to take revenge by fighting Edmund. This gilded serpent. For your claim, fair sister,
Metaphor ---- ----
thou art in nothing less Than I have here proclaimed thee.
Motif of nothingness
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Albany is trying to show that Edmund's morals equate to nothing more than what he said just now. Edmund is constantly fooling everyone and making them believe his moral high ground, but his true intentions are revealed.
That names me traitor, villainlike he lies.
Ironic ----
EDMUND? Is saying that he is not villain-like?
I am no less in blood than thou art, Edmund. If more, the more thou9st wronged me.
Anadiplosis
---- ----
Edgar notes that he is as noble as Edmund who is a bastard, which fulfils Edmund's wish to be seen as an equal in society.
'Tis past, and so am I. ?? ??
The wheel is come full circle. I am here.
Allusion ---- ----
The wheel of fortune has finally come full circle and Edmund accepts his end. He knows that he had done the wrong thing and he is forgiven for his crimes by his brother.
This speech of yours hath moved me,
Anagnorisis, dynamic character
Edmund finally miser accepts his crimes and he wants to be good and amend his mistakes. This is the first time we see someone take responsibility for their actions in King Lear. Edmund wants to change his
faithful and superficially faithful members of the household. Gloucester9s internal guilt and
suffering increases to the point where he wants to end his own life due to his dependence on his
children. The pain and suffering is not limited to the parental figures and it is also present with
the children, a prime example being Edgar. In his monologue, pathos is used to connect with the
audience as he suffers <Bedlam beggars, who with roaring voices... something yet. Edgar
I nothing am.=, allusion in the quote compares Edgar with the Bedlam mental patients as he
claims that even they have freedom and independence, and therefore, are greater than him. Motif
of madness and nothingness are present simultaneously to exemplify Edgar's lack of self-esteem
and intrusive thoughts. Edgar suffered regardless of the purity of his own moral compass because
he was the part of a flawed family structure, which is a universal adversity faced by many.
Complexity of the suffering in fragile family relationships present in King Lear are responsible
for sustaining the play9s relevance over time.
Furthermore, King Lear serves as a cautionary tale against politically motivated relationships in
society, Shakespeare alludes that political relationships are corrupted in nature and those who
engage in them are actively retributed through nature9s law. Edmund is an obvious character,
who continually questions his unjust treatment and aims to gain political power and wealth in the
play and faces dire consequences. An allusion is used in <The wheel has come full circle. I am
here.= and it symbolises the wheel of fortune and Edmund accepts his fate knowing that he had
engaged in 8evil9 relations and knows that his end is appropriate. Additionally, Cordelia9s death
can also be viewed as a consequence of involvement in bureaucratic affairs, though she claims
that her invasion of England was only for <love—dear love!—and our aged father9s right.=.
Enjambment draws attention to her motivation for the invasion, subverting it from the fact that
she is indirectly supporting her father9s selfish power lust. She is constantly presented as a Christ
figure in the play, so the audience wonders if her death was justified for supporting her father,
which provides analytical value to the play. In contrast to this, Edgar and Albany, who have no
ulterior motives or expressed indirect support for any other political reasons, survive the battle.
Edgar especially is of pure and noble character highlighted in his monologue <When we our
betters see bearing our woes, We scarcely think our miseries our foes.= The pathos used in this
rhyme presents the true nature of Edgar and paints him in an appealing light. His moral
ambitions are only to fight for his father and he doesn9t crave any power or wealth. Arcadia- a
play about a Pephlagarian King who was dethroned and blinded by his wicked bastard son and
destroyed the relationship of a legitimate son was the inspiration for the Gloucester subplot,
which Shakespeare uses to show the eternal presence of nature9s law against greed-induced
relationships. Objectively, adversity faced by the characters is stereotypically inculpated on the
bastard and women in the play, when in reality Lear and Cordelia are also held responsible by
nature and fate. This causes the audience to wonder if the deaths were justified and if nature9s
justice was truly served, as the kingdom ended in ruins. Altogether, the audience9s varying
opinions and justifications about the politically motivated relationships9 natural reparations is a
significant factor that authenticates the play9s scholarly importance.
Whole play is about not trusting ppl without judgement, but cordelia does just that
Thesis:
Conclusion
King lear quotes eng adv task 3
Course: advanced english (ENGADV)
University: University of Sydney
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