King Lear

Author: William Shakespeare

Title: The Tragedy of King Lear (underlined when handwritten)

Opening question(s):

• Have you ever been deeply misunderstood or misjudged by a parent (or both)?  What happened?  How did you respond?  Was there eventual resolution?  Do you need to forgive now?  
• This is the opening context for King Lear, and it is tragic.

"King Lear Admonishing Cordelia" by Henri Fuseli (late 1700s)

Full Title: The True Chronicle and Historie of the Life and Death of King Lear and his Three Daughters. With the Unfortunate Life if Edgar, Son and Heir to the Earle of Gloster, and his Sullen and Assumed Humor of Tom of Bedlam: As it was played before the Kings Majestie at Whitehall upon S. Stephans Night in Christmas Hillidayes. By his Majesties servants playing usually at the Gloabe on the Bancke-side.

First Written: 1605

First Performed: Dec. 1606

First Published for Reading: 1608

First Collected into Works: 1623

First performed for King James I for Christmas in 1606.

Texts

• Online at MIT
• Open Source (good for text searches)
• Older Book Edition
• iBooks (get the free version with the most downloads); usually it is the one that will come up first when you search.

Reading Questions

• See Focus for your AP Reading Questions Guide

Historical Background: King Lear belongs to the mythical past of England, roughly the AD 700s or 800s. Both Raphael Holinshed (Chronicles) and Geoffrey of Monmouth (Historia Britonum) treat Lear as a real king. The original story, however, has Cordelia living and sharing rule with her father after they've overcome their oppressors. After Shakespeare's day, it was common to turn it back into a comedy. Some even write Codelia and Edgar into lovers.

Some Significant Themes:
Sight may blind; blindness may bring sight.
Nothing comes of nothing. (Lear)
The Natural Order: Family
The Natural Order: Destiny (and the Stars)
Woe, that too late repents. (Lear)
Fathers may little understand where they lead their children.
Children will father their fathers.

Symbols:
The heath
The storm
Mutilation
Crowns and hats

Climax: Gloucester's Blinding (III.vii)

Tone: Bleak, serious, tragic; comedic interjections are generally dark, almost surreal.

Arcana

• 3.2.end of scene: Merlin's prophesy

Quotes (memorize at least 50 words):

Nothing, my lord (Cordelia-I.i.92).

Nothing will come of nothing. Speak again (Lear-I.i.95).

Good my lord,
You have begot me, bred me, loved me; I
Return those duties back as are right fit,
Obey you, love you, and most honor you.
Why have my sisters husbands, if they say
They love you all? Happily, when I shall wed,
That lord whose hand must take my plight shall carry
Half my love with him, half my care and duty.
Sure I shall never marry like my sisters,
To love my father all.
(Cordelia-I.i.101-110)

Thou, Nature, art my goddess; to thy law/ My services are bound (Edmund I.ii.1-2).

Edmund the base/ Shall top the legitimate; I grow; I prosper./ Now, gods, stand up for bastards! (Edmund I.ii.21-22).

Ingratitude, thou marble-hearted fiend (I.iv.259).

How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is/ To have a thankless child (I.iv.290-291).

Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks; rage! blow! (III.ii.1-2).

I am a man/ More sinned against than sinning (III.ii.60-61).

And worse I may be yet. The worst is not/ So long as we can say "This is the worst" (Edgar-IV.i.33-34).

As flies are to wonton boys are we to the gods./ They kill us for their sport (Gloucester-IV.i.44-45).

'Tis the time's plague when madmen lead the blind (Goucester-IV.i.57-58).

Ay, every inch a king! (Lear-IV.vi.123).

Through tattered clothes small vices do appear;/ Robes and furred gowns hide all./ Plate sin with gold,/ And the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks (Lear-IV.vi.180-182).

I am bound/ Upon a wheel of fire, that mine own tears/ Do scald like molten lead (Lear-IV.vii.52-54).

Men must endure/ Their going hence, even as their coming hither;/ Ripeness is all (Edgar-V.ii.10-12).

Her voice was ever soft,/ Genle, and low--an excellent thing in woman (Lear-V.iii.326-327).

Characters:

Lear, King of Britain
Goneril (sometimes written Gonerill), eldest daughter of Lear
Regan, second daughter of Lear
Cordelia, youngest daughter of Lear
Duke of Albany, husband to Goneril
Duke of Cornwall, husband to Regan
Earl of Gloucester (sometimes written as Gloster)
Earl of Kent, often appearing under the guise of Caius
Edgar, son of Gloucester
Edmund (sometimes written Edmond), illegitimate son of Gloucester
Oswald, steward to Goneril
Fool
King of France, suitor and later husband to Cordelia
Duke of Burgundy, suitor to Cordelia
Curan, a courtier
Old man, tenant of Gloucester.
A Doctor, an Officer employed by Edmund, a Gentleman attending on Cordelia, a Herald, Servants to Cornwall, Knights of Lear's Train, Officers, Messengers, Soldiers, and Attendants

Past Essay Prompts

1. Trace the theme of sight and insight, blindness and vision in King Lear. Consider how this theme relates to the idea of reality and appearance.

2. Trace the theme of "nothing" in King Lear.

3. Evaluate the following statement from Lear. Take a position and defend it: "I am a man/ more sinned against than sinning" (III.ii).

Review of Greek Tragedy Notes



Further Thoughts:

• John Keats: "On Sitting Down to Read King Lear Once Again"

Video:

* Ian McKellen as King Lear (2007--2009)

• At PBS
• At Youtube

 

Edwin Austin Abbey: "King Lear: Cordelia's Farewell" (late 1800's to early 1900s); at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the three sisters are on the left, Cordelia in the cream-colored robes.

Elizabethan Era Composers: William Byrd (1543-1623), Thomas Campion (1567-1620), John Dowland (1563-1626), John Farmer (1570-1601), Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625), Robert Johnson (1500-1560) and Thomas Tallis (1505-1585)