Act Scene Notes Flashcards
When we are introduced to Albany and Cornwall in the beginning of Act 1, we don’t hear who they are
Married to
Link to women/independence of men from bonds?
Why is Gloucesters adultery made more sinister, especially due to its positioning as soon as the play commences?
It was only a short time after the birth of Edgar
What did Tolstoy say about Gloucester’s first words? When?
1906: “The coarseness of these words of Gloucester is so out of place in the mouth of a person intended to represent a noble character”— own assumptions about how noble characters ought to speak
What does Gloucester reveal to Kent in the opening scene, that some critics believe is the reason for his subsequent behaviour?
Tells Kent he will send him away again-
“second banishment”—
Coleridge 1907 believed Edmund outraged by the light way G had spoken of his mother
Illegitimacy rages were RISING during Shakespeare’s lifetime. How were notions of illegitimacy complex?
Officially, English Common Law: illegitimates could not inherit
Civil Law: they could inherit
Edmund is a ‘filius nullius’ (‘nothing son’ BUT effectively legitimised when Gloucester later banishes Edgar
Richer families, illegitimacy not an insurmountable hurdle
Which character in Othello does Cordelia echo?
Desdemona: perceives a “divided duty”
Many fathers more reasonable than Lear feel a pang when they realise they are no longer first in their daughters affections
BUT Lear v far
What does France say of Cordelia?
She “is herself a dowry”
Arguably Shakespeare condemns division, but Lear is over 80 and has no male heir: natural to settle succession.
How do the virtuous characters deal with the reality of lears abdication?
They never accept it
Regard him as king throughout— maybe this shows their opinion on the schemes inauthenticity— the ambivalence of Lears role after the abdication is one of the pivotal points of the tragedy
In the first scene, when does the shift from prose to verse occur?
The entrance of Lear it shifts to prose
Ritual, ceremony
What does gonerill compain of in relation to her father in scene 1?
“how full of changes his age is”
Most directors make use of a prop (map) to show visually his most recent plan
The idea of a love test is doubtless a symbol of Lear’s VANITY. How does is also contain a element of cruelty?
What literary tradition does this dramatise?
He has already decided that the “third more opulent” should go to Cordelia (whom he loves most)
Gonerill and Regan know where they stand in fathers affections
A FABLE: kind of parable with obvious moral attached— Lear makes catastrophic error of judgement; no tragedy without the flaw
What is a hamartia?
Weakness or deficiency in character’s nature that brings about his downfall & eventual death.
‘to err’
Broad spectrum
Some critics talk about how Lear and Cordelia are similar like she’s his daughter obviously etc
Find those notes
Learn some more
It’s good
What is Cordelia’s tragic flaw that relates to Lear’s S1?
She could had been tactful, have humoured her father, not understated her genuine love
BUT not natural to her; she will not lie.
Kent (DIRECTS our RESPONSES throughout play) sees truth : “Thy youngest daughter does not love thee least”
How, in scene one, is it revealed that the sisters are materialistic?
The imagery they use to describe their “love” for their father
Goneril’s stress on words of valuation: “dearer”, “rich”, “rare” is echoed by Regan.
Shakespeare’s cleverly introduces the words “true” and “sense” into Regan’s vocab; true is ironic but Regan is a creature of appetite that will be governed by her base SENSES as play develops.
As with the introduction of the word “nothing” in scene one, which theme does Gonerill introduce?
The idea of sight: “dearer than eyesight”
Cordelia has fewer lines than
Almost any other important character in all of Shakespeare
Why give Cordelia asides?
We are left in no doubt of her motives
Cordelia- how does she define her love in a way that would satisfy a reasonable father?
According to my bond, no more nor less
“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way”
Tolstoy
Argues that Cordelia refuses to quantify her love “on purpose to irritate her father”
Some psychological motivation beyond the need for honesty?
Lear’s fury is caused by bitter disappointment—
He had hoped to set his “rest / On her kind nursery”
- suggests a ‘second childhood’; premonition of what happen in later acts
Lear gives up power and is utterly dependent on his favoured daughters and the gratitude of their husbands.
Who is the only one of the four with decent instincts? What happens?
Albany
Dominated by Gonerill
The love and honour of Kent shows that LEAR was NOT ALWAYS so foolish as he now appears.
Kent as a model of plain speaking honesty.
Calls king “mad”, guilty of “folly”, “hideous rashness”, “evil”
Farewell speech commends Cordelia to gods and reminds Gonerill and Regan of their promises.
It is in RHYMED COUPLETS: formality rings the importance of their choric function.
How are the reactions of the rivals to Cordelia’s love carefully delineated?
Burgundy: wealth > love
France: love increased by her outcast state.
Frances words have additional resonance because of their echoes of St. Paul
Dismisses rival with one adjective “waterish”
Twice gives the impartial observers view of lears actions as “strange”
Rhymed verse, like Kent, is choric.
So is Cordelia’s