Context

Question 1

“Divide in three our kingdom.”

Answer 1

social comment in favour of King James 1st. As Shakespeare identifies the dire catastrophic consequence of dividing a country, which emphasises the positivity of James’ intention to unify the country, which parliament, both in Edinburgh & London, disputed. (James was Scottish and wanted to unify Scotland & England)

Question 2

“O sir you are old!”

Answer 2

highly hierarchal, in which a lot of respect was to be given to wealthy, elders and parents, social commentary on how fragile society was, as the elderly, wealthy and parental figures – Lear and Gloucester- are those treated the worst.

Question 3

“With base? Why baseness? Basterdy? base, base.”

Answer 3

Queen Elizabeth herself was an ‘illegitimate’ Queen, possible social commentary – as bastards were commonly presented as ‘evil’ this is exemplified as Shakespeare portrays Edmund as his main Machiavellian character.

Question 4

“speak less than thou knowest,”

Answer 4

the fool embodies the infamous relationship between King James and his own fool (Archie Armstrong) Yet Lear’s fool is ironically wiser than the king himself, perhaps a social comment on King James + many of audience would be drunk and not understand the irony

Question 5

Religious crisis

Answer 5

Religious identity crisis during the 16th and 17th centuries, originated during the reformation / Henrys founding of the Protestant church, creating tension in society.

Question 6

Shakespeare’s religion

Answer 6

seems to avoid direct religious comment in all his plays, but characters, such as Lear, have Protestant leanings. EG Lear is consumed by his sense of identity – his inner struggle: this was very much a Protestant preoccupation.

Question 7

Aristotelian concept of tragedy

Answer 7

catharsis inspired from the ‘pity and terror’ of tragic action, which acts almost as a purgatory source for audiences as he argued that this paradoxically cleansed audiences as they witnessed such extensive tragedy.

Question 8

Tates 1681 version

Answer 8

Gloucester & Lear are restored to power (poetic justice), as a response to interpretations that the play was too tragically awful to be palatable,

Question 9

extensive pride

Answer 9

hubris

Question 10

fatal flaw

Answer 10

hamartia

Question 11

peripeteia

Answer 11

reversal of fortune

Question 12

anagnorisis

Answer 12

moment of realisation

Question 13

catharsis

Answer 13

audience gains understanding of the universe

Question 14

Gregory Doran’s King Lear

Answer 14

Cordelia wears a white dress throughout, so does lear at the end of the play. GR wears black throughout

Question 15

what would have Jacobean audiences viewed GR downfall

Answer 15

would have viewed GR downfull as manifestations of God’s judgement for transgressing moral boundaries

Question 16

shakesperian tragic heroes

Answer 16

predominantly haunted by their concsiousness (lear, macbeth, hamlet, Othello)

Question 17

when was the first known performance of King Lear

Answer 17

Boxing Day 1606 at whitehall palace, where King James two sons were present

Question 18

what were his plays like at the time.

Answer 18

typically concluded with restoration of order, but shakespeares energy goes into subverting traditional values, bu setting the play in the distant past, he avades charges of subversion.

Question 19

Edgar’s decsion to be homeless

Answer 19

politial challenge to change the gap between the rich, the blight of homelessness and the fact that to be poor was to be invisible.

Question 20

what social crisises was england convulsed by

Answer 20

1. harvests failing at an alarming rate
2. riots in london 1595
3. regional famines 1596 & 97
4. bubonic plague killed 30000 londoners in 1603