Cornwall and Albany Flashcards
Cornwall’s death
Presents beginnings of social anarchy - new order’s emphasis on machiavellian fluidity of hierarchy encourages lower classes to revolt seen in the servant killing Cornwall
Not a noble death - killed by servant and defended by wife - presents the corrupt nature or Cornwall and new order and their unworthiness to be in power
Lower classes revolt bc new order is not legitimate power
‘better service have I never done you than now to bid you hold’
Cornwall interrogating Gloucester
Has to repeat himself multiple times before his orders are obeyed - presents old and new orders having lost power (Lear does this earlier w horse)
‘bind him, I say’
Albany at the end with Goneril, Regan and Edmund
Albany professes to be superior over Edmund due to his legitimacy and Edmund’s illegitimacy - this can never be changed
‘I hold you but a subject of this war, not as a brother’
‘half-blooded fellow’
Albany at the end with Goneril, Regan and Edmund
Calls Goneril this which mirrors Lear’s words - presents Albany and Lear as attempting to uphold old order
but L+C are butterflies - represent hope and freedom whereas G+R are serpents - symbols of sin in bible
Bothe painted gold - presents difference between appearance and reality and how old order under Lear has adopted parts of new order to survive - foreshadows triumph of old order (Edgar)
Some butterflies only live for a day - shows Lear knows his true fate but covers it
‘gilded butterflies’
‘this gilded serpent’
Albany at the end with Goneril, Regan and Edmund
Albany does this = presents his allegiance to old order and Edmund follows - chivalric challenge and as Edm. is not chivalric this foretells fall of new order
‘[throws down his gauntlet]’
Albany creating the tragic ending into a comic one laced with irony
Albany tells Regan that his wife, Goneril is ‘sub-contracted’ to Edmund so she should marry him
Goneril’s reply highlights the heavy irony of the situation through performance techniques - interludes are comic entertainment staged to fill an interval of a longer play
'’tis she is sub-contracted to this lord… if you will marry, make your love to me; my lady is bespoke’
‘an interlude’
Albany and Goneril arguing near end
Goneril asserts she can manipulate justice system = admits to its corruption - does what Lear does - tries to exercise absolute power outside that which God has bequeathed her
Links to Lear - ‘‘tis Goneril, arraign her first’ - using absolute power to condemn
Links to fear of absolutism in Jacobean society and criticisms of Court of the Star Chamber as arbitrary and favouring the king
‘thou worse than any name, read thine own evils’
‘say if I do, the laws are mine, not thine: who can arraign me for’t?’
