Goneril And Regan Flashcards
What type of characters are Goneril and Regan
They are subversive destructive characters,intent on bringing about the end of the old world and bringing in the new world
How is Goneril characterised before Regan
Goneril is seen as the more dominant sister from the start.She decides something must be done so that the treatment of Cordelia doesn’t extend onto herself and Regan.
She is the first sister to bring up the issue of the knights and provokes the first confrontation with her father in Act 1 Scene 4 by telling Oswald and her servants to not receive Lear well
How is Regan characterised as sadistic (enjoying others suffering)
In act 2 scene 2 when she urges Cornwall to inflict further punishment upon Kent
In act 2 scene 4 when she leads the onslaught against Lear
How are Goneril and Regan characterised as vicious equals
They both participate in the blinding of Gloucester,Goneril suggests the method of torture “pluck out his…eyes!” And Regan assaults Gloucester,egging her husband on for more cruelty
How does Regan appear more sympathetic and gentler than her sister at the beggining
Both her and Cornwall appear genuinely upset to learn of Edgar’s betrayal
How is Regan more deceptive than her sister
She places a facade of being sympathetic and gentler through her genuine upset nature regarding Edgar’s betrayal and greeting her father with politeness but has no real reverance for her father and King.She more easily assumes the mantle of deference and politeness that is expected of a daughter
What reinforces the point that Regan has no respect for age or rank
Her plucking of Gloucester’s beard
How does Regan contrast her basic inhumanity
She briefly shows humanity when Cornwall is wounded
What traits do Goneril and Regan share
Both threatening and autocratic
Both lust after Edmund in predatory and un feminine way
Both are masculine.Goneril asserts authority over Albany when she claims “the laws are mine not thine”
Regan does man’s work when she runs the servant through
What imagery emphasises the terror the sisters inspire
The animal imagery and the abhorrence of female sexuality exemplified
Why May we momentarily sympathise with Goneril and Regan
We may recognise the validity of their claims in act 1 Scene 1
We may also feel sorry due to them not being Lear’s favourites
How would an audience react to Goneril and Regan’s characterisation
Their vindictive assertiveness would’ve been shocking to a Jacobean audience of the time.
Renaissance models of femininity required women to be quiet and submissive
Regan and Goneril subvert all accepted codes of femininity and set out to destroy both the family and the state.They are agents of chaos and misrule
What are the audience supposed to feel towards Goneril and Regan and why
We are ultimately supposed to fully reject them
They are jealous,treacherous and immoral,representing the most distressing features of inhumanity,murdering and maiming without remorse
What is the best that can be said for the characters of Goneril and Regan
They are energetic in their pursuit of self-gratification.There is a horrible fascination watching them at work
