King Lear

Question 1

Act I, Scene i

Answer 1

Kent, Gloucester, and Edmund talk about legitimate sons, edmund is introduced to Kent by Gloucester
King Lear decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters, Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia, based on their declarations of love for him.
GONREIL says he loves her daddy but REGAn says she loves him more
Cordelia refuses to flatter him extravagantly, leading Lear to disown her and divide her portion between Goneril and Regan.
KENTS like nah this a bad idea and LEAR sends him out
LEAR takes away CORDELIAS dowry and BURGANDY”S like Ion wan her no mo
FRANCE takes her cuz he loves her and cordelia disses her sistas

Question 2

Act 1 Scene 2

Answer 2

EMUND goes on a rant ab being salty cuz he a bastard and shi
GLOUCETER all like oh no kent be banished and cordelia too what is gwaning
EDMUND like daddy I got a letter from edgar and it seem like he wanna off you man and GlouCETER like oh no my boy it ok I give you all the inheritance hehe
GLOUCESTER yaps about how crazy fate be doin him dirty and EDMUND all like fr man fate crazy bruh
EDGAR’ shows up and EDMUND”S like yo daddy mad at you for something me thinks you should be ARMED

Question 3

Act 1 Scene 3

Answer 3

CHARACTERS: GONREIL, OSWALD (HER SERVANT)
GONREIL like yo man my father be driving me up the wall and advises OSWALD to treat him badly

Question 4

Act I, Scene iv

Answer 4

Kent does not leave England and instead disguises himself in order to serve Lear
Character Trait: Loyalty
Appearance vs Reality (Theme): Kent’s disguise
Goneril and her servants are rude to Lear, showing that he has lost his authority
75: Lear says “Who am I?” and Oswald responds “My lady’s father.” rather than “the King.” Lear is offended
Lear meets Kent and instructs him to follow Lear, seeing that Kent would make a good servant
Kent stands up for Lear when Oswald and Goneril’s servants bother him
Fool is introduced and his purpose is to entertain
Treated like a character but more like a symbol
The fool’s harsh truths are not taken seriously and he is able to get away with insulting and calling out the king for his ridiculous decision making
Says the same things to Lear that Kent said but doesn’t get in trouble
Fool tries to give Kent his hat, believing he’s a jester for serving Lear
Fool says lear is basically a beggar because he needs his daughters to live
129: “Nothing can be made out of nothing.”
Ironic because lear has given everything away but still expects to hold on to his power and authority
155: Analogy of an egg
Goneril and Regan are the two empty crowns
Golden yolk is Cordelia
160: Fool makes reference to “thy golden one” (Cordelia) and says he’s stupid for sending her away
169: Fool says Lear’s daughters have become his mother
181: Fool says he’d rather be anything than a fool but not Lear
Fool sings to Lear, treating him like a child
Goneril complains to Lear about his knights and informs him that if he is to remain in her household, he must reduce the number of his knights (cut them in half to 50)
When Goneril cuts the number of knights in half, it symbolizes the reduction of King Lear’s power and influence.
Lear is being sarcastic and says it cannot be his life because his daughters would not treat him so badly
Lear says who can tell him who he is and the fool says Lear’s shadow because he is now a shadow of what he was
Lear is enraged and decides to go to Regan, who he believes will treat him better and restore the respect Goneril has taken from him
267: Lear is recognizing his mistake
Albany enters and hears Goneril instruct Oswald to inform Regan of Lear’s intended arrival
Albany doesn’t approve but he doesn’t interfere, showing that Goneril has control

Question 5

Act I, Scene v

Answer 5

Lear gives Kent a letter to deliver to Regan (in Gloucester), informing her of his arrival, and tells him to only reveal what is in the letter
14: Analogy of a crab apple
Fool predicts that Regan will treat Lear the same way that Goneril did
The fool continues to remind Lear of his mistakes and as Lear realizes what has happened to him, he feels the approach of madness

Question 6

Act II, Scene i

Answer 6

in Gloucester’s castle, edmund convinces Edgar to flee for his safety since the arrival of reagan and Cornwall is imminent. while alone edmund stabs himself and says egar attacted him when hie refused to help in gloucester’s murder. when gloucester hears of this he promises to give edmund an inhertance which should have been edgars. regan and duke of cornwall arrive asking for gloucesters support in a dispute between albany and cornwall over rights to the kingdom. regan claims to have left her palace to avoid lear. Regan suggests that Edgar’s actions can be blamed on the influence of Lear’s riotous knights. edmund supports her suggestion and then wins Cornwall’s favor when Gloucester describes his apparent loyalty. Regan tells Gloucester that she needs his advice to deal with the conflict that has occured between Goneril and King Lear

Question 7

Act 2 Scene 2

Answer 7

Oswald and kent meet again (messengers are sending messages)
Kent is a nobleman not an actual messenger so hes speaking to them the way he normally would rather than the way a messenger would
Cornwall asks kent why he doesnt like oswald
Kent says he doesnt like how oswald looks and then insults everyone else
Kent is being punished
Cornwall calls for the stocks and for kent to be put in the stocks
The stocks are a very lowly punishment
Kent says no hes the kings messenger so he cant be put in the stocks
Gloucester is still loyal to the king so he defends kent too so he says to leave him and let lear deal with him when he gets there
Albany is not guiltless but doesnt do anything, cornwall takes action against lears men
Kent is put in the stocks
Gloucester says cornwall gets whatever he wants no matter what and that he’ll try to get kent out of it
Kent has a letter from cordelia (they are in contact)
Cordelia is trying to find a way as the new queen of France to improve the situation
169: fortune is the personification of fate and she spins a wheel and what it lands on is your life, he speaks to fortune and asks fortune to turn his wheel for goodness

Question 8

Act II, Scene iii

Answer 8

Edgar disguises himself as Poor Tom and acts like one of the Tom O’Bedlams (patients turned out of the St. Mary of Bethlehem mental hospital to beg for food)
Soliliquy is edgar being rid of himself and becoming Poor Tom
The two characters that have to disguise themselves are innocent and speak the truth
Characters that lie are rewarded
21: “Edgar I nothing am” edgar no longer exists

Question 9

Act II, Scene iv

Answer 9

Lear sees Kent in the stocks and cannot believe that he is there
Kent explains what happened for him to end up there
Lear goes and tries to speak to regan and goneril
Regan also refuses to speak to lear
Lear returns with Gloucester
96: “duke of cornwall” lear is trying to hold onto his power by saying duke of cornwall to show that as the king he is higher or above the duke
Kent gets out of the stocks
Lear speaks to regan kindly and tells her about how goneril acted, expecting regan to side with him but she thinks goneril is right blames lears pov on his age and tells him to apologize to goneril
145: Regan says lear isnt thinking clearly because he is old
168: regan asks lear if he will curse her too if she treats him badly and lear says no, shes too kind for that
Lear asks goneril if shes ashamed to be in front of him but goneril holds regans hand, showing whos side regan is on
201: regan says he is weak and powerless so he should act that way
Regan says she will take care of lear if he finishes his month with goneril and dismisses 50 knights
Lear says he would rather live outside then go to her house
Lear was still holding on to going back to regan but she also says he cant have more than 50 followers
Regan says he doesnt need his own because she already has servants that can take care of him
Regan cuts the number in half again to 25
249: “i gave you all–” lear realizes he gave them everything and was cut off
256: “those wicked creatures… more wicked” goneril looks better than regan even though shes so bad
264: “o reason not the need” what truly makes us human and lear says that if we only had what we needed we wouldnt be human (lear is being reduced from what he thinks is human)
281: “I will have such revenges… terrors of the earth” lear says he will have revenge on them but doesnt know what to do because he is powerless
Dashes show he stumbles because he is so powerless and realizes that he actually cannot do anything and it shows the great height he has fallen from
Storm comes: pathetic fallacy
Natural world mimicking the social world of the play
Storm represents the chaos in the great chain of being (king, father fallen to bottom)
Chaos going on in lear’s mind (loses sanity as a result of what he is experiencing)
Unnatural disruption because he chose to give it away
286: “i shall go mad” references his madness, he does go mad
Cornwall is with goneril and regan, albany is not there
They say he can stay but none of his followers can
Gloucester says theres no shelter but regan says he shouldve learned his lesson
Shows they are fine with him being out in the storm
They close the doors and leave lear out in the storm

Question 10

Act III, Scene i

Answer 10

In the countryside, Kent meets one of Lear’s gentlement and learns that Lear is wandering in the raging storm with the FOol. Kent tells the gentleman that a dispute is brewing between Albany and Cornwall and that Cordelia and France know about this because of spies. King of France is now sending troops to invade England and to rescue Lear. Kent sends the gentlemen to Dover with a message for Cordelia and gives him a ring with which he can identify himself. Kent and gentlement seperate in search for Lear.

Question 11

Act 3 Scene 2

Answer 11

Lear stands raging at the storm. The Fool attempts to make him take shelter but Lear pays no attention. When Kent finds them, he persuades Lear to seek out a hovel close by. Lear afrees fearing for his sanity. Lent decides to return to Gloucester’s castel to persuafe Goneril and Regan that they should allow Lear to return

Question 12

Act III, Scene iii

Answer 12

Gloucester trusts Edmund and reveals to him a letter that gives details of the invading army that has already landed in England. Gloucestor tells Edmund that he is determined to help Lear despite COrnwall’s commnads against it. Edmund decides to inform Cornwall that his father is a traiter. He belives thi sinformation will induce Cornwall to give glucesteros possestions to edmund

Question 13

Act III, Scene iv

Answer 13

As lear falls further into madness, he sees the truth
Lear, kent, and the fool meet poor tom (edgar)
After lear has fallen from height, first time he shows compassion and care to another person
He tells fool to come under shelter first
Fool comes out and says theres a spirit in the cave called poor tom
Lear asks if poor tom had daughters that took everything from him too
He says nothing could reduce him to such lowness but unkind daughters
Edgar has to show how far he has fallen as part of his disguise (acting mad to protect himself)
Lear tears off his clothes to match edgar???
Gloucester enters and comes face to face with his own son
Dramatic irony
Gloucester is trying to save lear from his daughters when he has done the same thing to his own son
Gloucester still sees the king as the king so he asks if he has no better company
Kent tells lear to take gloucesters offer and to go in but lear says he has to speak to this philosopher (edgar) so it shows he has truly lost his mind
High tension and lots of irony
Lear says kent was right when hes in front of him
Gloucester says he had a son who he loved and betrayed him in front of edgar

Question 14

Act III, Scene iv

Answer 14

Cornwall’s house after edmund betrayed gloucester
Cornwall says he will have revenge on gloucester
16: gloucester lost his title and edmund has gained his title (hes getting more than he ever dreamed he would)
23: Cornwall says he will trust edmund fully and he will be a better father than gloucester

Question 15

Act 3 Scene 5

Answer 15

cornwall and edmund, Cornwall commands edmund to find his father so that punishment can be aministered, edmund hopes he will find Gloucester helping Lear, which will cast even greater suspicsion on his father

Question 16

Act III, Scene vi

Answer 16

Lear and edgar are talking to tree stumps
They think theyre trying them
Lear is really going mad
Edgar is starting to feel immense sadness and sympathy for lear
He admired him as he used to be a king and now hes fallen so much hes talking to tree stumps he thinks are his daughters
Fool says and ill go to bed at noon (disappears after this and is not seen again in play, last line)
Only character able to point out error
Comedic relief
Fool is no longer necessary: Lear doesnt need fool anymore to point out errors because he realizes, in 3.7 darkest point of play so disapp
Gloucester convinces them to get lear to dover (france) and
Important soliloquy for edgar alone speaking as himself: after witnessing awful thing with lear he feels sympathy and emerges as a hero because he decides that despite all the horrible things done to him, lears situation is much worse and decides to help him

Question 17

Act III, Scene vii

Answer 17

Cornwall and oswald punish gloucester
Cornwall has found out that france is here so tells goneril to bring letter to albany telling him to prepare for battle
Cornwall thinks edmund is a good son so he sends him away with goneril because hes about to punish them and think he wouldnt want to see it
Cornwall pluck out gloucesters eye and step on it
Literal representation of figurative blindness
Like lear finally sees truth in madness, gloucester finally sees truth in blindness
As regan tries to pluck out other eye, servant says hes served cornwall for a long time but cannot watch them do this
Cornwall is injured and servant dies
Regan plucks out other eye
They reveal edmund betrayed him
Regan and cornwall leave, cornwall is injured
They throw gloucester out of his home and say he can smell his way to dover
Two servants try to help gloucester

Question 18

Act IV, Scene i

Answer 18

36: Kill us for sport: just like young boys stomp on flies, the gods are palyingw ith us as well, belief in fate, simile, suggest that we have no control over our own lives, irony because gloucester says gods are playing with him but he fails to see he caused this suation
Poor tom seeing empathy for father, develops character, has every right to be angry with his father, hes saddened by what he sees and tries to help his father, he says he can no longer keep up this act much longer
Gloucester wants to jump off a cliff, asks edgar to help lead him there, edgar agrees

Question 19

Act IV, Scene ii

Answer 19

Goneril professes love for edmund
Oswald Calls albany a mild husband (not strong)
Goneril gives edmund something then kisses him
Albany insults goneril and defends lear, says she is a bad daughter, does not support what they did to lear, albany says lear was a good man, goneril insults albany’s manhood calling him soft, he says she is shape of woman but devil, she says hes not brave and doesnt care theres an army attacking
Cornwall is dead (injured in fight with servant and died from injuries), this is how albany finds out about gloucesters eyes ripped out
Goneril is concerned regan will try to get with edmund because she no longer has a husband
She sent him back to her with news

Question 20

Act IV, Scene iii

Answer 20

Kent arrives at france camp near dover
France army being led by cordelia, not a political invasion, cordelia saving father, lear knows that cordelia is here but he is refusing to see her
Did the letters pierce the queen and gentleman says tears rolled down her delicate cheek
Christ like figure
Undeveloped, good in the beginning, stays good throughout
Poetic, sweet language used to describe cordelia shows her nature
Who sometime in better moments: in good times where his mind is clearer, he realizes why they are there but lear refuses to see her because he is so full of shame (what he did to cordelia)
Short scenes, picks up pace of play

Question 21

ACt 4 Scene 4

Answer 21

Cordeila sends troops for her father and learns that Britian plans to attack but she is prepared

Question 22

Act 4 Scene 5

Answer 22

regan wants yo trad the letter Gonreil has sent with Oswald to Edmund, looking for evidence tahat theyh are having an affair. Regan tells Oswald she and Edmund are lovers and since she’s alreadya wido , edmund is more likely to marr her.Gloucester with his eyes pulled out might turn public opion agains the lovers and endanger their cmommon cause says REgan. Oswald agrees to join the hunt for gloucster on regans instructions

Question 23

Act IV, Scene vii

Answer 23

in french camp, cordeila thanks kent for his loahylty to lear. SHe inviteds him to remove his disguise but he says he still needs it. Cordelia has finally resxued her father and he is being attended to by a doctor. Lear realizes he was saved by cordialia and begs for her forgiveness. The enemy is approching and a bloody battle is about to ensue. scene closes with news of Cornwall’s death and Edmund leading his troops. Kent observes whether or ot the has reacherd his objectives

Question 24

Act IV, Scene vi

Answer 24

Edgar pretends to lead Gloucester to the edge of a cliff
Gloucester jumps down the short distance and faints, overwhelmed by his actions
34: Edgar justifies his actions (
Edgar (pretending to be someone else at the bottom of the cliff who saw him fall) convinces Gloucester that his survival is a miracle, a sign from the gods that they want him to live
Gloucester decides he must endure his suffering until the gods decided that he should die
says he saw him jump and the fact that he lived was a miracle and must have been that the Gods wanted him to live

Gloucester and Lear meet and they both commiserate about what their children have done
Both have fully fallen and are at their lowest but both are able to see the situation clearly now
Gloucester recognizes Lear by his voice
Lear doesn’t recognize Gloucester but has moments of clarity
Lear says he is not untouchable and that he is only human

Question 25

Act 5 Scene 1

Answer 25

Edmund and Regan are in command of an army to repel the French invading
They are joined by Albany and Goneril, leading another army
Regan is focused on keeping Goneril and Edmund apart
Regan asks Edmund if he had an affair with Goneril and he assures her that he has not
Goneril is jealous of Regan and would rather lose the battle than lose Edmund to Regan
Albany learns that Cordelia and Lear have been reunited and is concerned
His main intention is to get rid of France
He doesn’t care that the reunion helps Lear
Edgar is disguised in the uniform of a knight and secretly gives Albany a the letter he took from Oswald
Edgar offers to prove the truth of the letter in personal combat
He proposes to challenge Edmund to a duel to the death
Edmund reveals that he doesn’t care which sister he ends up with because his only goal is to be the most powerful ruler
He says Regan is easier because her husband is already dead
Edmund wants to kill everyone, including Albany, Lear, and Cordelia, believing they will get in the way of his power

Question 26

Act 5 Scene 2

Answer 26

Cordelia’s army is on the way to fight the English army
Edgar leads Gloucester out of harm’s way
The French have been defeated and Lear and Cordelia have been captured
Gloucester must run for his life

Question 27

Act 5 Scene 3

Answer 27

Lear and Cordelia are captured and brought before Edmund who sends them to prison under a captain who has secret orders to kill them both
Cordelia says that she herself wouldn’t mind being in her situation but she is sad that Lear has been through so much
Lear is happy and says that jail is like heaven because he only cares about being with Cordelia and is oblivious to their dire situation
Albany, Goneril, and Regan enter
Albany takes command, declaring Edmund a traitor
Regan claims power for Edmund, saying that he is Cornwall’s successor
Goneril also defends Edmund but argues that he does not need Regan’s protection
Edmund tells albany that they were sent to prison but not that he had an order for them to be killed
Albany is mad that they were sent to prison
Regan is sick (goneril poisoned her)
Goneril says she should be sick if not she doesnt trust poison
Albany and edmund duel
164: Edmund confesses to everything
Edgar reveals himself
173: Edmund says the wheel of fortune went up and back down (turned a full circle) and he admits that his fate was to be at the bottom
Shakespeare is reaffirming social structure and beliefs back then (they cannot control their own fate)
Albany thanks Edgar for his service
Edgar talks about his journey and what happened throughout
Gloucester died of happiness and despair
Happiness of being able to see Edgar again
Despair that Edgar now has to fight his brother and it’s his own fault
Kent had a heart attack and isn’t doing so well but Edgar came when he heard the trumpets
Man enters saying Goneril committed suicide and admitted to poisoning her sister
Edmund admits that he ordered Lear and Cordelia’s death
Edmund says the captain has permission to hang Cordelia and make it look like she did it herself
Albany and Edgar send someone to tell them not to kill Lear and Cordelia
Lear enters carrying Cordelia’s dead body
He is distraught and hoping that she’s still alive
He yells at everyone
Lear asks where Kent is
Kent says Caius (suggesting that was the name he used)
Kent reveals himself and that he was with lear the whole time
Albany resigns and transfers power back to Lear
Albany says Edgar and Kent will be rewarded
305: Lear says “my poor fool is hanged” (referring to Cordelia)
Lear dies of heartbreak
Albany, Edgar, and Kent say it’s a miracle he survived so long considering what he went through
Albany says that he, Edgar, and Kent should rule together
Kent says he is too old for it so Edgar and Kent will rule together
Restoration of order: Good always wins out over evil in Shakespearian tragedies