King Lear

Question 1

Hermartia

Answer 1

• Hubris: he asks his daughters to say who loves him most, and refuses to listen to kent. He also is rejecting the role of king as a god-given title, so elements of blasphemy?
• Foolishness: he divides his kingdom between his daughters,

Question 2

“allow not…

Answer 2

• “allow not nature more than nature needs”: explains how humans would be no different from animals if they did not need more that the fundamental necessities than life to be happy.

Question 3

How tragic flaws effect others

Answer 3

• The purpose of Cordellia and Kent’s death: demonstrates how the actions of the protagonist effect the other characters around him. He has ultimately flawed (as with rejecting his kingdom) by not knowing his daughter and being a poor judge of character. The result of his actions causes her death (although many Victorian productions refused to show her death).
• his fall leads him to realize how he has been wrongly looking after his kingdom.

Question 4

“poor naked

Answer 4

• “poor naked wretches”… “o I have taken too little care of this” – his fall leads him to realize how he has been wrongly looking after his kingdom. By rejecting his fatherly duties to Cordellia, and recognizing that he has done so, Lear comes to realize that he must also be a true father to his people, and pay more attention to the poverty stricken “wretches”.

Question 5

man’s law and natures laws

Answer 5

• Contrast between man’s law and nature’s law: Lear makes terms about receiving his daughters love, and thus disowns and banishes Cordelia. This law of his conflicts greatly with the laws of nature by disowning his own child. He has violated this natural bond. This violation from the children and fathers ultimately leaves the play scattered with dead bodies.
• The natural laws are synonymous with moral authority and divine justice. The characters who beak the natural bonds (Edmund, Gonaril, Regan and Cornwall) lack recognition of divine justice.
• The mans law states that Edmund is not legitimate to receive any of his fathers property or inheritance. Thus Gloucester, although saying he loves both sons equally, is only able to prove it in words and not actions. Therefore, he is almost to blame for Edmunds actions by following mans laws and making Edmund feel rejected.

Question 6

“thou mad’st

Answer 6

• The natural law is also disturbed when the fool states that “thou mad’st thy daughters into mothers” – slight Oedipus complex.