King Lear AO3 Flashcards
What is a malcontent in Jacobean drama?
A stock character who exerts malign power, is full of spite and envy (explaining their role fully through asides) as part of the plot machinery
What could bastards not do?
Legally own or inherit property, hold public office or marry
What did the Elizabethan Thomas Beacon say about bastardy?
‘God had ordained the state of matrimony for the propagation of the human race, and did not, therefore, bless whoredom’
When was the Jacobean Era?
The beginning of the reign of James I who reigned over a unified England and Scotland
Who had the most control in society during the Jacobean Era?
Men had voting rights and property rights, women were completely subordinate to their husbands. Before marriage a girl was under control of her father, after marriage her husband and if he died then her son.
What hierarchal belief system did Jacobeans believe in?
The Great Chain of Being. This determined the natural order of events. God was at the top of the chain, followed by stars and moons before King.
What did Jacobeans believe would happen if the GCOB was disrupted?
The laws of nature would be disrupted and bizarre events would occur.
What religious conflict was happening during this era?
There was conflict between Catholics and Protestants. Queen Elizabeth was on the throne before James I, she was a catholic.
What was the divine right of kings?
A political doctrine in defence of monarchical absolutism, which asserted that kings derived their authority from God and could not therefore be held accountable for their actions by any earthly authority such as Parliament.
What did King James I say about being a King in 1610?
‘The state of monarchy is the supremist thing upon the earth: for King’s are not only God’s Lieutenants upon this Earth, and sit upon God’s throne, but even by God himself they are called Gods.’
How did contemporary society feel about King James?
They became more and more angered by the extravagance of King James and his court, there was an atmosphere of suspicion and fear.
When was the oldest reference to King Leir and who wrote it?
1140, Geoffrey of Monmouth
How is Lear described in Geoffrey Monmouth’s version?
A pre-Christian warrior King of Southwest England.
What did Jacobeans believe about the physical universe?
That it was finite and spherical and about 100 million miles across, it consisted of a series of concentric glass shells one inside the other with the planets and stars embedded in them.
They all rotated and were powered by the energy from God, through his angels, to Earth which was stationary in the middle.
What did Jacobeans believe about astrology?
Parts of the Zodiac influenced human life through planets, linked with the part of the body.
Explain the four humours
This idea comes from ancient Greek philosophers, Hippocrates, Plato and Aristotle. They believed that health was an equilibrium of the four humours, which were linked with the seasons.
How did the humours effect the brain?
Each of the humours gave off vapours which ascended to the brain, and these impacted a person’s individual characteristics.
Give some characteristics of the sanguine humour
amorous, happy, generous, irresponsible, optimistic
Give some characteristics of the choleric humour
violent, vengeful, short tempered, ambitious
Give some characteristics of the phlegmatic humour
sluggish, pallid, cowardly
Give some characteristics of the melancholic humour
introspective, sentimental, gluttonous
Explain the action of a Shakespearean tragedy
A dual conflict generates the play’s action. There is an external conflict (war) and an internal conflict.
Shakespearean tragedies contain…
The supernatural
Characters who experience abnormal psychological states
What happens at the end of a Shakespearean tragedy?
Good always triumphs. Although the hero has pulled the world around them down, someone always restores order at the end of the tragedy.
What is the tragic hero like in a Shakespearean tragedy?
A person of high rank whose fate influences the destiny of his country, city or family.
Why did religious tensions worsen when King James was on the throne?
Catholics were disappointed in him and puritans grew more and more discontented many even emigrating in search of a new world.
Catholics were…
a minority group
What plan failed in 1605?
The gunpowder plot. A group of catholics tried to attack parliament and dethrone the King due to their immense anger.
Why was there unrest in England?
England was growing wealthier due to the establishment of colonies but the new wealth was unequally distributed leading to poverty
What was trade like in England?
Flourishing, wine and rich cloth was transported in and wool was exported out.
What two types of fool are there?
The natural fool type and the licensed fool type.
Natural = innately mad, moronic,
Licensed= given permission by the court
What was the point of fools?
Served not only to amuse but to criticise their master. Queen Elizabeth rebuked her fool for being insufficiently severe with her.
Describe the Brian Annesely Lawsuit of 1603
The two eldest daughters of an old man in the Elizabethan Court tried to get their father claimed as insane to take over the estate but the youngest daughter protested on her father’s behalf
What was the oath of allegiance of 1606?
King James made all catholics sign the oath of allegiance which claimed that the King had ultimate power over the kingdom.
When was A Declaration of Egregious Popish Impostures written by Samuel Harsnet published?
1603
What was ‘A Declaration of Egregious Popish Impostures’?
A satirical mocking of catholic beliefs in exorcism
How many links does Shakespeare make to ‘A Declaration of Egregious Popish Impostures?’
82
Why might audiences associate Lear with Job in the storm scene?
Job was depicted in Church paintings as an old man being naked apart from a loin cloith
Why would Shakespeare use vibrant language in the storm scene?
In 1606 when the play was first performed the set would have been minimal so the language depicts the scene.
What is the body politic?
One state, one body. Head = king. Body = country.
Who were the bedlam beggars or abraham men?
People who pretened to be mental patients from the Bethlaham Hospital near Bishopgate in London
What did Thomas Dekker say about Abraham Men in his pamphlet the Bellman of London published in 1608?
Such men go ‘halfe naked’, ‘talke frantickly of purpose’, have ‘pinnes stuck in sundrie places’ of their ‘naked flesh’, and go ‘by the name of Poore Tom
What was the name of James I’s fool?
Archie Armstrong
Explain Sir Philip Sydney’s Arcadia
Story of a paphlagonian King who is dethroned and blinded by his illegitimate son
There is a storm and a duel between brothers, bastard son is forgiven.
What were Montaigne’s Essays thought to have influenced?
The presentation of folly and justice in the play. They explored the nature of man.
When were Montaigne’s essays written?
1570-1592
What did Michel de Montaigne say about his essays?
‘Some traits of my character and of my humours’
What did Sir William Allen (former mayor of London) do?
Divide his estate between his 3 daughters in his old age
What would the arrival of Cordelia with a French army remind the audience of?
The Spanish Armada of 1588, would have reminded the audience of the risk of invasion. Link to fears of society and how tragedy exposes this.
When was Lear first performed?
On St Stephen’s Day 1606.
What’s the significance of St Stephen’s Day?
A day of charity and hospitality when pity was taken on those who suffered. Audience would have seen parallels in Lear.
