King Lear Essay Flashcards
what is my overarching thesis for the essay?
King Lear (1606), as a tragedy, is a play of transformations and unexpected reversals, in which characters’ hamartia causes them to suffer through falling from their God-ordained place on the Great Chain of Being.
what is a tragedy (as a drama genre)?
a genre of drama based on human suffering, mainly when someone of high order falls from grace, and undergoes unexpected personal reversals
introduction.
finish the sentence: in dramatic irony, it is seen that the king’s _____________________.
the king’s breakdown of the divine chain of order sets in motion tragedy, encompassing Lear, his family, his country, and the cosmos
as such, what is seen in both the main plot and the parallel sub-plot
we see depravity and madness in not only the main plot, mapping Lear and his daughters’ demise but mirrored in the parallel sub-plot of Gloucester and his sons
what does Shakespeare’s vision of “the bond cracked twixt” father and child, as well as king and god, evoke?
Shakespeare’s vision of “the bond cracked twixt” father and child, as well as king and god, evokes pathos in the cathartic heightening of the ages men’s fall from high status to “nothing” but “unaccommodated man”
what is my focus for my paragraph on King Lear?
the fatal flaw of hubris interferes with royal accountability and responsibilities, and clear judgment
what is the context behind the paragraph on King Lear?
reflects the concerns of Jacobean audiences’ fears about the end of ‘the Golden Age’, and the rule of a new monarchy that could potentially bring despair and suffering to England.
what is my first quote for King Lear’s paragraph?
“Thou art nothing… [you are] Lear’s shadow” (pg. 43, Act 1, Scene 4) - Fool to Lear when responding to Lear’s question of “Who am I?”
“Thou art nothing… [you are] Lear’s shadow” techniques
motif of ‘nothing’, Fool represents Lear’s voice of reason, macro theme of the divine right of kings.
“Thou art nothing… [you are] Lear’s shadow” analysis
Lear has become a shadow of his former self, ‘nothing’, a mere appearance of a king lacking authority and power due to his hubris destroying the Great Chain of Being.
what is my second quote for King Lear’s paragraph?
“to be a comrade with the wolf and owl” (pg. 89, Act 2, Scene 4) - King Lear
“to be a comrade with the wolf and owl” techniques
animalistic imagery & representation
“to be a comrade with the wolf and owl” analysis
descent into ‘nothing’ further represented → says he would rather revert to his animalistic state than live without power, than live without his knights, symbolic of his power and authority → Great Chain of Being, humans toe the line between royalty and animals.
what is my third quote for King Lear’s paragraph?
“O! let me not be mad, not mad” (pg. 53, Act 1, Scene 5) - King Lear
“O! let me not be mad, not mad” techniques
motif of madness, dramatic irony, foreshadowing, catharsis, allusion
“O! let me not be mad, not mad” analysis
calling upon the Gods to save him from madness, foreshadows his future fate – madness – considered to be the worst fate to befall someone.
what is my critical quote for King Lear paragraph?
“the external storm… is itself a projection of his inner state” - D. A. Traversi
“the external storm… is itself a projection of his inner state” analysis
lear’s inner fight against madness is representative of the kingdom’s descent into suffering and madness
what is my focus for my paragraph on Gloucester?
legitimacy is challenged, and suffering begins when fatal flaws are emphasised through the breaking of societal order.→ seen through the introduction of Gloucester and his illegitimate “bastard” son, Edmond
what is the context behind the paragraph on Gloucester?
introduction of Edmond’s illegitimacy and status of a “bastard” mirrors the uncertainty of Jacobean audiences’ regarding the legitimacy of King James’ divine right to the crown of England, especially in light of the 1605 plotting and treason to topple his reign
what is my first quote for Gloucester’s paragraph?
“the whoreson must be acknowledged” (pg. 3, Act 1, Scene 1) - Gloucester
“the whoreson must be acknowledged” analysis
introduction of Edmond, presents his status of bastardy as an illegitimate son, also introduces Gloucester’s fatal mistake of adultery, creating a Machiavellian son, whose greed for power and ‘legitimacy’, produces a spiral of suffering to befall Gloucester
what is my second quote for Gloucester’s paragraph?
“this villain… there’s son against father” (pg. 27, Act 1, Scene 2) - Gloucester
“this villain… there’s son against father” techniques
dramatic irony
“this villain… there’s son against father” analysis
Gloucester’s fatal flaw in trusting Edmond, emphasises his moral blindness and gullibility in mistaking Edgar as the villain, rather than the “prince of darkness”, who is illegitimate Edmond, whose betrayal is the reason for his physical blinding.
what is my third quote for Gloucester’s paragraph?
“because I would not see thy… pluck out his poor eyes” (pg. 129, Act 3, Scene 7) - Gloucester
“because I would not see thy… pluck out his poor eyes” techniques
dramatic irony, foreshadowing
“because I would not see thy… pluck out his poor eyes” analysis
foreshadows the fate of Gloucester, who suffers brutally literal blindness rather than metaphorical, highlighting the parallels between the main plot and sub-plot in their fall from grace
what is my mini quote for Gloucester’s paragraph?
“prince of darkness” (pg. 135, Act 3, Scene 4) - Edgar
what does the mini-quote for Gloucester link into?
links to the notion of legitimacy during the analysis of quote 2 → Edmond is illegitimate but referred to as ‘prince’ due to his greed & cunningness.
what is my focus for my paragraph on Goneril & Regan?
depravity and greed are seen to flourish in the unwinding of the wheel of fortune and the destruction of the Great Chain of Being → seen in the cunningness of the sisters, Goneril and Regan
what is the context behind the paragraph on Goneril & Regan?
contradicts 17th-century traditional gender roles and the notion of femininity due to the animalistic traits and attributes the sisters possess.
what is my first quote for Goneril & Regan’s paragraph?
“Thy sister’s naught… sharp-toothed unkindness, like a vulture.” (pg. 85, Act 2, Scene 4) - Lear to Regan
“Thy sister’s naught… sharp-toothed unkindness, like a vulture.” technique
animalistic imagery and representation
“Thy sister’s naught… sharp-toothed unkindness, like a vulture.”analysis
originating from their rise to power during their success in the love test, the audience sees the sisters’ decline from nobility. Goneril’s ‘betrayal’ of Lear calls for Lear to refer to her as “a vulture”, characteristically benefiting from another’s misfortune, representing Goneril’s depravity, contrasting royal attributes.
what is my second quote (+ mini quote) for Goneril & Regan’s paragraph?
“see thyself, devil” “ tigers, not daughters” (pg. 141, Act 4, Scene 2) - Albany
“see thyself, devil” techniques
biblical allusion, the motif of seeing/blindness/eyes
“tigers, not daughters” techniques
animalistic representation
“see thyself, devil” analysis
biblical allusion to the ‘devil’ referring to her moral deformity and downfall into depravity and wickedness, breaking feminine notions of kindness
“tigers, not daughters” analysis
highlights sisters downfall from nobility, to being one with the fauna, exerting their animalistic instincts and elements.
what is my critical quote for Goneril & Regan’s paragraph?
“human tendency to evil… can reduce humanity to bestial condition.” - Frank Kermode
“human tendency to evil… can reduce humanity to bestial condition.” analysis
reflecting the sister’s descent into depravity and cunningness in the event of gaining great power and wealth. humanity toeing the line between nobility and animals. evil = devil
conclusion. what does King Lear represent regarding Jacobean fears in light of the rule of a new monarch?
In light of the rule of a new monarch, notions of tragedy are explored, emphasising the concerns of Jacobean audiences’ around misfortune from the end of the Golden Age, reflected through the journey of suffering until the “promised end”. Thus, royal accountability and notions of legitimacy and depravity disrupting social order are emphasised throughout Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’ (1606).
