King Lear Notes Test Flashcards
When did Shakespeare die?
April 23, 1616
When was Shakespeare born?
April 16, 1564
What all was Shakespeare in his lifetime?
Author, playwright, poet, and actor
How many sonnets and plays did Shakespeare write?
37 plays, 154 sonnets
What three categories are plays typically divided into?
History, Comedy, Tragedy
How many years did the story of King Lear originate before Shakespeare wrote his version?
400 years
What ethnicity was Lear?
British
British mythology refers to a “Lyr” or “Ler” who was the basis of a King Lear story by ______________ in _____ which Shakespeare used as a source as well as ________________ “Chronicle of England, Scotland, and Ireland”.
Geoffrey of Monmouth, 1137, Raphael Holinshed
Shakespeare also “borrowed” plot and subplot ideas from ____________ “The Faerie Queen” and __________ “A Mirror for Magistrates” among others which he then interwove into the basic King Lear tale to create his own version, ignoring much of the older Monmouth storyline.
Edmund Spencer, John Higgins
Shakespeare also “borrowed” plot and subplot ideas from Edmund Spencer’s “__________” and John Higgins’ “____________” among others which he then interwove into the basic King Lear tale to create his own version, ignoring much of the older Monmouth storyline.
The Faerie Queen, A Mirror for Magistrates
Shakespeare also “borrowed” from a convenient contemporary true story of a gentleman of the court of __________ name ___________ whose daughters tried to have him declared insane in late ________ so they could legally take control of his estate. His youngest daughter, named _______, intervened on his behalf.
Elizabeth I, Sir Brian Annesley, 1603, Cordell
___________ dies while defeating __________
Protagonist, Antagonist
In _________, the protagonist is driven by desire to exact revenge, which leads to his/her demise
revenge tragedy
The __________ is dominated by a fatal flaw in character, which leads to his/her downfall
tragic hero
The tragic hero is held in high standing, making the downfall more _________ for the audience
tragic
Parallel Plot Lines: Gloucester and his sons to…
Lear and his Daughters
The world view that demonstrates the belief that the souls of all who take their lives will be __________- __________–
damned forever, punished for her wickedness
The attraction between some key characters shows the attraction between like-minded individuals —>
It involves seeking in others for that which you possess in yourself
Lear has _______ legitimate daughters
three
Gloucester has ____ sons. Are they legitimate or not?
two, one is, one is not
Evil is not confined either to _______ or __________. It can occur anywhere.
gender, being illegitimate
In King Lear, appearances, rank, and how what others think influences our actions, are examined through relationships found in family and service:
Father and child
Nobleman and servant
Even though we believe that what we look like and what we say are a reflection of who we are, Shakespeare, in King Lear, shows that appearances and words are ________ and ___________of the soul or the mind.
deceiving, not clear indications
Even though _______ and ______ are of noble birth, they hardly show noble souls
Goneril, Regan
Although ______ can hardly be considered to have a fair countenance, he does develop a most fair and loving soul.
Lear
One of man’s most persistent characteristics is the desire to _____________
organize the world about him so that he can understand and explain it
The Elizabethans operated on TWO assumptions:
- All activity takes place in a world with good moral order.
- The universe is a Christian universe. Order has its source in God. There is also evil, and its source is in Satan, who revolted against the order of God, which subsequently brought about man’s fall (from grace).
In King Lear, Shakespeare offers a world where the_______ and _________ are intertwined, ________- and ________- are confused, and _____ - written and spoken - are deceptive.
natural (good), unnatural (evil); appearances, self-perception; words
Much of the play deals with the characters’ failures to understand…
the intentions of the people around them
The evil characters in particular make use of ______ and ______ to achieve their goals.Other characters assume disguises for _________.
deceit, lies; their own deception
______ in the play can be reversed; that which appears to be good may be evil, while that which is evil may actually be good.
Moral values
In Shakespeare’s tragedies characters often learn that _________ are deceiving.
appearances
Blindness and Sight can also be considered…
foolish vs wise
The Blindness and Sight theme can be directly related to the theme of…
Appearances vs Reality
Some characters are describes as ______ to the realities of the world around them due to their ignorance, poor judgement, or lack of insight. Such characters are often referred to as _____for their inability to perceive reality correctly, while those with correct insight are described as _____.
blind, fool, wise
Some characters as described as blind to the realities of the world around them due to their ____, _________, or _______.
ignorance, poor judgement, lack of insight
_________ ensues as the “blind” characters peel away layers of deception to discover the truth.
Great suffering
_________ is literally blinded when he is deceived by false appearances; ironically it is only when blinded that he ___________.
Gloucester, truly learns to see
The Medieval concept of the __________ is at work in Lear. This view of the universe assumes that a strict moral order (having its source in ____) binds all of the _______ together.
Great Chain of Being, God, creation
The strict moral order at work in Lear demands _____, _______, and _______, from all beings to those who are of superior rank in the “Great Chain”.
love, honor, obedience
The strict moral order at work in Lear demands love, honor, and obedience, from all beings to those who are of superior rank in the “____________”.
Great Chain
Woman must be obedient to _____. Children must ______ their parents. ______ must be loyal to the king.
men, honor, subjects
______ seeks to destroy the order of the society by breaking the bonds of ______ and ______; the result is ______.
Evil, loyalty, love, chaos
Evil is considered to be ________ because it opposes the __________.
unnatural, natural order of the universe
In King Lear, notice how chaos is demonstrated through _________, _________, and the ___________.
tainted family relationships, political instability, mental deterioration of characters
One of Lear’s greatest lessons results when he ______________________.
loses the title of “king” and discovers who he is as a human being.
The play teaches us that we must all (especially those in power) have _______________.
compassion for those who live in misery.
In fact, it is compassion and respect for other human beings that can be a/an ____________ in the world
active force for order and goodness
Evil does what?
Dehumanizes
The evil characters in the play are not _______ and this leads to their ______________ and ___________.
humane, moral degeneration, general chaos
The evil are often portrayed as _________ or _________ as they seek personal advancement and live by the law of the jungle (survival of the fittest)
bestial, animal-like
Shakespeare reminds us that our ____________ is what distinguishes humans from beasts.
capacity to act morally
What may clothing and nakedness represent
loss of status or identity
Clothing in disarray or nakedness can symbolize…
insanity
_______ can represent the discovery of one’s humanity, liberated from the trappings of civilization.
nakedness
Bird and animal imagery: a recurring use of birds and animals to symbolize _____________.
human conditions and behaviors
Often the animals to which humans are compared are ____ and _____ to denote the bestiality within human beings who give way to evil impulses.
dark, violent
What are letters a recurring plot device for?
To help characters carry out evil deeds. Ironically, it is also because of these letters that the evil characters get caught
Symbols - The Heath, The _____, The Castle, The ______, The ______.
Hovel, Coronet, Storm
How are King Lear and Gloucester foils?
Old friends
both betrayed by children
neither has the wisdom to see through duplicitous love
Lear’s insanity leads to clear perception, Gloucester’s loss of his eyes leads him to clear vision
both reunite with faithful children just before dying
How are Goneril and Regan foils?
Equal in evil
neither sister has love for good beings
both sisters are attracted to Egdmund
neither possesses compassion for love
exclusive thoughts of themselves
actively feed on the wickedness of others
How are Edmund and Edgar foils?
Brothers; Edgar is legitimate, Edmund is not
Clear opposition of good and evil with good prevailing in the end
As Edmund tries to push his father away, Edgar tries to protect his father from a distance
How are Kent and The Fool foils?
Both try to speak the truth to King Lear; he is deaf to both of them
Kent is part of the action until Lear’s death; the Fool exits the play as soon as his usefulness is exhausted
Although they belong to different classes, they both show equal honor and loyalty
Most of Shakespeare’s plays are written in ______
verse
A character who speaks in verse is a _______ or a ___________.
noble, member of the Upper Class
Most of Shakespeare’s plays focus on what type of characters?
The noble or members of the Upper Class
The verse form used is __________.
BLANK VERSE
There is no rhyme in verse, but each line has an internal rhyme with a _______________.
regular rhythmic pattern
The pattern Shakespeare liked most was _________.
iambic pentameter
What is iambic pentameter?
10 syllable lines with accent on every other syllable
Shakespeare sometimes found it necessary to do what so that the iambic pentameter would work?
remove a vowel
