king lear women Flashcards
What does hysterica passio mean?
The mother
What is ‘the mother’ in latin?
Hysterica passio
What is the definition of hysterica passio?
A sense of choking + suffocation starting from the heart - thought to begin in the womb
What does Lear calling upon hysterica passio infer?
He’s suffering from a ‘woman’s disease’ - may refer to an inversion of natural order
What is Goneril compared to by Lear in act 2, scene 4? (1)
Like a vulture pecking out his heart
What animal does Lear compare Goneril to a2,s4? (2)
A serpent that attacked his heart
What does Lear say to Goneril about flesh and disease?
He calls her his flesh and blood, or rather a disease in his flesh
How does Lear dirogitoraly refer to Goneril + Regan?
“unnatural hags”
What does Cordelia mean?
Heart/warmth
What might the meaning of Cordelia’s name suggest?
She represents warmth and kindness
What birds does Lear compare Goneril + Regan to? What does this mean?
“Pelicans not daughters”
Pelicans fed on the flesh of their parents
What does Lear do in a1s1 that shows his view of women?
Cordelia refused to obey him so he offers her to one of her suitors
Which critic referred to women in Lear as “hyenas in lipstick”?
Winterson
What did Goneril + Regan depend on as women? What might this explain?
As women, they regarded on money to survive
This may explain their false words at the start + their treatment/wish to overthrow Lear
What can we deduce about Cordelia’s silence?
She is either conforming to expectations as a woman by staying silent
Or she is defying authority through a lack of speech + standing up
What does Lear say about Cordelia’s disobedience + nature? What does this mean?
“Nature is ashamed almost t’acknowledge herself”
C subverts standards of women to the point where nature is ashamed
What does Goneril do to Gloucester that subverts standards?
She gauges out his eyes
How does Gloucester insult Edmund at the start of the play? How is this misogynistic?
G calls E a “whoreson” for his illegitimate birth
This shows how even an insult to a man had to be at the expense of a woman
How does Winterson refer to women in the play?
Hyenas in lipstick
How is Cordelia presented?
Unflinchingly loyal, pure and unselfish
How are Goneril + Regan presented?
Violent and malicious
How are Goneril + Regan similar to their father?
Arrogance, fierce temper + pride
How is Cordelia similar to Lear?
Courage and stubbornness
What was expected of women in the 1600s?
Expected to be silent, chaste + confined to the household
Their identity submerged in the father or husband
