| What role does Lear have in the play? | He’s the protagonist. |
| What is Lear’s basic flaw at the beginning of the play? | He values appearances over reality. |
| What does Lear want? | To be treated as a king and enjoy the title without any of the responsibility. |
| What leads to the death of many? | His willingness to believe his older daughters’ empty flattery. |
| What does Lear not respond well to? | Being challenged or contradicted. |
| What does his ‘love test’ reveal? | That he values a flattering public display of love over real love. |
| What does Lear’s use of the ‘love test’ demonstrate? | That he lacks common sense or the ability to detect his older daughters’ falseness. |
| What does he crave? | Flattery. |
| What can’t he recognise? | Cordelia’s honesty amid the flattery. |
| What do most readers conclude? | That Lear is simply blind to the truth. |
| What was Lear’s first mistake? | Separating power and responsibility. |
| What do Goneril and Regan resent Lear for?Why? | Acting as if he is still in charge.They are ready to run their own lives and their own kingdoms. |
| What can we infer from the depth of anger he shows towards Kent? | Excessive pride — Lear refuses to be wrong. |
| What still shocks Lear? | That his daughters assert their independence from him after ‘I gave you all’. |
| What does Lear’s excessive anger towards Kent also suggest? | The fragility of his emotional state. |
| However, what does Lear presumably know already? | That Cordelia loves him the most because she was his favourite daughter at the start of the play. |
| What does Lear value most at the start of the play? | G/R fawning over Cordelia’s sincere sense of filial duty. |
| Define filial. | Relating to or due from a son or daughter. |
| What is an important question to ask? | Whether Lear develops as a character- whether he learns from his mistakes and becomes a better, more insightful human. |
| How do his values change over the course of the play? | He realizes his weakness and insignificance in comparison to the greater forces of the natural world. |
| What does Lear become by the end of the play? | He becomes a humble and caring individual. |
| What does he do by the end of the play? | He cherishes Cordelia above everything else and to place his love for Cordelia above every other consideration. |
| What is an example of him cherishing his love for Cordelia? | He would rather live in prison with her than rule as a king again. |
| What does Lear inspire?In who? | Loyalty in his subjects.E.G Gloucester, Kent, Cordelia and Edgar (all risk their lives for him). |
| What is arguably the most famous quote associated with Lear? | ‘I am a man more sinned against than sinning.’ Act 3, Scene 2. |
| What causes him to make a serious mistake in judgement? | Hubris. |
| What is hubris? | A Greek term referring to excessive and destructive pride. |
| What did hubris often lead to in ancient Greece? | The death of the tragic, heroic figure. |
| Does hubris have a similar effect in King Lear? | Yes because Lear allows his excessive pride to destroy his family. |
| What shocks Lear? | That people don’t obey him as they have previously.He expects to be obeyed as he attempted to keep the title of king. |
| How does Lear respond to hi problems? | He ignores them looking to the Fool for distraction. |
| What does he refuse to face? | Those responsible for insulting and demeaning him (as a king). |
| How does he deal with problems? | With anger and outbursts of cursing, even a physical attack when provoked. |
| When is he helpless? | When confronted with insults. |
| At the mercy of his daughters and her servants, what does he often succumb to? | Despair and self-pity. |
| What does the once omnipotent king struggle to find? | An effective means of dealing with his loss of power. |
| What does Lear reveal in his madness? | That he’s frightened and apprehensive for his future. |
| What does he refuse to do? | Be controlled by another person’s decisions. |
| Despite the choices he makes being poor or filled with danger, what does he wish to do? | Remain in charge of his destiny. |
| Why does Lear chose to go out into the storm? | Because he wants to retain some element of control as the alternative is to succumb to his daughters’ control reluctantly but without protest. This is inconsiderable for Lear. |
| What is a quality associated with Lear? | Stubbornness. |
| What can he be compared to?Example? | A willful child.When he flees into the storm, as a child flees a reality too harsh to accept. |
| What is he revealed as despite his despair and self-pity? | A complex man whose punishment far exceeds his foolish errors (arguably) and is deserving of the audience’s sympathy. |
| What does he eventually display?(4 things). | – Regret.- Remorse.- Empathy.- Compassion for the poor (not previously not recognised by Lear). |
| What does Lear focus on in his madness? | The parallels he sees to his own life. |
| What is his pity for the poor reflected by? | The pity he feels for his own situation. |
| What does Lear being anointed king mean? | That he is God’s representative meaning that he shares the responsibility for dispensing justice on earth. |
| What does he recognise? | That he bears responsibility for both his own problems and for those of others, who suffer equally. |
| What was a major step in accepting responsibility and realising that he is not infallible? | His understanding of his complicity in the events that followed the ‘love challenge’. |
| Define complicity. | The fact or condition of being involved with others in an activity that is unlawful or morally wrong. |
| What does Lear learn because of his own suffering? | That even he is not above God’s justice. |
| Quote of Lear’s towards Cordelia in the first act? | ‘Nothing will come of nothing, speak again.’ (1.1.89) |
| Famous quote of Lear’s? | ‘Nothing can be made out of nothing.’ (1.3.123) |
| 4 quotes about madness? | – ‘O let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven! Keep me in temper; I would not be mad!’ (1.5.40)- ‘O Fool, I shall go mad!’ (2.4.281)- ‘Let me have surgeons: I am cut to th’brains’ (4.6.191/192)- ‘Pray you now, forget and forgive; I am old and foolish.’ (4.7.84) |
| Quote when Lear realises his mistake? | ‘I gave you all -‘ (2.4. 245) |
| Quote towards Goneril? | ‘I prithee, daughter, do not make me mad.’ (2.4.214) |
| Quote from the storm? | ‘Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! Rage! Blow!’ (3.2.56) |
| Quote when Lear acknowledges his situation? | ‘Here I stand your slave, a poor, infirm, weak and despised old man…’ (3.2. 19) |
| What is the most famous quote arguably? | ‘I am a man more sinned against than sinning.’ (3.2.59) |
| Quote about fortune? | ‘I am even the natural fool of Fortune.’ Act 4, Scene 6. |
| Quote about him? | ‘I am a very foolish fond old man.’ (4.7.60) |
| Quote when he is realising he’s mad? | ‘I fear I am not in my perfect mind.’ (4.7.63) |
| Quote about Lear and Cordelia when they’ve been captured? | ‘He that parts us shall bring a brand from heaven and fire us hence like foxes.'(5.3.22) |
| 2 quotes about Cordelia’s death? | – ‘I might have saved her; now she’s gone forever. – Cordelia, Cordelia, stay a little. Ha?’ (5.3.269)- ‘Pray you undo this button.’ (5.3.307)-‘Why should a dog, a horse, a rat have life and thou no breath at all?’ (5.3.305) |
| Quote showing his naivety? | ‘I can stay with Regan, I and my hundred knights.’ |
| Quote showing his vindictive nature? | ‘I will have such revenges on you both.’ |
| Quote symbolising his affinity with Poor Tom? | ‘Is man no more than this?’ |
| Quote showing his naivety? | ‘I can stay with Regan, I and my hundred knights.’ |
| Quote showing his vindictive nature? | ‘I will have such revenges on you both.’ |
| Quote symbolising his affinity with Poor Tom? | ‘Is man no more than this?’ |
King Lear Character Analysis
July 8, 2019