| Edgar- poor justicer | -Arnold Kettle “Lear is a world in which the new people are unprincipled”- whole new generation, including Edgar, do not act with principle of justice- Edgar does not demand justice for himself: Edmund explaining Edgar accusation, dialogue structured like prosecutor questioning defendant”Have you nothing said, upon his party, ‘gainst the duke of Albany?””I am sure on’t, not a word”- certainty he is innocent, audience will him to tell Gloucester but he doesn’t: frustration”some villain hath done me wrong”- “some villain” vague suggests lack of motivation to find identity- dramatic irony that villain who he is exclaiming to- ” Seem to defend yourself!”- echoes our of frustrations- imperative- CONTEXT: cowardice- King first to ride into battle-King main judge |
| Edgar- good justicer- disinterest | – initial failure to seek justice for self is redeemed by later execution of justice in Act 5- C.J Sisson “The abuse of justice of the King whose power within justice lies”- contrast between Edgar’s fair justice and Lear’s “love trial” emphasise how dangerous Lear’s original abuse of justice was-2nd person- “let thy arm do thee justice” and usually covered by armour to hide identity and symbolise disinterest of justice (April 2016 Oxford Playhouse makes identifiable)- contrast to Lear- “Which of you shall we say doth love us most”- 1st person pronouns “we” “us”- personal involvement |
| Edgar- naivety | – Edgar’s naivety about evil in human nature- unprepared for challenges of human nature and subjects- Gunpowder Plot against James I 1605 and Lear written 1606- Kate Mckluskie “family ties are fixed and determined”- not true, Shakespeare criticises inevitability of “family ties” through Edgar’s undeserved trust for Edmund as brother- repetition of “brother”- “Armed brother!” “Brother, I advise you the best” – ridicules use of word automatically gaining Edgar’s trust- mirrors Lear’s belief in unconditional love of his daughter “Yet thou art my blood, my flesh, my daughter”- inspired by true stories- Brian Annesley eldest daughter and husband tried to classify senile lunatic so could have property |
| Edgar- not naive- worldly wise | – “poor Tom”- loses naivety and detachment from world and becomes in touch with ordinary people may rule in future- Alexander Legget- “poor Tom is a more vivid and recognizable character than Edgar”- poor member of society more “recognisable” and easy to relate to for “groundlings”- declaration of “Edgar I nothing am” and decision to “take the poorest and more basest shape” people saw him more in touch with subjects- 21st century audience- politicians seen as detached from working classes, with Etonian education, heavily criticised- contrast with audacious comment “Our basest beggars are in the poorest thing superfluous”- “beggars” makes line hyper metric- jarring and detached which Lear recognises too late “I have ta’en too little care of this” – Prince Hal emulates perfect King in Henry VI- spends time with ordinary people in pub with Falstaff |
| Edgar- social class and justice | AC Bradley “Edgar’s christian values are commented on”- in execution of justice- treats all social classes equally- “christian values”- Experience as ordinary all people of social classes fundamentally same-“Maugre…thy…place and eminence”- emphatic position “place and eminence” end of line- importance of social class not tainting judgment- improved Lear’s corrupt judicial system “Plate sin with gold and the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks”- contrast to Albany- “methought thy very gait did prophesy a royal nobleness” – major theme- first performance 26th December |
| Edgar- flaws at end of play | – William R Elton “the last act of the play shatters the foundations of faith itself” – we are not left with complete optimism about Edgar as King- frustration as unable to learn to take action more quickly- too late to tell Gloucester identity “His flawed heart…Alack too weak the conflict to support..burst smilingly” – “too weak” suggests if told when stronger, might have survived- failed to learn from father’s death to act with haste- hyper-metric speech- long drawn out- frustration as Cordelia and Lear is process of being hanged- “foolish honesty” of being encouraged by Edmund “But speak you on; you look as though you had more to say”- Goldberg’s description of Edgar as “most lethal character in play” inaccurate- shares vulnerability to manipulation of other’s like Lear- timing and easily manipulated= poor kingship |
| Edgar- redeeming feature as good character | – Orwell “Edgar is a superfluous character” undeserved- only good character demonstrates morality as well as cunning and manipulation- Edgar’s decision to disguise himself- lose identity and help Lear and father unchallenged- Edgar’s manipulation of language to disguise identity parallels to Goneril and Regan’s to disguise motives “poor Tom shall lead thee” not enough syllables to fit iambic pentameter compared to hypermetric “Sir I love you more than word can wield the matter”- cunning matches those of evil characters- would able to challenge evil and corruption in way other moral characters could not |
| conclusion about how Edgar would be as king | – flaws poor timing and naivety prevent from being absolute description “every inch a king”- but possession of traits that other moral characters lack- cunning and manipulation of others- best option as King for Albion and improvement from Lear |
| Lear sinning against family- love trial | – Hal Holbrook- “He has clung steadfastly to the conviction that he is a loving father despite all evidence on the contrary”- suggests love trial at beginning warrants malicious methods daughters later use to abuse him- more sinning than sinned against- compromises love for family for own vanity- “Which of you shall we say doth love us most?”- plural contrasts to singular of “which of you”- divided daughters united as one into selfish individualists- BK Stuart “Lear would rather have flattery than the truth”- purposefully overlooks insincerity of own ego- “shall we say” – implies “say” he acknowledges they will give him words of flattery- Lear- “I loved her most” monosyllabic contrasts to flowery lang of G + R’s flattery- love trials purpose was to receive words of flattery rather than reach decision about kingdom division- King James flattery |
| Lear more sinned against than sinning- Goneril and Regan sin more than Lear | Martha Burns “Goneril and Regan are formidable” false- unpleasant portrayal from start- don’t respect only resent calculated cruelty to father- sins outweigh father’s folly- “In my true heartI find she names my very deed of loveOnly she comes too short”- hypermetric- jarring and insincere- “true” reassurance of sincerity suggests overcompensating for malicious hidden motives- love test encourages division, but can be seen that G + R already not united- “Only”- breaks iambic pentameter- unnatural willingness of Regan to compete with sister |
| Lear more sinned against than sinning- Goneril and Regan- thematic reason for sinning more than Lear | – enabled to explore evil in human nature through portrayal of sisters’ malice to have no clear reason- LK Bennett – “play is a microcosm of the human race”- Lear’s abuse of daughters undeserved so “macrocosm” of inherent evil in human nature can be explored- Almeida 2012 makes us reason of sexual abuse but this leaves only microcosm of sexual abuse of one man and his family- However, Shakespeare shows wants to leave cause of G + R’s evil ambiguous- Act 3 “Is there any cause in nature that makes these hard hearts?”- intends for audience to ask question to themselves- monosyllabic words and caesura in line alert attention- comparison with daughters and lear to Edmund and Gloucester- Edmund given long soliloquies- use of humour and crafty rhetoric- “Why bastard? Wherefore base”- dark charism- sins justified for him rejected as bastard- Contrast, Helen Norris’ sisters “unnatural”- audience empathise little- no relationship, two dimensional evil characters- animal imagery Lear as “dragon”- Regan as “serpent”- Lear’s sins come from volatility and passion, contrasts to calculated evil of serpents- Adam and Eve story – women inherently evil- “personifications of ingratitude” regardless of Lear- his behaviour gives chance to execute evil |
| Lear is a man more sinned against than sinning- treatment of Cordelia warrants G+ R’s sins- both sides | – “Better thou Hadst not been born that not to have pleased me better”- calls “thou” and finishes Cordelia’s iambic pentameter- close relationship so disowning shocking and jarring- harsh “b” sound contrasts to soft “L” sound- “Lost me in your liking”- gentle and caring tone makes meanness more undeserved- Arnold Kettle “at the beginning it is Cordelia who is the most heroic one”- Cordelia’s overly honest and cold response irresponsible- Harley Granville Parker- “Cordelia has more than a touch of her father in her”- she herself like Lear reflects cold attitude towards family- “bond”- financial bond and physical bond with ball and chain |
| Lear man more sinned against than sinning- Lear sinning against kingdom by dividing kingdom | – N Brooke- “Lear’s willful folly in Act 1 Scene one is the fault which brings the heavens literally crashing about him”- abuse of powerful position in dividing kingdom justifies subjects’ removal of power- powerful and able at start of play- entrance followed by “senet” and “servant bearing a coronet”- full responsibility- Ian Mckellan already presents old and doddery- incorrect- tragic hero needs to be responsible and later regret decision-also context of Scotland and England- selfish- wants to get rid of responsibility for own peaceful retirement-To shake all cares and business from our age”- “shake”- forceful physical action- struggles to shrug off responsibility that only should belong to him- “divine right of kings” |
| Lear is a man more sinned against than sinning- abuse of justice | C J Sisson “the main idea upon which the play rests in the abuse of justice by the king whose power within justice lies”- jacobean royal court court of justice as well as ceremonial- “trial of love”- symbolises abuse of justice- contradicts audience’s expectations to be disinterested when making decisions about country- emotive lang juxtaposed with evil “dear Regan”- “sentence”, “this shall not be revoked” |
| Lear is a man more sinned against than sinning- development to be more just | Andrew Hadfield- “The play does not represent a king who is ineffective or unimpressive, but one who has not taken enough care of his kingdom”-Lear’s development throughout play shows redeeming features- potential to be “effective and impressive ruler” – Lear realises about helping poor- 26th December complex- “Take physic pomp, Expose thyself to feel what wretches feel, that thou mayst shake the superflux to them, And show the heavens more just”- “shake” now used in correct context- “plate sin with Gold and the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks” |
| Lear is a man more sinned against than sinning- rebels againt him presented evilly | – sin of disobedience towards king unjustified- Cornwall assume leader position ” I will have my vengeance ere I depart his house”- “revenge” outrageous- right given to God or King- Cornwall’s audacity to declare King- going against Divine Right of Kings and Will of god- some argues “Resistance theory” adapted by french nobles can be applied- Shakespeare reassures us that unjustfied- “poetic justice” of servants killing him- poor loyalty as Lear’s subject reflected in mutiny of servants |
| Is there any cause – YES children and parents- Edmund | – children’s treatment of parents who meant to love unconditionally is reflection of parents’ own cause- Shakespeare gives cause as poor parenting for hard heartedness in family- RA Peck- if Shakespeare does not expect us to approve of Edmund he certainly takes no pains to prevent us from doing so”- understand and empathise with abuse of Gloucester- pathos evoked for Edgar at start of play – due to Gloucester’s “moral laxity” (Kettle) towards him- unloved Edmund= embarassment to father – “I have so often blushed to acknowledge him that I am brazed to it”- “brazed to it”- reluctance- only acknowledges son out of obligation – sexualisation of Edmund’s mother in front of him- “there was good sport at his making”- written in prose as crude- contrasts to romantic way father may be expected to talk to son- contrast to Lear and Cordelia- close “thou” to “your lordship” – servant and master, not loving bond |
| Is there any cause- NO children and parents- Edmund | – Robert West- “Edmund still has a share in being”- wrong- Edmund’s later treatment of Gloucester so cruel-Gloucester’s original shame of Edmund does not warrant later sadism- Moseley- Gloucester’s eye- gauging as “gratuitous cruelty” false- turning point where see Edmund’s evil as same inherent evil and G and R- Edmund’s indifference at Cornwall’s warning “The revenges we are bound to take upon your traitorous father are not fit for your beholding”- shocking to jacobeans- children expected to be obedient to parents for young age |
| Is there any cause- YES parents and chidren- Goneril and Regan | – Hal Holbrook “Lear has clung steadfastly to the conviction that he is a loving father, despite all evidence on the contrary”- fact favourite is Cordelia- “I loved her most”- monosyllabic contrast to flowery lang of G + R to suggest Lear’s deep rooted favouritism for her- may evoke sympathy- rejected by Lear- esp Jacobeans cos of King James I and favouritism |
| Is there any cause- NO- parents and children- Goneril and Regan | – Almeida performance story of sexual abuse as cause unjustified- S overall presents them as inherently evil without cause- like Edmund’s father, undeserved cruelty shown by letting elderly vulnerable father out into the storm- no relationship with them- jarring hypermetric speeches of flattery from beginning- “health, grace, beauty honour”- willingness to compete- no family duty not just to father- Regan openly “only she comes too short”- “only”- falls outside iambic pentameter- unfounded cruelty allows Shakespeare to thematically explore human race- LC Knight “macrocosm” of inherent evil- rather than microcosmic family feuds- also microcosm of family division symbolised start of civil war- which many feared- expression of human hard- heartedness in macrocosm |
| Cause is nature- YES – society | -Edmund’s rejection by society evokes audience’s sympathy- contrast- Iago in Othello- little explanation of childhood and background- suggests Shakespeare using King Lear play in particular to explore societal causes of hard-heartedness- treason (sin against society) cause by Edmund’s desillusion with society that rejected him because he’s illegitimate- Susan Bruce “Edmund appeals to a meritocratic ideal”- 21st century sympathise- majoriity atheist and lots born out of wedlock and culture appreciates ambition of those of lower social status- disregard ambition of e.g. politicians with etonian education- modern audience- Edmund’s cause society of albion- Edmund’s very existence as a bastard indicts the society that rejects him- Race Capet- not Kettle’s “tumultuous society from start”- because recognise to be jacobean england- particularly Great Chain of Being and system of worth- 1st person us “why they brand us?”- wider social group belongs to – bastards in Jacobean England criticised- connected with unruliness and criminality- criticise social order in Jacobean England |
| is there any cause in nature- NO- society | – Duke of Gloucester- don’t see cruelty necess for own survival as more- so see without a cause- Goneril and Regan don’t have cause to “stand up for bastards”-priveleged position as Duchesses- Devil imagery- Kate Mclusklie “female primal sin” emphasised- Goneril and Regan evil no real tangible cause- Goneril names “serpent” by Lear- links to Genesis story- v christian society James I protestantism- audience connected-“down from the waste centaurs”- hoofs like devil and rapists in greek mythology- contrasts with heavenly imagery of Cordelia to emphasise “a soul in bliss”- suggests some “higher power” creates hard-heartedness- largely unanswered |
| is there any cause in nature- YES- power | -Jonothan Dollimore “the play is about power..”- Cornwall presents correlation between power and human evil- When introduced to Cornwall, some justice- “Why art thou angry?”- evidence before judgement- contrasts to Gloucester’s trial- “without the form of justice, yet our power shall do some courtesy our wrath”- corruption with power allows to explore theme of justice more generally “plate sin with gold and the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks”- context of Royal court also functioning as court of justice |
| is there any cause in nature- NO- power | – power does not cause it, merely facilitates hard-hearted actions- does not cause “wrath” – “does a courtesy” or allows it to be expressed- Cordelia inherently good not like this – Coppelia Kahn- “cordelia’s return is a restoration of the patriarchy”- does not lose power to males- return as Queen of France v powerful- Queen over her passion- power of “queen” and compassionate, humane connotations of “passion” |
| is there any cause in nature- conclusion | Arnold Kettle “deep and complex story”- Goneril and Regan particularly’s cause for hard-heartedness remains ambiguous- no real answer to advocate main message “ripeness is all”- evil in human nature will inevitably exist and have to be prepared to deal with |
| Edmund- highly sensitive- family | – sensitive to unloving treatment of Gloucester “moral laxity” (Kettle)- “brazed to it” and “there was good sport at his making”- (hard hearts essay)- “Edmund’s plot against his brother destroys the unity of the fable (Warton) untrue- Edmund only gets romantic father son tone after he has brutally outcompeted brother- “loyal and natural boy”- from formal- master-servant relationship “your lordship”- Becomes, through evil, more of close relationship between Lear and Cordelia- “Yet Edmund was beloved”- one of last lines in play- sensitivity for not recieving love and craving for love was reason for brutality- esp to modern audience educated on “attachment disorder” and “emotional neglect”- Jamie Bulger case e.g.- see highly sensitive victim of father’s neglect |
| Edmund- brutal- family ties | – completely detached from family and uses family for own gain and “brutality”- J Dollimore “power,property and inheritence” reflected by Edmund- “Edgar I must have your land”- hubristic “must”- sinister as so certain- ruthlessness- ^ hints at later brutality to father- “The revenges we are bound to take upon your traitorous father are not fit for your beholding”- Wilson Knight “Edmund is selfish, soulless and in that respect bestial- Michael Mangan “Edmund decides to do one good deed before he dies”- untrue- as a tragedy- hopes that he might be good are dropped- has brutality towards not only his own family but close family relationships of others”But speak you on”- monosyllabic contrast to Edgar’s hypermetric speech- suggests Edmund knows and purposefully is wasting time- Would have been particularly brutal to Jacobeans- “True Chronicle Historie Version” of King Leir- Rose theatre 1594- expecting Cordelia to live |
| Edmund- sensitive- society | – “We are offered an insight into Edmund that renders him more complex than he otherwise might be”- Susan Bruce- Edmund’s background into bastard “renders him more complex” than other 2d evil characters- like Iago in Othello- made “sensitive” by solliloquy- “Why they brand us with base? with baseness? bastardy? base, base?- “us”- social group in society- modern audience particularly sympathise- secular society where many born outside wedlock and gay marriage legalised 2014- repitition of “legitimate” over 6 times echoes how meaningless we feel the word is- Susan Bruce’s “edmund appeals to a meritocratic ideal”- true e.g. “I must have your land” ambition by use- like lower class ambition-dark charisma makes Jacobeans question treatment of bastards |
| Edmund- brutal- society | – Welsford’s claim “he almost gains our sympathy for his unabashed cruelty” false- uses Edmund’s “brutality” to suggest the danger of ostracising social groups from society- makes become narcisstic like Edmund- vanity and preoccupation with power after has become Duke- “my state stands on me to defend not to debate”- hubris and suggests relishes idea of becoming new king and adopting role for self already- seen as Treason to protestant Jacobeans who believe in Divine Right of Kings- exacerbated by fact bastard- Even though part of oppressed social group, doesnt show “sensitivity” or understanding that all social classes treated equally- “In wisdom I should ask thy nameBut since thy outside looks so fair and warlike”- “warlike”- iambic pentameter broken-“plate sin with gold and the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks”- ignorant- contrasts to Edgar- “maugre thy…place and eminence- 26th december- time for charity of poor- makes snobbery seem worse- “the wheel is come full circle”- confirms brutality and that has to die- Sam Mendes “there is poetic justice enough, evil is destroyed |
| Edmund- conc | one of last lines “I wish to do some good, despite of mine own nature”- pun to suggest sarcasm with “natural” children of bastardy- resentment for his treatment made evil- Shakespeare does not make sensitive but makes brutal so can see the danger of ostracizing certain social group from society |
| Kent- weak or strong- overall argument | Kent is weak- although unconditional loyalty and love for Lear shows strength of character- love overrides strength of integrity -defending good of Albion and strength of strategy and intelligence |
| Kent- strong- state | – jeopardizes position as duke and relationship with King to stand up for principle of justice within Albion – C J Sisson “the play is about the abuse of justice by the King whose power within justice lies”- “when majesty stoops to folly. Reverse thy doom”- juxtaposition of “majesty” and “folly”- king usually associated with wisdom- caesura after “folly” makes boldness shocking- C21st see as brave to stand up to higher classes, Jacobeans who believed in Divine right of Kings- treason to state- BUT “reverse thy doom”- legal language – role of King as judge – Jacobean court of justice so Jacobeans disapproved of mixng public and private- meant to be disinterested- Kent only disrespectful when gets ignore several times “Good my liege- Peace Kent!”- strength to be assertive when principles of dividing Kingdom and not ruling with personal interest- justice on Shakespeare’s mind with “measure for measure” |
| Kent- weak- state | – Samuel Colleridge “Kent is the most individualised” incorrect- Kent is later so caught up with love for Lear does not make individual choice about what is best for Albion- Goes back to Lear even though he has “not taken enough care of his Kingdom”- Andrew Hadfield-“Now Kent,If thou canst serve,where thou dost stand condemnedSo may it come”- “so may it come” passive- not an individual decision but an inevitability of serving Lear- whether or not a good ruler- like Albany “well,well, the event”- also respects old order for “Authority”- represents the old order and “authority” of him being born King- naive weakness as “new individualists” Kettle- rule regardless- irony makes seem ridiculous in same scene Oswald just said “so please you”- authority is unrealistic and not thinking of better solution for Albion- Preoccupied with King so takes no responsibility for Albion- when Albany asks to rule says “My master calls me; I must not say no”#- Also hyperbolic misery at end of the play – “rack of this tough world”- image of stretching device torture- “all’s cheerless dark and deadly”- backs up Kettle’s “Kent has an ultimate inability to cope with situation”- does not really echo Edgar’s “men must endure their going forth, as their coming hither”- too preoccupied with love and grieving for Lear does not take action that is best for state |
| Kent- strong- appearance vs reality | -overcomes deception of appearance and has insight into reality- Intuition at love trial, recognizes flattery of regan and Goneril is sincere- image of eyesight “See better Lear” introduced by Kent and “when power to flattery bows”- heightened by the fact that Kent echoes what we are thinking, as G + R so obviously false- hypermetric speech more than iambic pent sounds v unnatural ” no less than health, grace, beauty, honour” and “in my true heart”- “true” overcompensating-Oswald- “a tailor made thee”- suggesting pretence to be higher class than is not fooled- also fits clothing imagery and social class tainting justice system “furred gowns hide all”- 26th december- recognising needs of poor |
| Kent- weak- appearance and reality | – protectiveness of Lear creates snobbery of poor Tom and stops Lear interacting with him because he is a beggar- “Good my lord, take his offer and go into the house” “Importune him once more to go my lord”- imperitive suggests a sense of urgency and “my lord” same term repeatedly- trying to remind of title and shouldn’t be interacting with lowlives like poor Tom- snobbery to mad beggar may not have been so common in Jacobean society as thought- mentally ill only insititutionised in victorian period- freely walked around so saw as natural part of humans |
| Kent- strong- persistent loyalty to king | – Simon Mendes “once the money stops and people lose their social rank, people abandon him”- not true, Kent never abandons-“Alack, bear-headed”- an aside, interact with audience and share sympathy and admire Kent’s care for King- “My master calls me; I must not say no”- could admire loyalty to King at the end- romanticised by iambic pentameter- poetry- Contrasts to “the new people, the individualists” Kettle- Goneril’s ending self- preserving “ask me not what I know”- and Edmund “yet Edmund was beloved”- See Kent’s selflessness for King is a word so selfish as hopeful |
| Kent- weak- persistent love for Lear does more harm than good | -Does not learn from mistakes of speaking too “plainly”- which causes banishment then does it again- Hazlitt’s recognition “It is Lears blindness to anything but the dictates of his passion”- servant shares this issue- comedy of scene with Oswald ridicules Kent’s defence of Lear with no real foundation “I’ll drive ye cackling home to camelot”- assonance makes seem childish and “camelot”- offers British legendary of old order seems pretentious-“Titanic tragedy of human life”- Kent’s actions to defend Lear actually work to his detriment- fool’s kurt comment “not in the stocks” and visual foolishness when hands him coxcomb- passionate loyalty causes issues- “who put my man in the stocks?”- eventually drives out into storm |
| Kent- conc | – shows tendencies to be stong with integrity to state and loyalty to Lear- but Arnold Kettle “realistic writer” as Shakespeare is- unquestioned loyalty with no tact leads to overall weakness- does not advocate selfishness of evil characters but criticises selflessness to the point of altruism and must be smart in a way to help others |
| Lear’s death- what is Shakespeare’s purpose 1 | Edgar’s message “Ripeness is all”- we must be prepared for any hardship and Nunn recognises that “Shakespeare concludes that life is not life a morality play”- trying to make us understand that life is about resilience to its unfairness- King Lier sequel- 1605 and shown in theatre 1594- audience would have expected Lear and Cordelia to liveNIHILISM |
| Lear’s death- with purpose 1- does matter how Lear dies | – Dr Foster “Cordelia’s death opposes traditional ideas of justice”- Protestant Jacobean thought God did justice- Nahum Tate changed traditional ending- Lear’s death in sorrow gives evidence for no heavenly justice and nihilism- conclusion suspected from start-in darkest scenes, characters call for help of the Gods in vain- Lear’s misery natural resolution – “By the kind Gods” and “I shall see the winged vengeance overtake such children”- “See shalt thou never”- pun makes humorous(Knight) – “see” drawn by enjambement and emphatic position at end of line- Gloucesters lines in prose to sound disorderly and unromantic to see how disorderly Gods are- “As flies to wanton boys are we to the Gods, they kill us for their sport”- Irony of Albany’s speech at end with “All friends shall taste the wages of their virtue”- and “And my poor fool is hanged”- undermines the iambic pentameter with monosyllabic phrase at end-“Look there, look there!” suggests a hopeful death- but there is meant to be no higher power for Lear “Oooo” incomplete and satisfactory fading away matching up to Kent’s “Is this the promised end?” |
| Lear’s death-with purpose 1- it doesn’t matter how he dies | -Wilson Knight’s “no mitigation at the end of Lear’s death” still true for Folio version- no divine God brings Cordelia back to life- only mad Lear imagines it- gloomy dramatic irony that we know she is dead- symbolises audience left with idea that Gods are invented by humans when they are in times of need for some hope- Fits in with Edmund- “Foppery of the world, that when we fall sick in fortune, often surfeit of our own behaviour” we make guilty of our disasters the sun, the stars and the moon”- “solitary shocking atheist intelligence “sun stars moon” older pagan Gods that may have been ridiculed- stops play being outwardly blasphemous but also we compare own Christian god to see religion as human superstition- “Fairies and Gods” of Glocuester- Also fits in with fact that Edgar has to stage Gloucester’s suicide to look as if been saved- nothing really there |
| Lear’s death- Shakespeare’s purpose 2- | -advocate messages of morality that follow christianity- Sam Mendes “there is poetic justice enough in King Lear. Evil is destroyed.”- Shakespeare advocates Christian morals- treat poor and rich equally and not judging on appearance- Edmund’s last lines “The wheel is come full circle”- suggests “atheist intelligence” ultimately accepts power of religion |
| Lear’s death- purpose 2- does matter how dies | – “the play is purgatory” Wilson Knight- Lear must be purged of his sins of going against the Gods and dividing Kingdom by dying unhappily- Jacobean audience protestant and firm believers in Divine right of kings”Now that we have divided…In three our Kingdom”- tragic hero and tragic flaw means needs to fall to misery and die in regret, not in AC Bradleys “ecstasy”- that would mean not really tragedy- evidence still not learned from flaw- parallels to love trial being public private scene mixed- all to do with light “See” “look” repeated over four lines- “I stumbled when I saw not really sunk in- and “look at her lips”- superficial- suggests only seeing superficially like words of flattery- hearing and seeing what wants to- if dies happily rewarded by Gods when not gained insight |
| Lear’s death-purpose 2- doesn’t matter | -tragic death because he is tragic hero with tragic flaw- genre- But Shakespeare does not make death completely unsatisfactory and sad to persuade that he is rewarded by Gods for correcting sins- (humbleness, attitude to poor, seeing through appearance) and therefore they should do the same-Barbara Everett “The play moves us by our sympathy for Lear”- evidence from language that has corrected flaws”Pray you undo this button. Thank you, Sir”- “You” as respect and friendliness- to someone of lower rank than him- whereas in first scene called by surnames “Kent””Undo this button” symbol of taking off clothing and learning “furred gowns hide all”- “exposure is the very essence of King Lear |
| Edgar is always performing a role- intro view | NO- disguises to other characters but he is revealed to us through development from weak and gullible to King material |
| Edgar performing a role- yes- symbol of justice | C.J Sisson “the abuse of justice by the King whose powers within justice lie”- Edgar shows better way to perform justice than Lear- disinterest when executing- “let thy arm do thee justice”- “thy arm” “thee”- second person focusing on defendent rather than self, contrasts to “Which of you shall we say doth love us most” “we” “us”-Lear- also dressed in armour, although Ox Playhouse version made him recognizable, better when armour hides identity to show neutral, impersonal execution of justice- esp important as Jacobean royal court court of justice and Measure for Measure written at time about justice and authority-Also justice and social class- “Plate sin with gold and the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks”- Edgar demonstrating optimism “Maugre…thy place and eminence” (emphatic position)- Hence “role” to perform justice: no personal feeling to Edgar |
| Edgar performing a role- no- develops justice | -Orwell’s “Edgar is a superfluous character”, suggesting not really character just a device untrue- witness development to become more just-“Have nothing said, ‘gainst the Duke of Albany? I am sure on’t not a word”- questioning like prosecutor and defendent- assures innocence but then reluctant to seek own justice “Some villain hath done me wrong” (vague)- at end, dramatic change “the play moves us by our sympathy for Lear”- Edgar’s development also moves us |
| Edgar- develops empathy for social class- not just performing a role | – impartiality to social class developed through experience of being poor Tom- Alexander Legget says “poor Tom more vivid and recognisable character than Edgar”- easier to relate to for groundlings and get to know- madmen not institutionalized then-By Edgar having this experience, develops to realise social classes are all same and sympathise with lower classes: “by the art of known feeling and sorrows am pregnant to good pity” (common with Shakespeare- with Hal and Falstaff in pub)-“Edgar I nothing am”- Edgar feels detached and dissimilar to someone of that social class- thinks different species to sound foreign or alien-like- not just “chameleon figure” (Michael Mangan) and doesnt mould into role completely- interaction with audience gives impression he is still Edgar “I cannot daub it further and yet I must”-develops to say “I am in nothing changed, but in my garments”- literal to disguise to Gloucester, but repeat “I am nothing” suggests learned he is same even with different social class- thematically fits in with clothing “robes and furred gowns hide all”- “handy-handy, which is the thief, which is the justice” |
| Edgar- performing a role- performing role of fool | – Wilson knight “Edgar succeeds the Fool”- Fool said to guide audience so could see Edgar as doing the same-Interjections and asides directed at audience to help understand what to think- “Reason in madness!”…”O,side piercing sight” to stop audience laughing- could be compared to Fool’s handing of Kent coxcomb to criticize Kent’s blind loyalty to Lear- also compared, not a figure within society of Albion- outsider- Fool dressed in motley to symbolise and “I’ll go to bed at noon” with mysterious disappearance- Edgar as “poor Tom” becomes the outsider |
| Edgar- not performing role- faults explored whereas not with fool | – “Edgar becomes a martial hero” overcomplimentary- Edgar still has weakness in A3 S5- Does things too late and doesn’t learn “His flawed heart…Alack too weak to bear the conflict, burst smilingly”- “too weak” suggests too late and if revealed earlier when stronger, may have survived- also has not learned represented by iambic pentameter- going on while cordelia and lear being hanged- Enid Welsford “Shakespeare tends to give more intellectual ability to his sinners than his saints”- “foolish honesty” Edmund describes still exists at end of play “But speak you on”- monosyllabic to suggest Edmund completely in control-Has to have flaws to be tragedy- last lines so King but that would be too much fault- Jacobeans especially upset as expecting King Leir version |
| Gloucester- progression in relationship with Gods | – he is used to show importance of patience and faith in Gods- G’s loss of faith could be said to parallel Gloucester’s loss of faith in the Gods- emphasized by “O you Gods” as eyes plucked out- change from at beginning of scene when “I shall see the winged vengeance overtake such children”- is Shakespeare mocking his faith with pun of “see”?-moves on to say blasphemous speeches “Fairies and Gods”- comparing with folklore-This could be seen as looked badly by Shakespeare: “How should this be?”- finishes iambic pentameter of “as flies to wanton boys”- “sport”- sadism and “wanton boys”- children very belittling- after experience of suicide, realises more proactive “ripeness is all” form to religion- “Henceforth I’ll bear affliction til it doth cry out itself”- teaches must not only rely on Gods but also on selves |
| Pity evoked for Gloucester- yes and no | – yes;in eye-gauging- politeness to people that then pluck out eyes makes seem defenceless “your graces” contrasts to “out vile jelly”- monosyllabic phrase increases honour- comes right before interval so left with image in our heads- no;death much less tragic than Lear- “his heart burst smilingly”- “burst” “smilingly”- have happiness connotations to extent and Edgar’s frequent caesura suggests moved by (as loves him) – dies knowing wronged child is alive, contrast to Lear- also not on stage so not same impact as Lady Montague Romeo and Juliet |
| Gloucester- symbol of “sight”- and progression | -when sight- unable to see beyond Edmund’s true motives, symbolised by eyesight imagery “Come if it be nothing I shall not need spectacles”- needs “spectacles” suggests he is actually blind?-hyperbolic language- immediately completely believes Edmund “Where is the villain Edmund?”- hyper metric to emphasise the word Edmund- that the villain is Edmund himself also “tis too dangerous to be spoken”- then proceeds to tell Edmund- “insight through blindness (Cunningham)- “I stumbled when I saw”- also recognising seeing through appearance “Methinks thy voice is altered- also mimics Lear in more care for poor “bring some covering for this naked soul”…”So distribution should undo excess and each man have enough” |
| Albany’s progression | – Phillip Allan “metamorphosis from nonentity to man of integrity and inner strength”- starts passive- “well,well; the event”- not a sentence- appears unfinished as we wait for him to take action and doesn’t have any lines A2 Sc4 when Lear goes out into the storm- contrasts to after “You not worth the dust”- monosyllabic to make him sound sure of himself- clearly moved to action by sympathy for Gloucester- “O poor Gloucester” and “I live… to defend thine eyes”- iambic pentameter like Edgar’s speech “when we are betters see…” to suggest in control and assertive |
| Albany- still idiot at the end | “It remains difficult to believe in Albany”- York notes- still clearly fooled by social class- “Methought thy very gait did prophesy a royal nobleness”-makes same dividing kingdom mistake of Lear- back to square one- “you twain rule in this realm”- caesura same as Lear “Now that we have divided…in three our kingdom”- belief in “traditional ideas of justice” (Johnson)- ” All friends shall taste the wages of there virtue”- broken iambic by “see,see” and then “And my poor fool is hanged” in monosyllabic prose- kind of unfunny bathos |
| Cordelia- positive features | -FAMILY- does not trust sisters even though family (contrast to Edgar at start trusting Edmund in the next scene)- refuses to take part in “glib and oily art”- we agree with her as it is made obvious to us that they “taking part in an elaborate language game (Mangan) – “no less in grace health beauty honour”- more than tricolon! compared to “I cannot heave my heart into my mouth”-“heroine” as recognizes that family love not inevitable |
| Cordelia- flaws | – FAMILY- so concerned with upholding moral of not flattering, response is unkind to Lear- (“Lear’s sense of rejection in not without foundation”- Mangan) -“I love your Majesty, according to my bond”- “bond”- ball and chain and imprisonment-ALBION- too much faith in Gods, not proactive in addressing real awful state of Albion”O you kind Gods, cure this great breach in his oppressed nature”- exact same “kind Gods” phrase Gloucester used before they plucked his eyeballs out- particularly scrutinised by atheist contemporary society- tries to restore father to throne, although not best option for Albion- “Your majesty” “your lordship”- clearly trying to remind him of title- despairing image as calling these names to visually sad figure “hardocks, hemlocks, nettles , cuckoo-flowers” and calls himself “foolish, fond old man”- unrealistic that could ever be king again |
| Gods- calling on Gods times of despair but don’t actually worship them | – Matt Hoyle- “Gods seem to be there for temporary hope, but never for praise”- “You heavens, give me that patience, patience I need”- imperitive and pejorative “you Gods”- suggests sees them as his servants-(servile ministers)- also mimiced by Edgar before with imperitive “Now Gods, stand up for bastards” when already know individualist “I grow, I prosper”- “patience repition” makes sound like charm- religion just like sorcery? -Gloucester- in eye-gauging tries to get them to help him “Kind Gods, forgive me that and prosper him”- “Kind” almost if trying to flatter them-Kent “Fortune, good night, smile once more, turn thy wheel”- next morning Lear rides out in the storm- says when in stocks |
| Gods showing signs of care for good characters | – when servants say about Gloucester “now heaven help him”- in next scene he has found Edgar- raised hope |
King Lear essay points
July 8, 2019