King Lear Business English Class C Group 陈炎璇 陈晓华 刘洒玫 陈晓凤 王怡玲 朱结萍 叶嘉敏 林文玲

About the Author English Renaissance playwright, poet, actor England's national poet, "Bard of Avon", "Bardolatry"

Contents Background Theme Main Content The Characters

Shakespeare ’ s change of moods was influenced by the social upheavals at the turn of the country. About 1600, England was ill at ease. The crown tended to be absolutist. The House of Commons protested against the Queen ’ s politics and royal privileges. There were plots against Elizabeth. King Lear stands alongside Hamlet as one of the most profound expressions of tragic drama in literature. Written between 1604 and 1605, it represents Shakespeare at the height of his dramatic power. Based on the legend of Leir of Britian. Drawing on ancient British history, Shakespeare constructs a plot that reads like a fable in its clear- sighted but terrifying simplicity. Background 1

1. "King Lear" truly reflects the period of primitive capital accumulation in the capitalist world during the turbulent landscape of British society. It, at the same time, not only criticizes the absolute monarchy, but also praises human nature. Theme 2 3.After framed by his son, Gloucester said，“If a city riots, civil strife will take place in the state and conspirators will hide in the royal court; and everybody won’t be responsible for what he done. Thus, ethics is shattered completely.” What he said pointed out many things. First, the feudalism was disintegrated. Second, feudal ethical morality was break up during the transitional period of emerging capitalism. Last, the money relationship between human beings replaced the historical reality of the old ethics. 2. Being suffered from abuse not only by two cunning and cold-blooded daughters but also by the insidious and tyrannical son-in-law, Lear, the despotic and headstrong governor, suddenly became “the king as a wandering beggar”. This process specifically reflects the history that the feudal class went to decline during the late Renaissance period.

The relationship of characters bastard loyal minister GonerillRegan Cordelia King Lear The Duke of Cornwall The Duck of Albany Edgar 1 st 2 nd 3 rd Oswald husband The Earl of Kent Fool court jester servant Edmund The Earl of Gloucester sons bastard loyal minister GonerillRegan Cordelia daughters King Lear The Duke of Cornwall The Duck of Albany Edgar 1 st 2 nd 3 rd Oswald husband The Earl of Kent Fool court jester servant Edmund The Earl of Gloucester sons legitimate The Characters 3

The characteristics of the main characters characterscharacteristics King Learproud, cruel, blind to others’ goodness, foolish, unpitying Goneril /Regan jealous, treacherous, amoral, aggressive, manipulative, greed Cordeliaa natural goodness, love, justice, filial Kentloyalty, devotion, honesty, Gloucester loyalty, devious Edgarfilial, clever, gentle Edmundambitious, cruel, power-hungry, manipulative The Characters 3

King Lear  the aging King of Britain and the protagonist of the play  a powerful and important man  but he's getting near retirement age  thinks he can hand over the hard work of ruling the kingdom to his children and relax.  wants to enjoy the power of still being king without any of the responsibility. The Characters 3

 Goneril  Lear’s ruthless oldest daughter and the wife of the duke of Albany.  challenges Lear’s authority, boldly initiates an affair with Edmund, and wrests military power away from her husband.  Regan  Lear’s middle daughter and the wife of the duke of Cornwall.  Regan is as ruthless as Goneril and as aggressive in all the same ways.  When they are not egging each other on to further acts of cruelty, they jealously compete for the same man, Edmund. The Characters 3

Cordelia  King Lear's favorite daughter, disowned by her father for refusing to flatter him.  gets booted out of the kingdom without a dowry.  marries the King of France and raises an army to fight her wicked sisters and win back her father's land.  remains loyal to Lear despite his cruelty toward her, forgives him, and displays a mild and forbearing temperament even toward her evil sisters, Goneril and Regan. The Characters 3

Earl of Kent  A nobleman of the same rank as Gloucester who is loyal to King Lear.  spends most of the play disguised as a peasant, calling himself “Caius,” so that he can continue to serve Lear even after Lear banishes him.  be extremely loyal, but he gets himself into trouble throughout the play by being extremely blunt and outspoken. The Characters 3

 Gloucester  A nobleman loyal to King Lear whose rank, earl, is below that of duke.  an adulterer, having fathered a bastard son, Edmund.  His fate is in many ways parallel to that of Lear  Edgar  Gloucester’s older, legitimate son.  Edgar’s propensity for disguises and impersonations makes it difficult to characterize him effectively.  Edmund  Gloucester’s younger, illegitimate son.  resents his status as a bastard and schemes to usurp Gloucester’s title and possessions from Edgar.  He is a formidable character, succeeding in almost all of his schemes and wreaking destruction upon virtually all of the other characters. The Characters 3

characterscharacteristics Albanycalm, pity, justice, knowledgeable Cornwall ambitious, untrustworthy Oswaldsycophantic, unscrupulous, ambitious Foolfunny, honesty, loyalty, smart The Characters 3 The characteristics of other characters

Main Content 4

4 1.The Earl of Gloucester and the Earl of Kent meet and observe that King Lear has awarded equal shares of his realm to the Duke of Cornwall and the Duke of Albany. Then the Earl of Gloucester introduces his illegitimate son Edmund to the Earl of Kent. Act I 2.Lear announces he will live alternately with Goneril and Regan, and their husbands, the Dukes of Albany and Cornwall respectively. He reserves to himself a retinue of one hundred knights, to be supported by his daughters. Goneril and Regan speak privately, revealing that their declarations of love were fake, and they view Lear as an old and foolish man 3.Lear announces he will live alternately with Goneril and Regan, and their husbands, the Dukes of Albany and Cornwall respectively. He reserves to himself a retinue of one hundred knights, to be supported by his daughters. Goneril and Regan speak privately, revealing that their declarations of love were fake, and they view Lear as an old and foolish man. 4 Edmund resents his illegitimate status, and plots to dispose of his legitimate older brother Edgar. He tricks their father Gloucester with a forged letter, making him think Edgar plans to usurp the estate. Kent returns from exile in disguise under the name of Caius, and Lear hires him as a servant. Lear and Kent-as-Caius enter into a quarrel with Oswald, Goneril's steward. Lear discovers that now that Goneril has power, she no longer respects him. She orders him to behave better and reduces his retinue. Enraged, Lear departs for Regan's home. The Fool mocks Lear's misfortune.

Main Content 4 Edmund learns from Curan that there is likely to be war between Albany and Cornwall, and that Regan and Cornwall are to arrive at Gloucester's house that evening. Taking advantage of the arrival of the duke and Regan, Edmund fakes an attack by Edgar, and Gloucester is completely taken in. He disinherits Edgar and proclaims him an outlaw. Act II

Main Content 4 Bearing Lear's message to Regan, Kent-as-Caius meets Oswald again at Gloucester's home, quarrels with him again, and is put in the stocks by Regan and her husband Cornwall. When Lear arrives, he objects to the mistreatment of his messenger, but Regan is as dismissive of her father as Goneril was. Lear is enraged but impotent. Goneril arrives and supports Regan's argument against him. Lear yields completely to his rage. He rushes out into a storm to rant against his ungrateful daughters, accompanied by the mocking Fool. Kent later follows to protect him. Gloucester protests against Lear's mistreatment. Lear's retinue of a hundred knights has dissolved. Thereafter no more is heard of any of them. The only companions Lear has left are his Fool and Kent- as-Caius. Wandering on the heath after the storm, Lear meets Edgar, in the guise of a madman named Tom o'Bedlam. Edgar babbles madly while Lear denounces his daughters. Kent leads them all to shelter. Act III

Main Content 4 Act IV 1. Edmund betrays Gloucester to Cornwall, Regan, and Goneril. He shows a letter from his father to the King of France asking for help against them; and in fact a French army has landed in Britain. Once Edmund leaves with Goneril to warn Albany about the invasion, Gloucester is arrested, and Regan and Cornwall gouge out Gloucester's eyes. As he is doing so, a servant is overcome with rage by what he is witnessing and attacks Cornwall, mortally wounding him. Regan kills the servant, and tells Gloucester that Edmund betrayed him; then she turns him out to wander the heath too. Edgar, in his madman's guise, meets his blinded father on the heath. Gloucester, not recognizing him, begs Tom to lead him to a cliff at Dover so that he may jump to his death. 2. Goneril discovers that she finds Edmund more attractive than her honest husband Albany, whom she regards as cowardly. Albany has developed a conscience - he is disgusted by the sisters' treatment of Lear, and the mutilation of Gloucester, and denounces his wife. Goneril sends Edmund back to Regan; receiving news of Cornwall's death, she fears her newly widowed sister may steal Edmund and sends him a letter through Oswald. By now alone with Lear, Kent leads him to the French army, which is commanded by Cordelia. But Lear is half-mad and terribly embarrassed by his earlier follies. At Regan's instigation, Albany joins his forces with hers against the French. Goneril's suspicions about Regan's motives are confirmed and returned, as Regan rightly guesses the meaning of her letter and declares to Oswald that she is a more appropriate match for Edmund. Edgar pretends to lead Gloucester to a cliff, then changes his voice and tells Gloucester he has miraculously survived a great fall. Lear appears, by now completely mad. He rants that the whole world is corrupt and runs off. 3. Offstage, Goneril, with all her evil plans thwarted, commits suicide. The dying Edmund decides, though he admits it is against his own character, to try and save Lear and Cordelia; however, his confession comes too late. Soon after Albany sends men to countermand Edmund's orders, Lear enters bearing Cordelia's corpse in his arms, having survived by killing the executioner. Kent suddenly reenters with no explanation as to what he had done and where he had been all this time. Lear now recognizes Kent, but fails to make the connection between Kent and his alter-ego, Caius. Albany urges Lear to resume his throne, but like Gloucester, the trials Lear has been through have finally overwhelmed him, and he dies. Albany then asks Kent and Edgar to take charge of the throne. Kent declines, explaining that his master is calling him on a journey. It is unclear whether Kent intends to commit suicide, following Lear into death, or feels he is going to die in the same manner as Lear and Gloucester. Finally, either Albany (in the Quarto version) or Edgar (in the Folio version) has the final speech, with the implication that he will now become king.

Main Content 4 Act V 1. Oswald appears, still looking for Edmund. On Regan's orders, he tries to kill Gloucester but is killed by Edgar. In Oswald's pocket, Edgar finds Goneril's letter, in which she encourages Edmund to kill her husband and take her as his wife. Kent and Cordelia take charge of Lear, whose madness slowly passes. Regan, Goneril, Albany, and Edmund meet with their forces. Albany insists that they fight the French invaders but not harm Lear or Cordelia. The two sisters lust for Edmund, who has made promises to both. He considers the dilemma and plots the deaths of Albany, Lear, and Cordelia. Edgar gives Goneril's letter to Albany. The armies meet in battle, the British defeat the French, and Lear and Cordelia are captured. Edmund sends Lear and Cordelia off with secret-joint orders from Goneril and him for the execution of Cordelia. 2. The victorious British leaders meet, and the recently widowed Regan now declares she will marry Edmund. But Albany exposes the intrigues of Edmund and Goneril and proclaims Edmund a traitor. Regan falls ill, having been poisoned by Goneril, and is escorted offstage, where she dies. Edmund defies Albany, who calls for a trial by combat. Edgar appears masked and in armor, and challenges Edmund to a duel. No one knows who he is. Edgar wounds Edmund fatally, though he does not die immediately. Albany confronts Goneril with the letter which was intended to be his death warrant; she flees in shame and rage. Edgar reveals himself, and reports that Gloucester died offstage from the shock and joy of learning that Edgar is alive, after Edgar revealed himself to his father.

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