Structure, characters, and themes King Lear Structure, characters, and themes

King Lear

King Lear Characters Primary -- dynamic Secondary -- static Protagonist, changes through play Lear Antagonist, character revealed Goneril, Regan Secondary -- static Reflection characters Cordelia, Gloucester, Edgar, Edmund, Kent, Fool

King Lear Foils Character foiling Plot foiling Lear and Gloucester Cordelia and Edgar Goneril/Regan and Edmund Plot foiling Act 1, sc 1 & Act 5, sc 3 Act 3, sc 6 and sc 7

King Lear Themes Parent/child relationship Flattery Madness Judgment Appearance vs. reality world view of Renaissance Christian Humanist and Machievellian

King Lear Motifs and Imagery Seeing Judging Flattery “the worst” “unaccomodated man” Patience nothing Imagery Insults Foul fiend, madness Swearing by Gods Astrology

King Lear Seeing motif Act 1 Act 3 Act 4 “Hence and avoid my sight” “Out of my sight!” “See better, Lear” “If it be nothing, I shall not need spectacles” Act 3 “Pluck out his eyes” “I would not see thy cruel nails pluck out his poor old eyes” “I shall see the winged vengeance overtake such children” “See it shalt thou never” Act 4 “I stumbled when I saw” “Might I but live to see thee in my touch, I’d say I had eyes again”

Kent to serve Lear as Caius King Lear -- Act I Scene 1 Lear divides country, Disowns Cordelia Cordelia bids farewell to sisters Scene 2 Edmund soliloquy Conspiracy theory Advice to Edgar Scene 3 Goneril and Oswald Scene 4 Kent to serve Lear as Caius Lear and Fool Lear and Goneril Scene 5 Lear sends Kent to Regan Lear and Fool

King Lear, Act I, scene 1 Lear Fool Goneril Cordelia Regan Kent Albany Cornwall Regan Kent

King Lear -- Act II Scene 1 Edmund and Edgar Cornwall/Regan and Gloucester Scene 2 Oswald and Kent Glou/Corn/Regan Kent in stocks Scene 3 Edgar Scene 4 Lear/Fool and Kent Lear and Regan Goneril comes

King Lear -- Act III Scene 1 Kent and Gentleman Scene 2 Lear on the Heath Scene 3 Gloucester And Edmund Scene 4 Lear in hovel Talks with Edgar as Poor Tom Scene 5 Cornwall and Edmund Scene 6 Lear Trial scene Scene 7 Blinding of Gloucester

King Lear -- Act IV Scene 1 Edgar and Gloucester Scene 2 Goneril and Edmund Albany and Goneril Albany and Gentleman Scene 3 Kent and Gentleman Scene 4 Cordelia and Doctor Scene 5 Regan and Oswald Scene 6 Edgar and Gloucester Gloucester and Lear Oswald and Edgar Scene 7 Cordelia and Kent with Lear

Lear carries Cordelia in King Lear -- Act V Scene 1 Edmund and Regan Goneril and Albany Edgar to Albany Edmund Scene 2 Edgar and Gloucester Scene 3 Edmund with Lear and Cordelia Albany Edgar and Edmund fight Goneril and Regan dead Lear carries Cordelia in Restoration of Order

King Lear, Act V, scene 3 Lear Goneril Cordelia Regan Albany Kent