1.  Most of Shakespeare’s plays are written in verse. A character who speaks in verse is a noble or a member of the Upper Class. Most of his plays focused on these characters.  The verse form he used is BLANK VERSE. There is no rhyme, but each line has an internal rhythm with a regular rhythmic pattern. The pattern he liked most was iambic pentameter – 10 syllable line with accent on every other syllable. It is most regular. He sometimes found it necessary to remove a vowel so that the rhythm would work.

2. Appearances vs Reality Much of the play deals with the characters’ failures to understand the intentions of the people around them. The evil characters in particular make use of deceit and lies to achieve their goals. Other characters assume disguises for their own protection. Moral values in the play can be reversed; that which appears to be good may be evil, while that which is evil may actually be good. In Shakespeare’s tragedies characters often learn that appearances are deceiving.

3. Blindness and Sight (or The Foolish vs the Wise)  This theme is directly linked to the theme of “Appearances vs Reality”. Some characters are described as “blind” to the realities of the world around them due to their ignorance, poor judgement or lack of insight. Such characters are often referred to as fools for their inability to perceive reality correctly, while those with correct insight are described as wise. Great suffering ensues as these “blind” characters peel away layers of deception to discover the truth. Gloucester is literally blinded when he is deceived by false appearances; ironically, it is only when blinded that he learns to truly see.

4. Order vs Chaos  The Medieval concept of the Great Chain of Being is at work in King Lear. This view of the universe assumes that a strict moral order (having its source in God) binds all of creation together. This order demands love, honour and obedience from all beings to those who are of superior rank in the “Great Chain”. Woman must be obedient to man. Child must honour parent. Subject must be loyal to king. Evil seeks to destroy this order by breaking bonds of loyalty and love; the result is chaos. Evil is therefore considered to be unnatural since it opposes the natural order of the universe. In King Lear notice how chaos is demonstrated through tainted family relationships, political instability, and the mental deterioration of characters.

5. Loyalty vs Disloyalty This theme is directly linked to the concept of Order vs Chaos”. Shakespeare shows us that many characters are willing to use deceit and treachery for their own personal gain, even when it means being disloyal to someone that should be honoured and respected. These characters are depicted as evil, spreading disloyalty like a disease to bring chaos to an entire country. In contrast, there are characters who remain loyal, thus reminding us that the forces of goodness and virtue are always at work to restore a sense of order in the play. However, Shakespeare warns that there is no honour in blind loyalty to people who are corrupt and evil (Such as Oswald’s loyalty to Goneril).

6. Fate vs Free Will (or Fatalism vs Opportunism) This theme is common among the Greek tragedies that Shakespeare used as models for his Renaissance tragedies. The play asks readers to consider whether the course of our lives (reward and suffering) is determined by the gods, or whether we determine our own life paths through choice and making the most of our opportunities. Do fate and freedom maintain a delicate coexistence? Perhaps we should never completely depend on fate or surrender our capacity for freedom and choice.

7. Patience vs Passion (or Reason vs Emotion) Shakespeare warns us that allowing one’s extreme emotions or passions (esp. wrath, sorrow, or despair) to govern our actions without first being patient and being guided by rational thought can lead to pain and suffering. Characters often call upon patience to sustain them in adversity, though many are unable to control their overwhelming emotions. The Classical school of thought known as Stoicism espoused the belief that we can most effectively cope with death and suffering by facing them with calm and dignity and mastering the passions that can overwhelm us.

8. The Need for Humanity One of Lear’s greatest lessons results when he loses the title of “king” and discovers who he is as a human being. The play teaches us that we must all (especially those in power) have compassion for those who live in misery. In fact, it is this compassion and respect for other human beings that can be an active force for order and goodness in the world. On the other hand, evil dehumanizes. The evil characters in the play are not “humane” and this leads to their moral degeneration and general chaos. They are often portrayed as bestial or animal-like as they seek personal advancement and live by the law of the jungle (“survival of the fittest”). Shakespeare reminds us that our capacity to act morally is what distinguishes humans from beasts.

9. The Nature of Evil and Justice One of the purposes of tragedy is to explain the problem of evil in our world. What are the consequences of evil deeds? Some characters in King Lear cling to the belief that there is a universal power of justice (nemesis) that will punish evil deeds and restore moral order. The evil characters in the play do receive their just rewards. But Shakespeare does not give us a simple solution, since good characters also suffer. In the end, the play seems to suggest that evil and suffering in life are unavoidable. We must therefore accept their inevitability and be ready to face them with courage (Stoicism).

10. Motifs  Clothing and Nakedness – A recurring image which may represent the following: -loss of status or identity -Clothing in disarray or nakedness can symbolize insanity -Nakedness can represent the discovery of one’s humanity, liberated from the trappings of civilization.  Bird and Animal Imagery - A recurring use of birds and animals to symbolize human conditions and behaviours. Often the animals to which humans are compared are dark and violent to denote the bestiality within human beings who give way to evil impulses.

11. Letters - A recurring plot device used by characters to help them carry out evil deeds. Ironically, it is also because of these letters that these evil characters get caught. Symbols  The heath  The hovel  The castle  The coronet  The storm

12.  A foil is a character who can be compared and contrasted to another character  Used to clarify character traits and issues in the play King Lear and Gloucester-  Old friends  Both are betrayed by their children  Neither has the wisdom to see through duplicious love  Lear’s insanity leads him to clear perception; Gloucester’s loss of his eyes leads him to clear vision  Both die after having been reunited with their faithful children

13.  Equal in evil  Neither sister has love for good beings  Both sisters are attracted to Edmund  Neither sister possesses compassion for love  Exclusive thoughts of themselves  Actively feed on the wickedness of the other

14.  Brothers; Edgar is legitimate; Edmund is illegitimate  Clear opposition of good and evil, with good prevailing in the end  As Edmund tries to push his father away; Edgar tries to protect his father from a distance

15.  Both try to speak the truth to King Lear; he is deaf to both characters  Kent is part of the action until Lear’s death; the Fool exits the play as soon as his usefulness is exhausted  Although they belong to different classes, they both show equal honour and loyalty