1. Structure, characters, and themes
King Lear
Structure, characters, and themes

2. King Lear

3. 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

4. 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

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

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

7. 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”

8. 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

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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

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