Characters
This character serves as a dramatic foil to Lear by remaining steadfast despite mistreatment.
Kent
What does King Lear decides to do this at the start of the play?
Divide his kingdom among his three daughters
Act 1: Speaker is Lear
“Nothing will come of nothing.”
Lear telling Cordelia that if she doesn’t flatter him, she gets no inheritance
The storm in the play is an example of:
Pathetic Fallacy (but foreshadowing is also ok)
Shakespeare's tragedies often unfold because the royal order, or natural ___________, is disrupted.
Hiearchy
This character is described as “more sinned against than sinning” later in the play, but his own rashness sets his downfall in motion in Act 1.
King Lear
Goneril and Regan say they love Lear, but their true feelings are revealed when they do this.
Mistreat him after gaining power
“How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child!”
Act 1.4: Speaker is Lear
Lear is expressing his anger at Goneril’s ingratitude
This literary device is used when Goneril and Regan exaggerate their love for Lear.
Hyperbole
Act 1 shows the theme of ____________, as Lear cannot see who truly loves him.
blindness
Despite appearing silent for much of the act, this character’s lack of speech is a defining moment in the play.
Cordelia
What is Edmund's plan to discredit Edgar?
Using a forged letter and telling Edgar that Gloucester is furious
“Thou, Nature, art my goddess.”
Act 1.3: Speaker is Edmund
Edmund rejects societal norms and embracing a more ruthless, self-serving philosophy
“Nothing will come of nothing”
Paradox
Define the word: Disintegration
collapse of reason, sanity, and order.
The false letter Edmund writes plays on this character’s greatest flaw—gullibility.
Gloucester
Kent disguises himself under this name to continue serving Lear.
Caius
“Come not between the dragon and his wrath.”
Act 1.1, Speaker is Lear
Lear warning Kent not to interfere in his decision to banish Cordelia
The Fool’s witty remarks are an example of:
Irony
Every major tragedy must also have this type of character.
Tragic Hero
These two characters parallel each other in terms of betrayal—one by children, the other by subjects.
Lear and Gloucester
What theme describes the consequence of Lear's decision to exile Cordelia and divide his kingdom?
Loss of power/disintegration and chaos
“Love cools, friendship falls off, brothers divide.”
Act 1.2, Speaker is Gloucester
Gloucester foreshadowing betrayal and chaos as familial bonds are broken
The start of Act 1.2 involves this Shakespearean term, thanks to Edmund.
Sololiquy
Define the word: Unscrupulous
having or showing no moral principles; not honest or fair.