King Lear Iii

King Lear Act I Scene ii

“I grow, I prosper;Now, gods, stand up for bastards!” (1.2.21)
Note: the soliloquy is a powerful tool in which a character talks directly to the audience. It is used to help the audience better understand the character’s motivations, response, etc.

1. Why does Edmund want to trick Gloucester into thinking that Edgar wants his title?

2. Describe what Edmund has done to…

…Gloucester

…Edgar

3. Describe what Edgar is feeling at the end of this scene.

Shakespeare loved to use parallel plots in his play. King Lear is an excellent example of this. The main plot line of King Lear is very similar to that of the subplot for Gloucester.
This will be noticeable once you answer the following prompts.

4. Describe how King Lear and the Earl of Gloucester are similar:

5. Describe how Goneril, Regan and Edmund are similar:

6. Describe how Cordeila and Edgar are similar: