King Lear: Act II Scene ii
Study Guide
1. What is Kent’s opinion of Oswald? Is it justified?
2. Who starts the fight?
3. Why are they fighting?
4. Who stops the fight?
5. What is Kent’s attitude towards Edmund and Cornwall?
6. It was a deep insult to put Lear’s servant in the stocks since that is a punishment usually reserved for the lowest and worst crimes. Do you think he deserves such punishment? If so, why? If not, what punishment would be more appropriate?
7. Regan has a knack for making bad things worse. How does she do that in the scene?
• Based on what we know about Regan so far, what would you expect from her once her father, King Lear, arrives at her castle?
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Act II Scene i King Lear Study Guide
King Lear: Act II Scene i
Study Guide
1. Explain importance of the brief conversation between Edmund and Edgar at the beginning of this scene.
2. What does Edmund accuse Edgar of planning?
• How does this change Gloucester’s view of Edmund?
3. Regan and Cornwall believe Edmund. They think Edgar is one of King Lear’s unruly knights sent to kill Gloucester. Why do they think Edgar wants to kill his father?
4. How has all of this impacted or change Regan’s relationship with Edmund?
The Elizabethan audiences would have recognized Edmund to be a Machiavellian villain as such villains were very popular during this time period. They see the Machiavellian villain as a person:
• Without moral scruples;
• Totally immersed in a struggle to win power and influence;
• Who is smart and clear-headed. He uses muddle-headedness of the weak around him to achieve his goals.
• Who ignores laws;
• Who has total disregard for civil or moral authority figures;
• Who gains enjoyment and pleasure from manipulating others;
• Is often a very handsome, charming man.
On the back of this sheet, write a paragraph that uses specific evidence from the play to support or disprove the idea that Edmund is a classic Machiavellian villain.
Study Guide
1. Explain importance of the brief conversation between Edmund and Edgar at the beginning of this scene.
2. What does Edmund accuse Edgar of planning?
• How does this change Gloucester’s view of Edmund?
3. Regan and Cornwall believe Edmund. They think Edgar is one of King Lear’s unruly knights sent to kill Gloucester. Why do they think Edgar wants to kill his father?
4. How has all of this impacted or change Regan’s relationship with Edmund?
The Elizabethan audiences would have recognized Edmund to be a Machiavellian villain as such villains were very popular during this time period. They see the Machiavellian villain as a person:
• Without moral scruples;
• Totally immersed in a struggle to win power and influence;
• Who is smart and clear-headed. He uses muddle-headedness of the weak around him to achieve his goals.
• Who ignores laws;
• Who has total disregard for civil or moral authority figures;
• Who gains enjoyment and pleasure from manipulating others;
• Is often a very handsome, charming man.
On the back of this sheet, write a paragraph that uses specific evidence from the play to support or disprove the idea that Edmund is a classic Machiavellian villain.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Act V Scene v King Lear
King Lear: Act I Scene v
Study Questions
In this scene Lear is leaving Goneril’s castle and readying himself to go to Regan’s castle. He sends Kent with a letter to inform her that he will be arriving soon. This leaves Lear alone with the Fool. Lear is distracted and his thinking is splintered as we can see since he changes topics often. It is a hint that he is beginning to go mad.
1. Explain the importance of the following quote from this scene:
Lear “I did her wrong” (I v 24)
Lear “ To take ‘t again perforce – Monsster ingratitude!” (I v 38)
2. Take a closer look at the fools jokes. What is he actually saying or meaning when he says…
“Thou canst tell why one’s nose stands I’ th’ middle on’s face?”
“I can tell why a snail has a house.”
Study Questions
In this scene Lear is leaving Goneril’s castle and readying himself to go to Regan’s castle. He sends Kent with a letter to inform her that he will be arriving soon. This leaves Lear alone with the Fool. Lear is distracted and his thinking is splintered as we can see since he changes topics often. It is a hint that he is beginning to go mad.
1. Explain the importance of the following quote from this scene:
Lear “I did her wrong” (I v 24)
Lear “ To take ‘t again perforce – Monsster ingratitude!” (I v 38)
2. Take a closer look at the fools jokes. What is he actually saying or meaning when he says…
“Thou canst tell why one’s nose stands I’ th’ middle on’s face?”
“I can tell why a snail has a house.”
Act I Scene iv King Lear
King Lear: Act I Scene iv
Study Questions
The good must hide their real identity.
For Kent – the good man must disguise his identity in order to survive in a mad world.
Blindness – Lear is blind when is confuses disloyal daughters for a loyal one, and friends for enemies.
One role of the fool in this play is to serve as a counterbalance to the divinity of the king and the fact that Lear is still very much a fallible human being. The fool is able to use his position and his wit to attack the king and help him see the truth. The fool also serves to clarify information for the audience. His chief function at this time is to point out that Lear’s distortion in perception has led to an unnatural order of things.
The father should punish the children, but here the children are punishing the father,
The king should teach the fool, but here the fool is teaching the king.
1. Summarize the exchange between Kent and Lear (I iv 1-44)
2. Summarize the exchange between Lear, the Knight and Oswald (I iv 45-88)
Here is the first of many lessons the Fool gives the king. Either explain what each line means or rewrite it in plain, modern language:
Mark it, nuncle.
Have more than thou showest,=____________________________________________________
Speak less than thou knowest, = _________________________________________________
Lend less than thou owest, = ____________________________________________________
Learn more than thou trowest, (Believe or know)__________________________________
Set less than thou throwset, (Don’t bet more than you can stand to lose)
Leave they drink and they whore, = _______________________________________________
And keep in-a-door,_______________________________________________________________
And thou shall have more__________________________________________________________
Than two tens to a score. (Your money will increase)
This little rhyme means…
Now, explain this riddle:
Dost thou know the difference, my boy, between a bitter fool and a sweet one?
That lord that counseled thee
To give away thy land, Who is this lord?_________________________
Come place him here by me,
Do thou for him stand.
The sweet and bitter fool
Will presently appear; (* motley – a multicolored fabric worn by fools)The one in motley here,
The other found out there. Who is the Motely?_________________________
Who is the other?___________________________
Which has cause to be sweet?
Why?______________________
Which has cause to be bitter?
Why?______________________
Here’s another riddle:
Fool Nuncle, give me an egg, and I’ll give thee two crowns.
Lear What two crowns shall they be? What does the egg represent?
Fool Why, after I have cut the egg i’ th’ middle and
Eat up the meat, the two crowns of the egg… What does the meat represent?
Thou hadst little wit in thy bald crown when thou
Gav’st they golden one away. What is the actual message the fool
Is giving to the king?
The fool says, “ The hedge-sparrow fed the cuckoo so long that it’s has it head bit off by it young. So out went the candle, and we were left darkling.” (I iv 216-220)
The audience would have understood the metaphor here. They knew that the cuckoo lays its eggs in the nest of a smaller bird who then hatches the egg and cares for the cuckoo chick after the cuckoo would have pushed out the legitimate hedge-sparrow chicks, causing them to die.
6. In light of this information, what is the Fool saying about Lear, his two older daughter and the people who follow Lear?
7. Explain what is going on between the king and Goneril ( I iv 239-
She tells him that…
He insults here when…
She makes him feel…
Then Goneril tells Oswald to …
Study Questions
The good must hide their real identity.
For Kent – the good man must disguise his identity in order to survive in a mad world.
Blindness – Lear is blind when is confuses disloyal daughters for a loyal one, and friends for enemies.
One role of the fool in this play is to serve as a counterbalance to the divinity of the king and the fact that Lear is still very much a fallible human being. The fool is able to use his position and his wit to attack the king and help him see the truth. The fool also serves to clarify information for the audience. His chief function at this time is to point out that Lear’s distortion in perception has led to an unnatural order of things.
The father should punish the children, but here the children are punishing the father,
The king should teach the fool, but here the fool is teaching the king.
1. Summarize the exchange between Kent and Lear (I iv 1-44)
2. Summarize the exchange between Lear, the Knight and Oswald (I iv 45-88)
Here is the first of many lessons the Fool gives the king. Either explain what each line means or rewrite it in plain, modern language:
Mark it, nuncle.
Have more than thou showest,=____________________________________________________
Speak less than thou knowest, = _________________________________________________
Lend less than thou owest, = ____________________________________________________
Learn more than thou trowest, (Believe or know)__________________________________
Set less than thou throwset, (Don’t bet more than you can stand to lose)
Leave they drink and they whore, = _______________________________________________
And keep in-a-door,_______________________________________________________________
And thou shall have more__________________________________________________________
Than two tens to a score. (Your money will increase)
This little rhyme means…
Now, explain this riddle:
Dost thou know the difference, my boy, between a bitter fool and a sweet one?
That lord that counseled thee
To give away thy land, Who is this lord?_________________________
Come place him here by me,
Do thou for him stand.
The sweet and bitter fool
Will presently appear; (* motley – a multicolored fabric worn by fools)The one in motley here,
The other found out there. Who is the Motely?_________________________
Who is the other?___________________________
Which has cause to be sweet?
Why?______________________
Which has cause to be bitter?
Why?______________________
Here’s another riddle:
Fool Nuncle, give me an egg, and I’ll give thee two crowns.
Lear What two crowns shall they be? What does the egg represent?
Fool Why, after I have cut the egg i’ th’ middle and
Eat up the meat, the two crowns of the egg… What does the meat represent?
Thou hadst little wit in thy bald crown when thou
Gav’st they golden one away. What is the actual message the fool
Is giving to the king?
The fool says, “ The hedge-sparrow fed the cuckoo so long that it’s has it head bit off by it young. So out went the candle, and we were left darkling.” (I iv 216-220)
The audience would have understood the metaphor here. They knew that the cuckoo lays its eggs in the nest of a smaller bird who then hatches the egg and cares for the cuckoo chick after the cuckoo would have pushed out the legitimate hedge-sparrow chicks, causing them to die.
6. In light of this information, what is the Fool saying about Lear, his two older daughter and the people who follow Lear?
7. Explain what is going on between the king and Goneril ( I iv 239-
She tells him that…
He insults here when…
She makes him feel…
Then Goneril tells Oswald to …
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Act I Scenes i - iii Activity
I am offering you several ways to demonstrate your understanding of the play thus far. You may do a set of journal entries or make a visual representation of what has occurred in the play up to the end of I iii. Below you will find descriptions of your options. Please select one and complete the task.
Option 1: Interactive Journal
The interactive active journal is designed to help you understand and respond to the context of the play. You have four types of journal entries to choose from. Use the format that best fits the scene:
#1 Event Response Analysis
Event - Describe the event that happened in the story
Response - How do you feel about the particular event
Analysis - Why do you think this event occurred?
Why is it important to the storyline?
Why did Shakespeare include it?
#2 Observation Reflection Prediction
Observation - What observations have you made from this section?
Reflection - Why do you think this observation is significant?
Prediction - What do you think will happen next?
#3 Action Analysis Result
Action - Describe the action that was taken by a character that
surprised, shocked or impressed you?
Analysis - Why do you think this action occurred? How is it important
is it to the storyline? Why is it included in the play?
Result - What is the result of this action? How does it influence the plot or impact the other characters? Why?
#4 Problem Reflection Solution
Problem - What is the problem that the character(s) is/are facing?
Reflection - Why is this problem significant to the storyline? Why?
Solution - How do you think the character(s) will solve this problem?
Act I Scene iÞ Glucester talks about Edmund
Þ The Love Test
Þ Lear kicks out Cordelia
Þ Cordelia confronts her sisters
Þ Goneril and Regan plot against Lear
Act I Scene iiÞ Edmund tricks Gloucester into thinking Edgar wants to kill him
Þ Edmund tricks Edgar into thinking that his dad is really mad and wants to kill him
Act I Scene iii
Þ Goneril wants to convince Lear to leave her home so she instructs Oswald to neglect him. She also sends a letter to Regan with instructions concerning how to take care of Lear.
Option 2: Visualizing the Story Thus Far
My goal with this assignment is to have you consider what has happened in the play and put it all together. I want you to demonstrate that you understand what is happening and why some actions carry heavy consequences.
You are to make a visual that represents what has happened from I i to I iii. You have several ways to do this:
- Make a comic book style illustration from the play. Feel free to use stick figures, but make sure we can tell whose who.
- Make a graphic organizer or flow chart that shows the action. You can organize it by:
Situation
Act I Scene i
Glucester talks about Edmund
The Love Test
Lear kicks out Cordelia
Cordelia confronts her sisters
Goneril and Regan plot against Lear
Act I Scene ii
Edmund tricks Gloucester into thinking Edgar wants to kill him
Edmund tricks Edgar into thinking that his dad is really mad and wants to kill him
Act I Scene iii Goneril wants to convince Lear to leave her home so she instructs Oswald to neglect him. She also sends a letter to Regan with instructions concerning how to take care of Lear.
Character
King Lear
Goneril and Regan
Cordelia
Gloucester
Edmund
Edgar
Option 1: Interactive Journal
The interactive active journal is designed to help you understand and respond to the context of the play. You have four types of journal entries to choose from. Use the format that best fits the scene:
#1 Event Response Analysis
Event - Describe the event that happened in the story
Response - How do you feel about the particular event
Analysis - Why do you think this event occurred?
Why is it important to the storyline?
Why did Shakespeare include it?
#2 Observation Reflection Prediction
Observation - What observations have you made from this section?
Reflection - Why do you think this observation is significant?
Prediction - What do you think will happen next?
#3 Action Analysis Result
Action - Describe the action that was taken by a character that
surprised, shocked or impressed you?
Analysis - Why do you think this action occurred? How is it important
is it to the storyline? Why is it included in the play?
Result - What is the result of this action? How does it influence the plot or impact the other characters? Why?
#4 Problem Reflection Solution
Problem - What is the problem that the character(s) is/are facing?
Reflection - Why is this problem significant to the storyline? Why?
Solution - How do you think the character(s) will solve this problem?
Act I Scene iÞ Glucester talks about Edmund
Þ The Love Test
Þ Lear kicks out Cordelia
Þ Cordelia confronts her sisters
Þ Goneril and Regan plot against Lear
Act I Scene iiÞ Edmund tricks Gloucester into thinking Edgar wants to kill him
Þ Edmund tricks Edgar into thinking that his dad is really mad and wants to kill him
Act I Scene iii
Þ Goneril wants to convince Lear to leave her home so she instructs Oswald to neglect him. She also sends a letter to Regan with instructions concerning how to take care of Lear.
Option 2: Visualizing the Story Thus Far
My goal with this assignment is to have you consider what has happened in the play and put it all together. I want you to demonstrate that you understand what is happening and why some actions carry heavy consequences.
You are to make a visual that represents what has happened from I i to I iii. You have several ways to do this:
- Make a comic book style illustration from the play. Feel free to use stick figures, but make sure we can tell whose who.
- Make a graphic organizer or flow chart that shows the action. You can organize it by:
Situation
Act I Scene i
Glucester talks about Edmund
The Love Test
Lear kicks out Cordelia
Cordelia confronts her sisters
Goneril and Regan plot against Lear
Act I Scene ii
Edmund tricks Gloucester into thinking Edgar wants to kill him
Edmund tricks Edgar into thinking that his dad is really mad and wants to kill him
Act I Scene iii Goneril wants to convince Lear to leave her home so she instructs Oswald to neglect him. She also sends a letter to Regan with instructions concerning how to take care of Lear.
Character
King Lear
Goneril and Regan
Cordelia
Gloucester
Edmund
Edgar
Act I Scene iii King Lear
King Lear: Act I Scene iii Study Guide
“Old fools are babes again, and must be used.” (I,iii 19)
This short scene has two simple purposes:
i. Introduce Oswald. He supports the older sisters in the same way that Kent supports Lear.
“Evil is to remind us that evil is not simply the quality of the villain; it is also the quality of society, or a part of it as well.”
ii. Illustrate Goneril’s behavior of provoking a weak or insecure person so that she may then attack and destroy while doing so under the banner of a ‘reasonable’ policy.
1. Summarize what takes place in this scene.
2. Examine what Goneril says closely. What does this tell us about…
…her personality –
…her attitude concerning King Lear -
“Old fools are babes again, and must be used.” (I,iii 19)
This short scene has two simple purposes:
i. Introduce Oswald. He supports the older sisters in the same way that Kent supports Lear.
“Evil is to remind us that evil is not simply the quality of the villain; it is also the quality of society, or a part of it as well.”
ii. Illustrate Goneril’s behavior of provoking a weak or insecure person so that she may then attack and destroy while doing so under the banner of a ‘reasonable’ policy.
1. Summarize what takes place in this scene.
2. Examine what Goneril says closely. What does this tell us about…
…her personality –
…her attitude concerning King Lear -
Monday, January 26, 2009
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:
“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:
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