epics empire and diplomacy midterm 2

Major events of Act 1 Scene 1 of King Lear in order

Scene 1 - Kent and Glouceter talking about Lears division of kingdom, Lear announces plans to divide kingdom to his doughters and calls his three daughters to express their love for him, Regan and Goneril do with poetic speeches about how they love him the most, Cordelia refused and says I love you like I should love a father, Lear disowns Cordelia and kent says hes wrong and gets kicked out by lear and King of France marries Cordelia anyway

Major events of Act 1 Scene 2 of King Lear in order

Edmund, Bastard son of Gloucester, monologues about being a bastard and how he is tired of being treated differently that this legit brother Edgar. He forges a letter from edgar saying he wants to steal all of his fathers land and money, and shows it to his father.

Major events of Act 1 Scene 3 of King Lear in order

Lear hears Goneril complain about him to her servant Oswald

Major events of Act 1 Scene 4 of King Lear in order

Kent disguised himself to be one of Lears knights. Kent punishes Oswald for Lear. Goneril enters and complains to Lear about him and his knights, Lear gets angry and says he hopes she has evil children and he leaves to live with Regan

What was Lear’s Mistake in the love test

He confuses flattery for genuine love, so he disowns his daughter cordelia who actually loves him and rewards his older daughters, Regan and Gorderil, for lying to him about how much they love him.

Explain Lears role in the play

He is an aging monarch whose ego-driven decision to divide his kingdom based on flattery sets off a tragic cascade of betrayal, madness, and ultimate self-awareness. His journey of self-discovery is the central plot of the book. he represents the dangers of power without wisdom and the necessity of true self knowledge, moving from a position of true power to ultimate vulnerability

Explain Cordelia role in the play

Cordelia is Lear's youngest and most honest daughter. She refuses to participate in the love test's hollow flattery, saying she loves him as a daughter — no more, no less. She is banished and disinherited but remains the moral center of the play. She represents truth, loyalty, and genuine love. Her silence and exile set the tragedy in motion.

how the Lear plot and Gloucester plot connect

The Lear plot (main plot) and Gloucester plot (subplot) in Shakespeare’s King Lear connect through a parallel structure where Gloucester mirrors Lear's mistakes and suffering. Both are elderly, authoritative fathers who misjudge their children—trusting deceitful ones (Goneril/Regan, Edmund) while banishing loyal ones (Cordelia, Edgar)—leading to shared traged

First three lines of Beowulf

Hwæt we gardena      in geardagum

þeodcyninga     þrym gefrunon

hu ða æþelingas     ellen fremedon!

Translation of the first three lines of beowulf

(What! we of the Spear-Danes in days of yore)

(of the great kings the glory have learned (the song of),)

(how those princes what was daring did/performed/achieved.)

Define Alliteration in old english

the structural foundation of the verse, using the repetition of initial sounds on stressed syllables to link two half-lines together. It is not merely ornamental but serves as the core organizing device in place of rhyme. It binds lines with a distinct rhythmic, percussive quality used for oral recitation.

define caesura

a mandatory, audible pause or break in the middle of a metrical line, dividing it into two distinct half-lines (hemistichs). Often marked by a wide space in modern editions, this pause serves as a key structural tool—bridging alliteration between halves and aiding oral recitation

Define Headstave

the first stressed syllable (or "lift") in the second half-line, or b-verse

whos kent and whats his role

Kent is a loyal nobleman who openly defends Cordelia when Lear banishes her. Lear banishes Kent for this, but Kent returns in disguise to continue serving Lear. He represents unwavering loyalty and plain-speaking honesty — a foil to the flattering courtiers. His disguise allows Shakespeare to show that true service persists even without reward or recognition.

Who are Goneril and Regan and what are their roles?

Goneril (eldest) and Regan (middle) are Lear's two flattering daughters. They shower Lear with exaggerated declarations of love to secure their shares of the kingdom, then immediately move to strip Lear of his power and dignity once they have it. They are the play's primary villains in the main plot — representing hypocrisy, ingratitude, and the corruption of filial duty

who is edmund and whats his role

Edmund is the illegitimate son of the Earl of Gloucester. Resentful of the social stigma of bastardy, he schemes to steal his legitimate brother Edgar's inheritance and their father's title. He is the villain of the Gloucester subplot and one of the play's most compelling characters — intelligent, charismatic, and ruthlessly self-serving. He represents ambition unchecked by morality.

What does Edmund reject in his soliloquy?

Edmund rejects the concept of "legitimacy" — the social and legal system that privileges children born in wedlock over bastards. He scorns the "curiosity of nations" (social custom) that labels him base simply because of the circumstances of his birth. He sees this as an arbitrary, man-made distinction that unfairly denies him what he believes he deserves.

What does Edmund believe about Nature?

Edmund invokes Nature as his "goddess" and his only authority. He rejects human law and social convention in favor of natural law — the idea that strength, wit, and ability should determine what one deserves. This is a radical, amoral worldview: if Nature made him capable, then Nature entitles him to take what he can. He uses Nature to justify ambition without ethical restraint.

What does Edmund want, and how does he plan to get it?

What he wants: His brother Edgar's lands and their father Gloucester's title and estate — in short, the recognition and inheritance that his illegitimacy denies him.

How he plans to get it: By forging a letter to make Gloucester believe Edgar is plotting against him, turning father against son. He will manipulate both men through deception and exploitation of their trust, engineering Edgar's downfall without direct confrontation.

what is a key phrase from Edmund's soliloquy and why does it matter?

"Now, gods, stand up for bastards!"

This closing line captures Edmund's entire worldview: a defiant call for the natural order to reward him despite society's judgment. It's ironic — he invokes "gods" while rejecting divine/social law, and frames his selfish scheming as a cosmic cause. It's also memorable for its energy and audacity, making Edmund immediately compelling rather than simply villainous.

How is Old English verse structured overall?

Each line is divided into two half-lines by a caesura. Each half-line contains two stressed syllables. The line is unified by alliteration: typically two stressed syllables in the first half and the first stressed syllable of the second half (the headstave) share the same initial sound. Vocabulary tends toward kennings (compound metaphors like "whale-road" for sea) and formulaic phrases. There is no rhyme — alliteration does all the work rhyme does in later poetry.

what is the dream of the rood

• What it is: An Old English poem in which the narrator dreams the Cross (the Rood) speaks to him, describing the Crucifixion from its own perspective

• Where it appears: Preserved in the Vercelli Book; portions also carved in runic inscription on the Ruthwell Cross

• Why it matters: It blends Germanic heroic tradition with Christian theology — Christ is portrayed as a brave young warrior, not a suffering victim. It shows how Anglo-Saxon culture assimilated Christianity through its own literary frameworks.

What does æþelingas mean and why does it matter?

• what it is: An Old English word meaning "princes" or "noblemen" — men of royal/noble lineage

• Where it appears: The third line of Beowulf: "hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon" ("how those princes performed deeds of valor")

• Why it matters: It signals the poem's concern with aristocratic heroic culture — deeds, lineage, and glory. It also illustrates how Old English had precise vocabulary for social hierarchy that shapes the poem's worldview.

How does Gilgamesh compare to the Bible?

• What it is: A comparison between the ancient Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh and Biblical narratives, particularly the flood story

• Where it appears: In discussions of ancient Near Eastern literary tradition and the origins of Biblical texts

• Why it matters: The Gilgamesh flood narrative (Utnapishtim's ark) is strikingly similar to Noah's ark, suggesting shared ancient storytelling traditions across cultures. It raises questions about originality, oral tradition, and how texts travel and transform across civilizations.

What is "France's speech" in King Lear and why does it matter?

• What it is: The King of France's response when Cordelia is disinherited and cast off by Lear at the end of Act I, Scene 1

• Where it appears: Act I, Scene 1 of King Lear

• Why it matters: France defends Cordelia, saying her honesty makes her more precious, not less — "She is herself a dowry." He agrees to marry her without any inheritance. His speech validates Cordelia's moral worth and contrasts sharply with Lear's irrational cruelty, underscoring the play's theme that true value is not found in flattery or wealth.

What is Quid Hinieldus cum Christo?

• What it is: A Latin phrase meaning "What has Ingeld to do with Christ?" — written by the scholar Alcuin in a letter (~797 AD) rebuking monks for listening to heroic Germanic poetry (stories of the pagan hero Ingeld) instead of scripture

• Where it appears: Alcuin's letter to the Bishop of Lindisfarne

• Why it matters: It reveals the tension between pagan Germanic literary tradition and Christian learning in Anglo-Saxon culture. It also proves that heroic poetry was being performed even in monasteries — and that church authorities found this troubling. It's key evidence for how Old English poetry was received and contested

What is the ubi sunt passage in The Wanderer?

• What it is: A passage in the Old English poem The Wanderer using the ubi sunt ("where are they?") motif — a lament for people, places, and joys that have vanished

• Where it appears: The Wanderer, an elegy in the Exeter Book

• Why it matters: The passage asks: where are the lord, the companions, the feasting hall? All are gone. It captures the poem's central themes of exile, impermanence, and loss. The ubi sunt formula was a common medieval literary device, showing how Old English poetry engaged with broader European Christian-Latin literary traditions while maintaining its own elegiac voice.

King lear passage to memorize

Lear:
Peace, Kent!
Come not between the dragon and his wrath.
I loved her most and thought to set my rest
On her kind nursery. (To Cordelia) Hence and avoid my sight!

and

With “base”? with “baseness”? “bastardy”? “base”, “base”?