King Lear Act 1 and Critical Literary Lenses

Flashcards covering the vocabulary, characters, and critical literary lenses introduced in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 of the Grade 12 King Lear lecture.

The Architecture of Chaos

The overarching theme of the course, focusing on the anatomy of how things go wrong and how systems collapse.

Feminist Lens

A critical lens focusing on patriarchal power, systemic gender roles, and the subversion of those roles, particularly around the male gaze and female agency.

Psychoanalytic Lens

A literary lens based on the study of psychology (Freud and Jung), focusing on unconscious desires, egos, fears, and internal trauma.

Marxist Lens

A critical lens focusing on class struggles, material wealth, capital, and labor exploitation.

Postcolonial Lens

A literary perspective that examines hegemony, marginalization, regional borders, displacement, and the phenomenon of 'othering.'

Proletariats

The working class in Marxist theory who must work to pay bills and earn a living.

Bourgeoisie

The class that controls the working class, divided into 'old money' (inherited legacy wealth) and 'new money' (self-made wealth).

Base and Superstructure

The two main social components in Marxist theory that describe the relationship between the economic foundation and the culture of a society.

Othering

A concept within the postcolonial lens where a group is differentiated from the 'default' setting to signify marginalization or exclusion.

The Love Test

King Lear's initial exercise where he offers the biggest chunks of land to the daughter who can flatter him the best.

Verbal Hyperbole

Exaggeration upon exaggeration, specifically referring to the insincere flattery Goneril and Regan use to secure land.

Ego Fracture

The mental break Lear experiences when Cordelia refuses to flatter him, triggering his narcissistic anger and causing him to banish her.

Geopolitical Matrix

The geography of politics; the idea that where one is situated directly impacts political responses and interactions.

Foil

Two characters placed next to each other to highlight strengths, weaknesses, and differences, such as Edgar and Edmund or Buzz and Woody.

Bastard

In Shakespearean times, a legal status of absolute exclusion meaning a child was not born of legitimate means (wedlock) and could not inherit titles.

Primogeniture

The traditional law that dictates the firstborn legitimate son inherits the father's wealth and titles.

Nothing

A central motif in King Lear representing a void of capital, a moral truth, or a breakdown of performative communication.

Social Darwinism

A modern perspective on Edmund's rebellion, characterized by survival of the fittest and challenging systemic boundaries of inheritance.

Truth Teller

A role often played by the Fool in Shakespearean plays, who can critique stupidity and speak the truth under the guise of being 'silly' or 'debauched.'

Externalized Conscience

The role of the Fool in King Lear, acting as Lear's inner thoughts and moral guide living outside of him.

Weary Negligence

The treatment Goneril orders her household to use against Lear to undermine his authority after he has retired.

Moral Blindness

A central theme associated with characters like Gloucester and Lear, representing the inability to see reality even when it is right in front of them.