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Lear
The king turned to mad man, the play revolves around the consequences of his actions. There is a character arc in comparison to his personality at the start.
Gonerill
The eldest daughter of the three, married to the Duke of Albany. She takes control of the situation before her sister, he speech during the love test is oily.
Regan
The second daughter, married to Cornwall. She could be considered the most evil since she has the help of her husband when turning against her father.
Cordelia
The youngest daughter, due to her honesty she gets banished and cursed. She ends up marrying France and with his help fights on her father’s side.
Albany
The good husband. He is against Goneril’s wishes and tries to slow her down whenever it seems like she’s acting on evil intentions. He ends up staying with a third of the kingdom when Lear dies.
Cornwall
The evil husband. He agrees with everything his wife does, as long as it gets them the kingdom and power.
Gloucester
Loyal to Lear, however he shares the same fatal flaw with him. He doesn’t see through Edmond’s lies and therefore cuts off Edgar without knowing the truth.
Edgar
The elder, legitimate son and heir to Gloucester’s fortune. Once banished, he disguises himself as Poor Tom and through that helps his father to not commit suicide.
Edmond
The illegitimate son, who only looks to climb the social ladder and keep all of his father’s inheritance to himself. Could be considered the ultimate Machiavellian.
The Fool
Proves to be the wiser out of all of the characters, and hides his truth behind jokes. Lear’s subconscious, that in a way keeps him sane, once he leaves so does Lear’s sanity.
Kent
Lear’s loyal servant who is banished when he stands up for Cordelia. However, he disguises himself in an effort to take care of Lear and protect him from evil.
Oswald
Goneril’s servant/steward, he does anything she asks him to do.
Parallelism
The similarities between both plots, serves as a comparison of the characters.
Hyperbole
Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
Caesura
A break between words within a metrical foot, the first line continues in the next line.
Catharsis
The process of realisation, it tends to provide relief from repressed emotions.
Soliloquy
An act of speaking one’s thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers.
Hamartia
A character’s fatal flaw.
Aside
A remark that is intended to be heard by the audience but unheard by the other characters in the play.
Peripeteia
A sudden reversal of fortune or change in circumstances.
Anagnorisis
When a character recognises or discovers another character’s true identity.
Pathos
A quality that evokes pity or sadness.
Bathos
An effect of anti-climax. Normally a let down to the audience.
Innuendo
An allusive remark or hint suggestive to something.
Flourish
When trumpets sound at the end of a scene or when characters exit the scene.
Royal “we”
The term a king/queen uses to refer to themselves through the plural pronouns of “we”.
Role reversal
The change of roles that is typically unexpected or least traditional.
Microcosm
A situation regarded as encapsulating in miniature the characteristics of something much larger or the feelings of a character.
Topsy turvy
Something that has gone the opposite of what was expected.
Dramatic irony
The full significance of a character’s words or actions which is clear to the audience, although unknown to the character.
Character arc
A change in a character’s personality which can be either good or bad.
Euphemism
An indirect word substituted by another which could be considered too harsh or blunt. (Hyperbole)
Oxymoron
A figure of speech in which contradictory terms are put together.
Antithesis
A person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else.
Blank verse and prose
Blank verse is used by higher status characters, however prose is used by the lower classes. This also alternates to show the state of madness at which some characters are.
Hysterica Passio
A panic attack as a manifestation of hysteria.
Theme of family
Families in King Lear are the centre of it all, the trust within the families is what creates the inciting action of the play.
Theme of sight
There are two clear examples of this:
The irony with Gloucester being blinded after he blindly judges his son.
Lear completely being blinded by his daughters’ fancy words and false promises.
Theme of justice
Throughout the play the audience has a need for justice to take place and for the characters to get what they deserve.
Theme of madness
Many characters in the play go mad, all for different reasons; the fool starts of mad but proves to the audience he’s the wisest of them all, Edgar who disguises himself in madness, Gloucester who allows madness to take him to his breaking point and Lear who’s reality is completely affected by his madness.
Theme of nature
Nature is very powerful in the play and it represents the character’s feelings as it changes.
“Nothing my lord”…
…Nothing? Nothing”
“See better, Lear…
…and let me still remain”
“Dowered with our curse…
…and strangered with our oath,/ Take her, or leave her?”
“Love’s not love/…
…When it is mingled with regards that stands Aloof from th’entire point”
“A sigh…
…like Tom O’Bedlam”
“I am no…
…/honest man”
“Have more than thou showest, Speak less than thou…
…knowest, lend less than thou owest, ride more than thou goest”
“Does any here know me?…
…This is not Lear”
“Edgar…
…I nothing am”
“You know the fiery…
…quality of the duke”
“O reason not the need! Our…
…basest beggars/ Are in the poorest thing superfluous”
“Blow, winds,…
…and crack your cheeks!”
“I am a man…
…more sinned against than sinning”
“The younger rises…
…when the old doth fall”
“Because I would not see thy…
…cruel nails/ Pluck out his pool old eyes, nor thy fierce sister”
“As flies to wanton boys…
…are we to th’gods; they kill us for their sport”
“Let me wipe it first…
…it smells of mortality”
“A man may see how this world goes…
…with no eyes; look with thine ears”
“The one…
…the other poisoned for my sake”
“Is this…
…the promised end?”
AO5- Bedlam Beggars
Shakespeare used Bedlam humour: referring to the mentally ill who would put on a show at Bethlem hospital during his time period.
AO5- Freud’s 3 structure’s of madness
Neurotics: mental, emotional, or physical reactions that are drastic and irrational.
Perversion: distortion or corruption of the original person.
Psychosis: thought and emotions are so affected that contact is lost with external reality.
AO5- Foucault
Analyses the concept of delirium, which is a discourse that essentially defines madness.
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