King lear key terms

divine right of kings

a political and religious doctrine which asserted that kings derived their authority from God. Therefore opposing this would be to go against God’s will and selection of who should be King.

great chain of being

a hierarchical structure of all matter and life thought to be devised by God and if this order was changed chaos would ensue. The King is the highest standing being on Earth

wheel of fortune

the unpredictable nature of fate and how when you find yourself doing well (at the top of the wheel) your fortune can quickly change and cause a downfall

great chain of being order

1. God

2. angels

3. king

4. commoners

5. animals

6. plants

7. non living things

hamartia

a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero

anagnorisis

hero realises the error of their ways (but it is too late)

peripeteia

the moment of reversal of fortune

catastrophe

end of a tragedy where the outcomes of the dramatic climax are fully realised

elements of Aristotelian tragic convention

• hamartia

• anagnorisis

• peripeteia

• catastrophe

comic relief

in a serious text, a moment, character or scene that creates humour or levity (lightness)

dramatic irony

ironic situation when the audience or reader knows more than the characters

foil character

character in a story who contrasts with another character, often protagonist, to highlight certain qualities or traits of that character

tragic hero

subplot

secondary storyline that runs parallel to the main plot

what is the subplot in KL

the story with Gloucester, Edmund and Edgar