King Lear

Lear inspires love in others

Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave my heart into my mouth.

Lear’s tragic flaw is his hubris

I…am most loath to call your faults as they are named

Lear experiences intense suffering as he faces his folly

Here I stand, your slave, a poor, infirm, weak and despised old man.

Lear learns humility, compassion and empathy

Pray you now forget and forgive. I am old and foolish

Spectacle of his grief arouses pity and fear in the audience

All’s cheerless, dark and deadly

Lear values a flattering display of love over real love

Which one of you shall we say doth love us most?

As Lear’s sanity is threatened, his understanding grows

O, matter and impertinency mixed! Reason in madness!

With great humility, he asks for Cordelia’s forgiveness

Pray you now forget and forgive; I am old and foolish.

Unlike her sisters, Cordelia is motivated by love

No blown ambition doth our arms incite, but love, dear love.

Cordelia heals, Goneril and Regan harm

Let this kiss repair those harms that my two sisters have in thy reverence made

Although a lie, Goneril and Regan assert their false love for Lear

I love you more than words can wield the matter

Regan’s cruelty in this scene amplifies her malice

Let him smell his way to Dover

Animal imagery reflects Goneril and Regan’s inhumanity

How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child!

The Fool is granted the right to speak freely to guide Lear

All licensed fool

The fool reminds Lear of his own foolishness

Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise

The Fool inspires Lear’s pity in recognition of others

I have one part in my heart that’s sorry for thee

Kent recognises Lear’s inability to see his daughters’ natures

See better Lear

Through folly and emptiness, Lear gains wisdom

A man may see how this world goes with no eyes

Lear appreciates that wealth masks the vices of the rich

Through tattered clothes, small vices do appear. Robes and furred gowns hide all

Lear sees that one can gain true insight if they remove the trappings of power

Unaccommodated man is no more but a…bare, forked animal

While Kent and Edgar wear disguises, Oswald wears a suit

A tailor made thee