& Title Author: King Lear, Shakespeare Publisher: 1608 Elizabethan period Genre: Tragedy Writing Style: Blank verse, Iambic parameter, rhyming couplets, prose jalousies, asides, dramatic irony, and foil. P.O.V: 3d person Setting: Elizabethan clothing, pre-Christian Britain, Dover Plot: King Lear decides to step down from the throne and divide his kingdom among his three daughters. However, he puts his daughters through a love test. Goneril and Regan, Lear's older daughters, give their father untruthful hyperbolized answers. But Cordelia, Lear's youngest daughter, remains silent saying that she has no words to describe how much she loves her father. Lear flies off the handle and disowns Cordelia. Lear also tells his faithful servant; Kent, that he is banished from the country. The king of France, who is courting Cordelia, wants to marry her with or without the land, she accompanies him to France without her father's blessing. Lear quickly learns that he made a bad decision. Goneril and Regan begin to undermine the little authority that Lear still holds. Unable to believe that his daughters are betraying him, Lear slowly goes insane. He flees his daughters' houses to wander during a massive thunderstorm, accompanied by his Fool and by Kent, in disguise. Meanwhile, an elderly nobleman named Gloucester also experiences family problems. His illegitimate son, Edmund, tricks him into believing that his legitimate son, Edgar, is trying to kill him. Fleeing the manhunt that his father has set for him, Edgar disguises himself as a crazy beggar and calls himself "Poor Tom." Like Lear, he heads out onto the storm. When Gloucester realizes that Lear's daughters have turned against their father, he decides to help Lear in spite of the danger. Regan and her husband, Cornwall, discover him helping Lear, accuse him of treason, blind him, and turn him out to wander the countryside. He ends up being led by his disguised son, Edgar, toward the city of Dover, where Lear has also been brought. In Dover, a French army lands as part of an invasion led by Cordelia in an effort to save her father. Edmund apparently becomes romantically entangled with both Goneril and Regan, whose husband, Albany, is increasingly sympathetic to Lear's cause. Goneril and Edmund conspire to kill Albany. The despairing Gloucester tries to commit suicide, but Edgar saves him by pulling the popular trick of leading him off an "imaginary cliff". Meanwhile, the English troops reach Dover, and the English, led by Edmund, defeat the Cordelia-led French. Lear and Cordelia are captured. Edgar battles with and kills Edmund; we learn of the death of Gloucester due to a broken heart; Goneril poisons Regan out of jealousy over Edmund and then kills herself her when treachery is revealed to Albany; Edmund's order to have Cordelia hung in prision leads to Lear's death due to also a broken heart. Albany, Edgar, and the elderly Kent are left to take care of the country. Characters: Lear- Lear is King of Britain who gives his land away to his daughters in an attempt to stop any argument of who gets what when he passes away. Goneril- Goneril is the eldest of the three daughters, she poisons Regan and then killes her self. Regan- is the middle of the three. Cordelia- Youngest child of Lear, she is nave and innocent. Gloucester- Feels sorry for Lear when he hears of his daughters, he takes Lears side and looses his sight because of it. Edgar- Gloucester's legitimate son, he is banished, disguises himself as a poor beggar named old tom. EdmundGloucester's bastard son, he is pure evil, wants title of legitimacy. Kent- Lear's ever faithful servant, banished because he disagrees with Lear's decision, returns in disguise. Albany- He is a floater, unsure though the play until the end. Cornwall- Married to Regan, plucks out Gloucester's eyes. The Fool- The fool is a foil, he disappears halfway through the play. Oswald- Messenger, he is killed by Edgar. King of France- France marries Cordelia without her fathers blessings. Symbols: Storm- everything falling apart, a "storm" amongst the people. Ring- Kent's symbol of nobility. Eight letters- Importance of the written word. Land- Lear's power, Lear's downfall. Knights- Lear's symbol of power, they are slowly striped from him. Themes: Love- Love is thought to be of spoken word, this is seen in the love test, but true love is through actions, like those of Kent and Cordelia. Appearance- Kent changes his dress after he is banished, Edgar changes his appearance after he is banished, the appearance of them is changed and thus they are disguised. Sight- Gloucester was blind before he was actually blinded. Nothing- nothing is always something. Age- Lear asks Kent when he was rehiring him of his age, Lear lets us know that he is four score or 80 yrs old. Holistic Interpretation: Lear in an attempt to avoid problems, creates bigger problems by dividing his land and giving up his power. Gloucester trusts his evil illegitimate son who has him blinded, but really lets him see the truth. Quotes: "Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave my heart into my mouth. I love your majesty According to my bond; no more nor less." "As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods; They kill us for their sport." "Howl, howl, howl, howl! O, you are men of stones: Had I your tongues and eyes, I'd use them so That heaven's vault should crack. She's gone forever! I know when one is dead, and when one lives; She's dead as earth."