Act 1 of Shakespeare's King Lear: Questions and Answers

King Lear – Act 1

Scene 1:
1. In what way does Learn disrupt the Great Chain of Being? What is his motivation? What is his hamartia? What is his fatal flaw? How would this affect his knowledge and understanding of others such as his daughters and Kent?

Lear disrupts the Great Chain of Being when he revokes his position at the top of the Great Chain. Lear was lazy (his hamartia) and was also excessively proud. This excessive pride leads to the deterioration of his father-daughter relationships because he’s unable to handle their attitudes towards him (specifically Cordelia at a young and rebellious age). This also affects his understanding of Kent, where his advice actually enrages and foments Lear (because Lear was being doubted) to the extent he banishes Kent.

2. Discuss the way in which Cordelia responds to being rejected by Burgundy. How does this further characterize her and differentiate her from her sisters?

Cordelia could not care less about being rejected by Burgundy because he was only for the marriage for the dowry.

Scene 2
3. What are Edmund’s grievances as he lists them at the beginning of Act 1, Scene2? What Impression of Edmund do you gain from the soliloquy?

Edmund’s grievances range from him being born illegitimately to his inability to inherit his father’s wealth for that very reason. From his soliloquy, we get the impression of someone who is greedy and bitter, seeking to climb the social ladder and reach upper hierarchy.

4. Edmund is very skilled at deceit. List three specific details of Edmund’s words, actions, or behavior that help him effectively fool his father in this scene.

Edmund pretends to be nervous as Gloucester’s enters, conspicuously “hiding” a letter that he plans to frame his brother with. He also pretends to be discouraged and unsettled by the letter, pretending he feels sympathy towards his brother and wanting to avenge him. Finally, Edmund promises his father that he will talk to Edgar to see what is on his mind, acting like he wishes to spare his father from that experience, but in reality simply preventing Gloucester from discovering the truth and encountering Edgar himself.

5. Summarize Edmund’s criticism of his father – and “of the world” – in l.ii. 113-126. When people blame “the sun, the moon, the stars” or something else outside of their control, what is it that Edmund is suggesting that they are really doing?

Edmund believes that people blame the supernatural to mask their on flaws and in reality, they are only becoming more and more ignorant. Lear believes the Gods above are responsible for his daughters’ evils.

Scene 3:

6. Describe Goneril’s plan to “check” (control) her father’s unruly behavior.

Goneril orders her servant to be rude towards Lear so that something anger will brew, which would her and Lear to clear up some differences in thought.

Scene 4:
7. Contrast Kent’s opening lines in Act 1, Scene 4 with Edmund’s soliloquy at the beginning of Act 1, Scene 2. How do their words reflect their differing beliefs?

Kent strongly believes in the preservation of the Great Chain of Being, where he lives and thrives to serve the people naturally above him in the chain. Therefore, he loves assisting Lear and is loyal to him, proven by the fact he remains by his side and risks his life to help him despite being banished. Contrarily, Edmund is in seek of disrupting the Great Chain of Being as he wishes to dethrone both his brother and his father, rising to the hierarchical branches of the chain.

8. Does it seem odd that Lear wouldn’t recognize Kent? Offer a symbolic explanation for why this might be so.

It’s not too surprising that Lear wouldn’t recognize Kent since Kent is disguised, and Lear is of old age where his eye-sight may have deteriorated to the extent he cannot tell. This can be symbolic of Lear’s loss of power, so that he is viewed as a different person by other members of society, just as Kent is being viewed as a different person.

9. Unlike others, the fool gets away with criticizing Lear. Why do you think this is so? Find at least three different criticisms that the Fool levels at Lear in this scene that he is allowed to get away with it.
The fool is present in the play for comedic relief, but he also acts as an insightful commentary on the consequences that could arise from Lear’s foolish decisions. The fool blasphemes Lear’s decision to split up his land, addressing Kent that “If thou follow him, thou must needs wear my coxcomb.” He subtly calls Kent a fool for following Lear and saying that Kent should borrow his coxcomb “fool’s hat”. The fool also says that there is no need for fools when the more intelligent men act foolishly, implicitly implying that he believes Lear’s actions to be foolish.

10. Explain the irony present in Lear’s question to Oswald: “Who am I, sir?” (l.iv.75). Why does Oswald’s answer enrage Lear? In what way is Oswald a very different kind of servant from Kent?

Lear’s question to Oswald contains irony as the king is referring to the servant as “sir”. Oswald’s answer enrages Lear because Lear expected a more empathetic response (a more important title) as opposed to “my lady’s father”. On the other hand Kent is a very loyal and adheres to the Great Chain of Being, dedicated to committing all actions with his Lear’s best interests in mind.

11. Explain the fool’s symbol of the egg, relating it to Lear’s situation (l.iv.150-155)

The fool uses the egg as a symbol to represent the kingdom, where Lear gives away both halves and is recipient of nothing.

Act 1 as a whole:

12. In this play, sight and blindness are a recurring motif (type of imagery). List at least three examples of its appearance in Act 1. What could sight symbolize? Blindness symbolize?

“All that follow their noses are led by their eyes but blind men” “Worse than brutish! Go, sirrah, seek him. I'll apprehend him. Abominable villain! Where is he?” "See better, Lear; and let me still remain/The true blank of thine eye"
The idea of sight symbolizes wisdom and the ability of ample decision-making, where the characters that have sight are the ones that make the insightful comments (i.e. Fool, Kent).
The idea of blindness symbolizes the ignorance that the character displays where they are unable to make proper decisions.

13. List at least five different critical comments that Goneril and/or Regan make about Learn. What do these comments reveal about what they think of Lear?

“By day and night, he wrongs me! Every hour/He flashes into one gross crime or other”
“Never afflict yourself to know the cause; /But let his disposition have that scope...” “You strike my people, and your disorder'd rabble/Make servants of their betters.”
“Such unconstant starts are we like to have from him as this/of Kent's banishment.” “’Tis the infirmity of his age; yet he hath ever but slenderly/known himself.”
It is made evident that Goneril and Regan are not supportive of Lear because of his random rage at an elderly age.

14. The term “nothing” appears numerous times throughout the play. Identify at least three instances of its use and discuss possible reasons for its frequency.

“Nothing, my lord.”
"Nothing will come of nothing,"
“I'm a fool, thou art nothing"
The word nothing is used frequently in this act because Goneril and Regan are basing their love for Lear off of nothing, so that their love does not actually exist. Another reason for its frequent use is the fact that Lear has been reduced to nothingness in a sense after he has given up his power to his unappreciative, pragmatic daughters.

15. Lear’s identity and sanity are already beginning to crack in Act 1. Find and explain two examples (quotes) where Lear questions who he really is and/or worries about losing his mind.

“O let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven!”
This quote is foreshadowing his great losses as the play progresses. Not to mention Lear contemplates his downfall due to the Fool’s constant questioning of his intelligence and validity of his actions. “Doth any here know me? This is not Lear. / . . . / Who is it that can tell me who I am?”
This example depicts Lear losing his identity after he has lost his estate and position. He has become moot now that he is no longer a king, and he can no longer enforce his power or decisions over others.

Lear believes flatterers
Impulsively rejects honest attachment
Willfully ignores good advice (Kent)
Makes himself completely vulnerable once he has no power
Susceptible to madness due to devastating shock to his “world view”
Natural Order
Great Chain of Being
Unnatural order
Disorder established after Lear gives away his kingdom
Sisters conspiring/plotting against each other
Nobility versus dishonesty
Insensitive conversation between Gloucester and Kent…. Fuels Edmund’s desire to change circumstance
Gloucester’s lack of insight… similar to Lear and is supportive of him.
Animal (bestial) versus human motif… in the great chain of being, animal life is below human life, and when the natural order is disrupted by Lear’s hamartia, humans are described as animals: Human behavior is more like animal behavior. “Detested kite! Thou liest”, “come not between the dragon and his wrath”
Lear says to Cordelia, “better thou has not been born than not to have pleased me better”
Nothing motif.... (1.1.90) (1.4.190-193) (1.2.33-36) The nothing motif is used to ironically reinforce the bad judgment of both Lear and Gloucester.
Lear’s journey to self-knowledge by end of act one:
Goneril’s lack of gratitude triggers: (1.1.226-230)
Lear’s dawning realization that he was wrong to disown Cordelia. It is the contrast between what Goneril has done and what Cordelia said that makes Lear question his judgment. (1.5.24)
Lear is not taking any responsibility for the situation he finds himself in. He believes it is only Goneril’s evil treatment of a kind and generous father (1.5.39)

King Lear – Act 2
Scene 1
Edmund seems willing to go to any lengths to make sure that his lies are believed. What is the most extreme thing he does to be believed in this scene?
Edmund wounds himself with a knife so that he draws attention from the people in the castle in order to frame Edgar even more.
Gloucester is self-absorbed
Brags about sex with Edmund’s mother… demeaning to Edmund Select a quote that demonstrates dramatic irony in this scene. Copy it out, and explain who knows/does not know what information
“For you, Edmund, whose virtue and obedience doth this instant so much commend itself.” (2.1.117-118). In this quote by Cornwall, it is he evident he is unaware of Edmund’s plot to disown his brother Edgar. Cornwall assumes that Edmund is truthful and fully entrusts him to be a knight of his when in reality, Edmund is aware and is only using this title to ascend up the hierarchical ladder; Edmund is deceptive and disloyal which will prove to be problematic later on in the play. Why is Gloucester so easily deceived by Edmund? How does he differ from Lear in his treatment of his children? How is he the same?
Gloucester is easily deceived by Edmund because as he actually believes Edmund’s story in which Edgar is up to no good. He is also deceived by this because he thought he loved both his children equally and he would have never expected such thoughts Edgar was supposedly having according to Edmund’s story. Gloucester is different from King Lear in that he does not evidently favor any one of his children. On the other hand, both Gloucester and Lear are blind (insight), thinking that they will not intend to cause him any harm because he had cared for them.
Scene 2
Kent and Oswald exchange insults in Act 2, Scene 2. Discuss why Kent detests Oswald so vehemently.
Kent detests Oswald so vehemently because Oswald is indifferent and passive about everything pertaining to the Great Chain of Being (which is polar-opposite to Kent’s personality). Oswald inadvertently insults King Lear, and Kent reacts accordingly as Lear’s loyal servant in the Great Chain of Being. Act 2, Scene 2 has a soliloquy by Kent followed immediately by a soliloquy by Edgar (lines 158-192) in Scene 3. The pairing is deliberate. List as many similarities between the two characters as possible.
Both characters have had their positions in society severed; Edgar and Kent declined from royalty to the wilderness and banishment from the kingdom respectively. The two characters also pursue false identities in order to mask their new, rejected selves.

Scene 3:
The Fool frequently comments on the play and, though hidden in riddles, gives good advice. Examine his words in 2.3.65-71 and explain one piece of life advice given here.
The fool elicits that people are self-interested and could not care less for a powerless king. This is evident in the play and in his lines where the fool explains “there’s not a nose among twenty but can smell him that’s stinking. Let go thy hold when a great wheel runs down a hill, lest it break thy neck with following it […]” The fool is also advising to not follow those who have lost their power as one may tumble down with them. However, the fool also advises for following great power, stating “but the great one that goes up the hill, let him draw thee after.”
Scene 4:
How does Regan show herself to be more cunning and cruel than Goneril?
To begin, Regan denies Lear’s visit to her castle and does not desire to meet him. She also requires of him to return to Goneril’s castle since she does not want to deal with him and his knights; Regan implements an even stricter limit on the amount of knights Lear is able to bring into her castle. Not to mention she also places Kent in the stocks to ridicule Lear’s power and further disown him.

This scene makes clear what “purchased” love becomes. Explain.
This scene resembles how fabricated, purchased love does not last. When Lear has given up his estate and power, it is clear Goneril and Regan no longer care for him and can only emit their long-felt hate and disdain towards him. This is shown in the scene when both Goneril and Regan reject him one after the other in each of their castles.

Act 2 ends with a literaly storm brewing. Storms in Shakespearean plays often mirror the disorder within individual minds or society. What dramatic device is this? Identify two different instances of individual or social disturbance in Act 2.
This dramatic device is known as pathetic fallacy, where supernatural disturbances occur as a result to an alteration to the Great Chain of Being. An individual disturbance pertaining to this device is where Edmund fools Edgar into fleeing the house, misleading Gloucester, as Edmund tries to climb the hierarchy despite being born falsely. A social disturbance relating to pathetic fallacy is the rejection of King Lear by his daughters and how he is ridiculed in Regan’s castle. This disrespect to royalty (the King) at the top of the Great Chain of Being brews a virulent storm.

Act 2 Overview:
Wheel of Fortune (goddess Fortuna)
Natural Order (pre-ordained)
Versus Free will (human nature)
Edmund’s “rise on the Wheel of Fortune”
Letter from “Edgar” – “A credulous father and a brother noble” (1.2.180)
Cuts himself (uses extreme measures – the ends just the means)
Quick-thinking opportunist – uses unexpected arrival of Regan and Cornwall to his advantage against Edgar > connects Edgar to Lear’s “riotous knights” (2.1.94) > gets into Cronwall’s good graces “You we first seize on” (2.1.116).
“My practices ride easy! I see the business. / Let me, if not by birth, have hands by wit:/ All with me’s meet that I can fashion fit” (1.2.183-185). Machievellianism.
“I should have been that I am had the maidenliest star in the firmament twinkled on my bastardizing” (1.2.133-135). It is Edmund’s “human nature”. The stars’ alignment at his time of birth has nothing to do with who he is.
Takes delight in being conniving
Wheel of Fortune – State of the natural order on Downward progression
Lear – rejected by both daughters – stripped of identity as King and is forced out into the storm
Kent – loss of identity as an Earl – in disguise as a peasant & put in the stocks
Edgar – forced to flee, having lost his identity as Gloucester’s son and heir & assumes new identity as poor Tom, a bedlam beggar
Edgar is on the side of the Natural Order – he is Lear’s ‘godson whom he named’ (2.1.91-92) and he, like every other character who is associated with the Natural Order, is on a downward progression on the wheel of fortune. As the fortunes of the characters associated with Human Nature rise up the wheel, the situations of the characters associated with the Natural Order fall.
Lear’s Journey to Self-knowledge by End of Act Two
Regan’s lack of gratitude triggers:
(2.4.256-259) Lear still bases his judgment of his daughters’ love on superficial matters. Goneril loves him twice as much as Regan because she was willing to let him keep 50 knights instead of 25 knights.
(2.4.189-192) and (2.4.271-282) Lear still blames external forces, not his own lack of judgment and decision making, for his daughters’ ill treatment and “monstrous ingratitude”.
Exile into the storm – symbolism of the storm – the external storm mirrors Lear’s internal storm (pathetic fallacy). Regan’s words “O! sir, to willful men,/The injuries that they themselves procure/Must be their schoolmasters” (2.4.302-304) reveal the perspective of human nature.
The wrongs that people bring among themselves serve as lessons by a schoolmaster…
Look at 2.4.271 … stain my cheeks.
External storm mirrors Lear’s internal storm… Nature mirrors the human level = pathetic fallacy
Sings that the Wheel of Fortune is Turning:
Curan: Have you heard of no likely wars toward, ‘twixt the Dukes of Cornwall and Albany? (2.1.10-11)
Kent: Nothing almost sees miracles/But misery: I know ‘tis from Cordelia, ‘who hath most fortunately been inform’d/ Of my obscured course; and shall find time/ From this enormous state, seeking to give/Losses their remedies… Fortune, good night, smile once more, turn thy wheel! (2.2.173)
Motifs and Devices
Letters – letters from Lear and Goneril reinforce Lear’s falling status and Goneril’s rising one
Letters from Cordelia foreshadows forces representing the Natural Order are at work. This letter falls into the wrong hands in the next Act reinforcing the continuing rise for the proponents of Human Nature as it will lead to Gloucester’s homelessness.
Both Goneril and Regan are described as animals/beasts, not humans.
Sickness/disease imagery is used to emphasize an unhealthy unnatural country & diseased children.
Irony between:
Kent: “kill thy physician, and the fee bestow/ upon the foul disease” (1.1.164-165).
Lear: “but yet thou are my flesh, my blood, my daughter; Or rather a disease that’s in my flesh,/…thou art a boil, /A plague-sore, an embossed carbuncle, In my corrupted blood” (2.4.221-224).

Act 3 Questions – King Lear

1. The setting is a place full of desolation and suffering, in a natural environment with lightning and rain. This is a good place for Lear to heal his troubled mind because he is out in the wilderness, where he is able to embrace his emotions and thoughts without anyone judging or interrupting him. However, it may not be an ideal place for him to heal, as there is no one there to console or comfort Lear.
2. The gentleman foreshadows that the current conditions “might change or cease”. This indicates that the current societal positions may be in motion, and that things will not remain in its current peaceful state. The help may come from Gloucester, as it says “Tears his white hair”, which is indicative of Gloucester’s hair colour due to his old age. There is also foreshadowing of potential aid coming from France and Cordelia.
3. A literary device used in this scene is pathetic fallacy, which is shown in the weather of the area. There is shown to be foul weather, which is indicative of Lear’s current mood, which is also described to be foul.
4. Lear is figuratively weathering the inevitable storm that is approaching as a result of him going against the Great Chain of Being. This includes his daughters’ poor treatment of Lear, as well as the treachery and deceit throughout his kingdom.
5. Lear is saying with this quote that he was wronged, and that all these misfortunes should not be happening to him. I disagree with this sentiment, as he was the original cause of all these events.
6. Lear is shown to be aware of his worsening state of mind when he says “My wits begin to turn”. This shows that he is beginning to realize that he is losing his mind.
7. Gloucester is shown in this scene to be distressing over Regan and Cornwall’s mistreatment of Lear. This shows that he still believes Lear to be a very important person, respecting the Great Chain of Being. On the other hand, Edmund says that he will not allow Gloucester to help the King, making sure that Regan and Cornwall do not allow natural order to be restored.
8. King Lear tells Kent and the Fool to enter into the hut before him, putting their need for shelter before his own. He refers to them as “suffering homeless people” even though he is one himself.
9. He sympathizes with Edgar’s complete vulnerability, made extremely evident by his lack of clothes. The clothes symbolize his protection, so without the protection of his usual status in society, he is completely vulnerable. He wants to make Edgar feel comfortable with himself. He also realizes that underneath all the clothing, everyone is weak, and will offer no protection against the will of the gods.
10. Gloucester thinks that Kent has been banished, so he speaks about Kent as if he was not there. However, Kent is actually disguised, so Gloucester does not recognize him. The audience and Kent know that Kent did not leave after being banished, but Gloucester does not know.
11. Edmund, through his deceitfulness, has been able to earn the trust of Cornwall. This allows him to potentially elevate his place in society even further now that he has ruined his father’s reputation.
12. Lear is imagining that he is judging Regan and Goneril, deciding their fate. He is putting them on trial and trying to damn them to hell.
13. Edgar is letting his emotions take control of him, and is starting to act mad. He says “Do-de, de-de. Cessez! Come, march to wakes and fairs and market towns. Poor Tom, thy horn is dry.” This nonsense phrase is indicative of his eccentric behaviour.
14. Edgar is able to see that compared to Lear’s suffering, his suffering is not as important. He has a “companion in suffering”, and this allows him to better deal with his grief.
15. This shows the effect of the Wheel of Fortune. As Edmund is able to rise to the top of the wheel, Gloucester is consequently brought down on the other end. This is indicative of the reversal of fate and the struggle between human nature and natural order.
16. The servant is in favour of natural order, as he fights in order to protect Gloucester, who is also a believer in natural order. He willingly sacrifices his life in order to protect what he believes to be right, showing his faithfulness and loyalty towards Gloucester.
17. The Fool is removed in this scene because Lear no longer requires a voice to tell him what to do. The Wheel of Fortune has completely made half a revolution, causing Lear to completely lose all control of his decisions. As a result, the Fool is not needed to tell Lear what decisions to make, and to reflect on his decisions.

Act 3 – Signs that the Wheel of Fortune is Turning
Kent:
“There is division,/Although as yet the face of it be cover’d/with mutual cunning, ‘twixt Albany and Cornwall;/ Who have – as who have not, that their great stars/Throned and set high? – servants, who seem no less, Which are to France the spies and speculations/Intelligent of our state … “ (3.1.19-25). “I am a gentleman of blood and breeding,/And from some knowledge and assurance offer/This office to you” (3.1.40-42).
First servant:
“Hold your hand, my lord. I have served you ever since I was a child, But better service have I never done you/ Than now to bid you hold” (3.7.73-76) > “I have received a hurt … I bleed apace:/ Untimely comes this hurt” (3.7.96-98).
Motifs and Devices
Animal/Bestial
“This night, wherein the cub-drawn bear would couch,/The lion and belly-pinched wolf/keep their fur dry, unbonneted he runs,/ And bids what will take all” (3.1.12-14)
“’twas this flesh begot/Those pelican daughters” (3.4.71-72). “she foxes” (3.6.23)
Letters:
“I have received a letter this night… These injuries the king now bears will be revenged home” (3.3.9-12)
“This courtesy, forbid thee, shall the duke/Instantly know; and of that letter too:/This seems a fair deserving, and must draw me/That which my father loses; no less than all:/The younger rises when the old doth fall” (3.3.21-25)
Lear’s journey to self-knowledge by the End of Act 3
Lear’s situation at the beginning of act 3
Powerless, homeless, exposed to the harsh elements of the storm
Contending with the fretful elements; bids the wind blow the earth into the sea, or swell the curled waters ‘bove the main, that things might change or cease; tears his white hair, which the impetuous blasts, with eyeless rage, catch in their fury, and make nothing of; Strives in his little world of man to out-scorn the to-and-fro-conflicting wind and rain. This night, wherein the cub-drawn bear would couch, the lion and the belly-pinched wolf keep their fury dry, unbonneted he runs, and bids what will take all. (3.1.4-14)
What is revealed? What motifs/imagery are used to illustrate this?
Humanity can never overcome nature
Lear still believes this:
Rumble thy bellyful! Spit, fire! Spout, rail! Nor rain, wind, thunder, fire, are my daughters: I never gave you kingdom, call’d you children, You owe me no subscription: then, let fall your horrible pleasure; here I stand, your slave, a poor, infirm, weak, and despised old man. That have with two pernicious daughters…
Turning point:
My wits begin to turn. Come on, my boy. How doest, my boy? Art cold?... Poor fool and knave, I have one part in my heart/That’s sorry yet for thee” (3.2.68-73)
Poor naked wretches, wheresoe’er you are, that bide the pelting of this pitiless storm, how shall your houseless heads and unfed sides, your loop’d and window’d raggedness, defend you from seasons such as these? O! I have ta’en too little care of this. Take physic, pomp; Expose thyself to feel what wretches feel, that though mayst shake the superflux to them, and show the heavens more just.” (3.4.28-36)
Lear makes a realization: There are people in his kingdom who are not as fortunate as himself
New Awareness Brought About by Poor Tom (Edgar)
(3.4.100-108) blank versus vs prose (2.4.264-270) – humility: speaking as an ordinary human being
Lear’s disrobing contrasts his need for his hundred knights in (2.4.264-270). Lear symbolically divests himself of his kingly robes to reinforce his loss of status. In his despair, he recognizes himself in poor Tom, the naked, homeless beggar.
Clothing motif related to identity… connected to Kent disrobing and natural disorder
Gloucester’s Journey to Self-knowledge by the End of Act 3
Gloucester (3.4.139)
(3.4.159-167)
Although Gloucester has made clear his allegiance to Lear and the Natural Order, and recognizes what has happened to Lear, he remains “blind” to his own poor choices. This blindness is reinforced by his inability not just to recognize Kent, but more significantly, Edgar.
Awareness of his Hamartia:
“O my follies! Then Edgar was abused. /Kind gods, forgive me that, and prosper him!” (3.7.91-92)
Gloucester has reached the sage of self-knowledge where he has realized his “hamartia”, but NOT his character flaw. This stage does not get revealed until Act 4. This parallels Lear’s awareness that he misjudged his daughters and foolishly gave his kingdom away to Goneril and Regan, but not that he, himself, bore any responsibility for this poor decision.
Edgar’s soliloquy (3.7.103-114) clearly allies him to the Natural Order
Edgar finding it tough to maintain his persona