King Lear Group at eNotes

Lear's language style changes from ornate and sophisticated to simple,...

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 08:28:42 PST

Lear's language style changes from ornate and sophisticated to simple, monosyllabic. Can you help me find more examples of this?

The old story of the British king and his daughters, as dramatised by...

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 20:18:13 PST

The old story of the British king and his daughters, as dramatised by Shakespeare in 'King Lear', has at its centre the theme of filial ingratitude. In the legendary opening scene, the octogenarian king declares to divide his kingdom among his three daughters on the basis of their expressions of love for the father. The whole idea sounds very ridiculous because Lear brings down love of children for their parents to the grossness of sheer...

short notes on:theme of parent child relationship in king lear,Is...

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 16:40:38 PST

short notes on:theme of parent child relationship in king lear,Is Cordelia's hanging justified?,improbabilities and inconsistencies in the play.

The two main places where I see redemption in King Lear are in the...

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:53:59 PST

The two main places where I see redemption in King Lear are in the stories of King Lear and Gloucester, respectively. Both Lear and Gloucester sin, if you will, early in the play. Lear is cruel to the daughter who least deserves it, while Gloucester disinherits Edgar. Both Gloucester and Lear suffer terribly as a result of the wrongs they have done to their children. Through their suffering they come, by the end of the play to have more...

How is redemption present in "King Lear?"

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:38:01 PST

How is redemption present in "King Lear?"

Everything about Lear is over the top. His vanity and foolishness are...

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:09:17 PST

Everything about Lear is over the top. His vanity and foolishness are extreme, and his eventual suffering seems beyond human endurance, yet he endures, in agony. The depth of Cordelia's abiding, sacrificial love makes the play's irony terribly poignant. The play emphasizes the darkness and the light of the human heart and the human condition in such a deeply personal, universal way that it touches us profoundly.

A true tragedy at once horrifies and elevates, and King Lear is no...

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:26:01 PST

A true tragedy at once horrifies and elevates, and King Lear is no exception. As we see scenes of physical horror such as the blinding of Gloucester, his eyes being plucked and stamped out, and the more psychological ripples of terror of mad old Lear's ravings on the heath in storm and rain, we are surely horrified. But as we notice the octogenarian king in tattered clothes, accompanied by his Fool and the Bedlamite beggar, encounter the fury...

Reading or seeing King Lear is a horrifying as well as uplifting...

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:49:02 PST

Reading or seeing King Lear is a horrifying as well as uplifting experience. Discuss.

In Shakespeare's dramatisation of the story of King Lear and his three...

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:56:16 PST

In Shakespeare's dramatisation of the story of King Lear and his three daughters, Cordelia is the youngest and the most loved of the three daughters of the old king. Cordelia seems to be a Cinderella figure, with Regan & Goneril as the wicked step-sisters. She is the 'good daughter' who refuses to quantify her love for her father while the other two sisters flatter their father to get their shares of kingdom. Cordelia is banished by Lear...

As she was the only "true" daughter of Lear but was punished for her...

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:40:37 PST

As she was the only "true" daughter of Lear but was punished for her virtue instead of her vice, Cordelia is NOT a typical tragic figure per se. (No character weakness untimately leads to her downfall.) However, in the more ancient Greek viewpoint of "hubris," she could indeed be considered a tragic hero in that she refused to play the role of the subservient and fawning daughter and then suffered the consequences. The idea in the latter is...

Explain Cordelia as a tragic figure in King Lear.

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:09:05 PST

Explain Cordelia as a tragic figure in King Lear.

The nature & natural phenomena in King Lear.Discuss to what extent...

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:31:26 PST

The nature & natural phenomena in King Lear.Discuss to what extent nature influences the charaters & how it is used to explain relationships?

Why are Lear's wanderings on the health related to the audience before...

Wed, 7 Oct 2009 15:01:48 PST

Why are Lear's wanderings on the health related to the audience before he is actually seen? (Act 3 Scene 1)

What two incredible circumstances puzzle Lear at the beginning of this...

Sun, 4 Oct 2009 07:59:54 PST

What two incredible circumstances puzzle Lear at the beginning of this scene ?

In Act 2 Scene 3 of King Lear, Edgar portrays himself as "poor Tom," a...

Fri, 2 Oct 2009 05:18:43 PST

In Act 2 Scene 3 of King Lear, Edgar portrays himself as "poor Tom," a Bedlam beggar. Covering his face with filth, turning his hair into knots, and hiding his nakedness behind a blanket, Edgar thus assumes a safe disguise. Edgar was being hunted by his unlawful brother, Edmund, and the disguise of a Bedlamite would have given him a chance to escape the law as well as the conspiratorial Edmund. The Bethelhem Hospital was a notorious...

Why is the disguise of a Bedlam beggar the safest one for Edgar in King...

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 17:34:38 PST

Why is the disguise of a Bedlam beggar the safest one for Edgar in King Lear, Act 2, Scene 3.

What words of Lear indicate the terrible impact of Goneril's treatment ?...

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:52:55 PST

What words of Lear indicate the terrible impact of Goneril's treatment ? (Act 1 Scene 5)

When Lear banishes his youngest daughter, Cordelia, in the opening...

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:58:52 PST

When Lear banishes his youngest daughter, Cordelia, in the opening scene, the Earl of Kent intercedes on behalf the modest Cordelia. The angry octogenarian king banishes Kent as well, and the loyal & well-wishing Kent wants to see a better Lear. In act 1 sc.4 we see Kent in disguise, having assumed the identity of a servant belonging to low station & offering to serve the old king. Lear wants to know his qualifications and he is...

What motive prompts Kent to assume a disguise in Act I, scene 4 of King...

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:59:39 PST

What motive prompts Kent to assume a disguise in Act I, scene 4 of King Lear?

King Lear Multiple Choice Test