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King Lear

Explore the intricate structure and dynamic characters in Shakespeare's King Lear, delving into the main and subplots, character foiling, key motifs like seeing and judging, and powerful imagery. Uncover the themes of parent/child relationships, flattery, madness, judgment, and appearance vs. reality.

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King Lear

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  1. King Lear Structure, characters, and themes

  2. King Lear King Lear Goneril Regan Cordelia Albany Cornwall France

  3. King LearCharacters Main Plot • Primary -- dynamic • Protagonist, changes through play • Lear • Antagonist, character revealed • Goneril, Regan • Secondary -- static • Reflection characters • Cordelia, Kent, Fool, France

  4. King LearCharacters Sub Plot • Good • Gloucester, Edgar, change • Evil • Edmund, character revealed • Reflection characters • Oswald, Albany, Cornwall, servant to Cornwall

  5. King LearFoils • Character foiling • Lear and Gloucester • Cordelia and Edgar • Goneril/Regan and Edmund • Plot foiling • Act 1, sc 1 & Act 5, sc 3 • Act 3, sc 6 and sc 7

  6. Motifs Seeing Judging Flattery “the worst” “unaccomodated man” Patience nothing Imagery Insults Foul fiend, madness Swearing by Gods Astrology King LearMotifs and Imagery

  7. King LearSeeing motif • Act 1 • “Hence and avoid my sight” “Out of my sight!” • “See better, Lear” • “If it be nothing, I shall not need spectacles” • Act 3 • “Pluck out his eyes” • “I would not see thy cruel nails pluck out his poor old eyes” • “I shall see the winged vengeance overtake such children” • “See it shalt thou never”

  8. King LearSeeing motif • Act 4 • “I stumbled when I saw” • “Might I but live to see thee in my touch, I’d say I had eyes again” • Act 5 • “As for the mercy Which he intends to Lear and to Cordelia, The battle done, and they within our power, Shall never see his pardon” • “Do you see this? Look on her, look, her lips, Look there, look there!”

  9. Motifs Seeing Judging Flattery “the worst” “unaccomodated man” Patience nothing Imagery Insults Foul fiend, madness Swearing by Gods Astrology King LearMotifs and Imagery

  10. King LearThemes • Parent/child relationship • Flattery • Madness • Judgment • Appearance vs. reality • world view of Renaissance Christian Humanist and Machiavellian

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