King Lear- Quick Themes

King Lear- Quick Themes

1. deceit

   • disguise
     • clothing
       • Edgar changes clothing to mirror his downfall. when he wears nothing, he has nothing in terms of status
       • Clothing- characters put it on to assume a new character
       • I think we can also talk about 'put on what weary negligence you please'
     • Kent for Lear
     • Poor Tom
     • The accents Edgar puts on for blind Gloucester
   • betrayal
     • Albany of baddies
     • Edmund of Glos
     • Edmund of Glos
     • G poisons R
   • Edmund of Glos
   • Edgar of Glos
   • Lear of daughters G and R

2. justice

   • good vs evil
     • servant kills Cornwall
     • good side vs bad side
   • Cornwall dies
   • Edgar kills Edmund
   • Edgar wins
   • Injustice: Cordelia dies

3. Eyesight

   • see better
   • used as a metaphor for understanding
   • 'Dearer than...'
     • Goneril says this

4. Parents and children

   • Glos and children
   • Lear's children
     • Parallels
     • 'create in her a child of spleen'
   • Also, off on a tangent, oedipus says 'Children' and 'My poor children'

5. supernatural

   • Gods, stand up for bastards
     • Edmund says this
   • lear commands nature
     • 'blow winds' etc
   • Gloucester believes in supernatural especially

6. Madness

   • Edgar's disguise of Poor Tom
   • Lear's slide into madnes
   • Fool's professional madness

7. Loyalty

   • Kent to Lear
   • cordelia to Lear
     • debatable- room for AO3
   • Gloucester to lear