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Flashcards

King Lear AO2

Toni Olukiran English literature A-Level English 68 cards

Cards in this deck (68)

  1. 1Loss of power (shadow)L: Who is it that can tell me what I am? F:Lear's shadow
  2. 2Disrespect (Edmund)Gl: 'The whoreson must be acknowledged.' AO4- bastards had little value to their fathers because only legitimate heir carried on the line
  3. 3Fakeness (Regan)'I profess myself an enemy to all other joys'
  4. 4Antithesis (Setting of word against word)'So young, and so untender?' - one of Shakespeare's favourite devices in the text - divison of kingdom, son against father, sibling vs sibling etc -conflict through use of opposites- according to Gibson, '(Conflict) is the essence of all drama.'
  5. 5Kent's advice'See better, Lear'
  6. 6Economic/monetary imagery'now her price is fallen... she's there, and she is yours.'
  7. 7Cordelia's certainty and wholesomenessSpeaks in concise, perfect iambic pentameter
    'Time shall unfold what plighted cunning hides'
  8. 8Personification of nature(Edmund) 'Thou, Nature, art my goddess' Lear 'Hear, Nature, hear, dear goddess, hear.' and telling winds to 'Crack your cheeks!' shows how nature viewed as powerful (also capitalised to manipulate)
  9. 9Repetition of 'Villain'Gloucester struggling to believe that it is true - obvious reluctance also shown even later than this after this device fails as he says 'He cannot be such a monster.'
  10. 10The fool echoing Lear'Can nothing be made out of nothing, nuncle?' Alliteration- references to nihilism
  11. 11Disease and suffering- Lear's daughters'Thou art a plague-sore, an embossed carbuncle'
    'Pelican daughters'
  12. 12Metaphysical nihlismDenying all existence of anything: 'This is not Lear/Where are his eyes?'
  13. 13Existential nihilismDenying that there is any value in anything, ''Here I stand your slave, a poor infirm weak and despised old man.'
  14. 14Lear realising the error of his ways The fool insulting his'I did her wrong'
    'thou woudst make a good fool.'
  15. 15The fool's warning'Thou shouldst not have been old til thou hadst been wise'
  16. 16The worsening of Regan's character'Till noon? Till night, my lord and all night too.' shows her evil side AO3 - in the Paul Scofield version Regan becomes very gleeful during Gloucester's blinding yet she is portrayed as squeamish and feeling bad or passive in Peter Brook
  17. 17Simile'They flattered me like a dog'
  18. 18Cordelia's Christian languageHer words such as ,'Goodness, restore, pity, repaire and benediction' all connote the Christian qualities of tolerance and understanding
  19. 19Pagan imagery'O you mighty gods!' Now gods, stand up for bastards!'
  20. 20MetaphorSuggesting similarity between two different things 'thou art a plague-sore, a carbuncle'
  21. 21Animal imageryWhen Lear likens daughter's cruelty and ingratitute to beasts 'How sharper than a serpents tooth' and calls them 'pelican daughters' ripping out flesh and blood Oswald is a 'whoreson dog' and Gloucester's description of people 'as flies they (gods) kill us for sport' also Edgar reduces himself 'near to beast' to make himself seem mad - all of this imagery reduces the significance of humans
  22. 22Sight and blindess'Out of my sight!' / see better Lear / pluck out his eyes / I stumbled when I saw
  23. 23ImperativesA style suited to a monarch who expects to have his demands met. Opening line of Lear's is an order to Kent 'Attend the lords of France and Burgundy' and even in madness Lear tries to retain his power by fighting with the omnipotent elements 'blow winds, and crack your cheeks!'
  24. 24Verse and prose (3/4 verse 1/4 prose)Talks in prose to Poor Tom, Fool and Gloucester - could suggest more in touch with humanity and humbles himself even with the ones who are most wretched 'Even our basest beggars are in the poorest thing superfluous.'/ Consider him well
  25. 25Iambic pentameterMore experimental in this later work as opposed to the way he stuck rigidly with it in Richard III - not so much end stopping as more enjambment which could be to express more fractured emotions or to increase dramatic intensity
  26. 26Plain and direct language in crucial moments'You must not kneel/do not laugh at me/pray you, undo this button.' expressing profound feelings in simple words
  27. 27Edgar's recipe for madnessUsed to foreshadow as reader can look for signs in other characters (e.g. Lear when he undresses links to 'and with presented nakedness outface the winds'
    -Asyndeton here builds sense of excitement as if Edgar is trying to convince himself he is mad 'pins, wooden pricks, nails, sprigs of rosemary...'
  28. 28Fool and Lear mirror each other'My rising heart! But down!' is replied to by the Fool with the encouragement 'Cry to it nuncle/down, wantons, down!' - but later he is desperate and gives bad advice 'Good nuncle in and ask thy daughter's blessing' because even he is vulnerable against the storm
  29. 29Evidence of Lear changingO I have ta'en too little care of this' - AO4 could be a reference to James's rule with taxes that benefitted the wealthy and not looking after poor -Lear is a safe character to voice criticism as he is mad so character's were never taken seriously if they were insane - could have been done for treason otherwise - perhaps Lear is in this way a foil to the fool as he is becoming more natural and the fool more licenced
  30. 30(Reconciliation scene) Humble Cordelia(To Kent) How shall I live and work to match thy goodness?
  31. 31Dramatic foreshadowing (recon scene)My life will be too short (Cordelia)
  32. 32Unmoving faith (Recon scene)O you kind gods!
  33. 33(Recon scene) Cordelia's trusting natureTo gentleman 'Be governed by your knowledge and proceed' - she doesn't order others and she has faith in goodness and knowledge
  34. 34(Recon scene) Pronoun connoting Cordelia's powerThough he had bit me should have stood that night against my fire - possessive pronoun of a powerful element - sees herself as more powerful now?
  35. 35Cordelia being played by a manIronic as she seems like the perfect heir in 4.7 and in fact the audience knows she is a male actor - dramatic irony which links to blindness and ignorance of characters
    Also very masculine in comparison with manipulative 'feminine trait contextually) Regan and Goneril and also she is not overly emotional and does not waste words throughout text 'Love and be silent' is almost like a man's motto and her husband has no qualms about lending her an army and she leads it just as a man would
  36. 36Recon scene - spiritLear: 'You are a spirit' easily destroyed, links to death
  37. 37Recon scene - repetition of wordsCordelia 'Still, still far wide/ And so I am, I am / No cause, no cause' as if she s trying to be considerate to Lear's unstable mind which is easily confused - she is trying to be clear so there is no further miscommunication!
  38. 38Recon scene - Lear still a king (?)Cordelia is trying to keep him a King even though he no longer wants to be one - whereas in opening scene he seems confused as to when to be a father and when to be a king he is trying to just be a father but Cordelia is trying to keep him in a regal state 'No sir, you must not kneel/Will't please your highness walk?
  39. 39Recon scene - Lear's humblingI am a very foolish fond old man/Pray you now, forget and forgive I am old and foolish' - trying to relieve himself of power to feel less responsible for his actions? Maybe Cordelia wants him to be responsible
  40. 40Recon scene - French wordspoor 'perdu' - lost
    'Arbitrement' is to be bloody - Referee relates to deciding of the quarrel or the culmination and end (of life)
  41. 41Recon scene - Cordelia's simplified languageOn arrival of a conscious Lear Cordelia speaks in simple sentences perhaps because she doesn't want to confuse him or she's scared of him misinterpreting her again
  42. 42Recon scene - heroic rhyming coupletKent:my point and period will be thoroughly wrought, or well or ill as this day's battle's fought - antithesis again to connote conflict and doubt
  43. 43Reconciliation scene - 4.7An idyllic ending which is false - feels like a resolution and like it has reached an equilibrium which makes the tragedy of the real ending more problematic for the audience as even though they know it's a tragedy they were given hope of an ideal community
  44. 44A02 for Edmund's nameEad - riches prosperity Mund - protection...
    In fact Edmund is the complete opposite apart from one could say he is trying to protect his own interests
    Perhaps one could argue if he had something or someone to protect he wouldn't have been so cruel which leads one to blame the context - if Edmund was forced into this role as he had nothing to maintain to begin with (such as goodness)
  45. 45Cordelia and her father - linksBoth stubborn, only C can see clearly, L is rash, Closeness in their language suggested by the stychomythia 'nothing' argument in 1.1, audience can see Cordelia thinking as she speaks
    If C interpreted as confident, this emasculates Lear - the fact he is undermined by women makes him a pitiable character as women seen s 'lesser creatures' Not only tha but L is a King too
  46. 46A02 Lear's defensiveness against CThe assonance in 'displeasure pieced/may fitly like your grace' suggests harshness but could be reinterpreted into being defensive if C seen as confident and not vulnerable. However if Cordelia is trying to use her confidence to profess her determined love towards her father then L's inability to comprehend her aim highlights the emotional distance and perhaps the dissimilarity between father and daughter
  47. 47MalcontentEdmund - resents society for condemning him a bastard - but he is cruel because he punishes his brother who is an individual and not the system who created his malcontentedness
    Lear - contender for same level of cruelness but somewhat justified as old and senile
    R+G - actions are completely unjustified as they already have what they wanted yet they seem to want to create more evil and unrest (Sh criticism of giving women power? or dividing the kingdom)
  48. 48Edmund and GloucesterDifference - Ed questions society whereas Gl seems resigned to it and accepts the disintegration of society 'we have seen the best of our times' But Ed wants to overthrow traditional heirachy when he porders the 'Gods' to 'Stand up for Bastards' using the imperative to strengthen his point which demonstrates power in comparison to Gl's lack of it
  49. 49A02 Syntax'Why brand they us' syntax reflects hierarchy and contradicts Edmund's desires by placing society before him - could suggest confusion on his part
  50. 50Edmund's speech - violent connotationsof 'Branding' 'why brand they us with base?' suggest pain and animalistic treatment of bastards as they were treated as lesser than normal people (could be Sh trying to get his own society to question themselves and social order but by making Edmund a villain punishing him he protects himself from treason accusations as he could easily argue he condemns Ed for thinking this way)
  51. 51Lear and CaiusKent as Caius de-elevates his language and switches to prose which adds another layer of disguise also uses indefinite articles in an attempt to lose his identity -
    When L says 'I will not part from thee yet it shows he is too trusting as moments after meeting Caius and also he is foolish because he does not recognise his once closest and most loyal companion
    The notion that Kent gave up everything to be Caius proves his unwavering loyalty yet also begs the question as to how L deserves it which leads audience to consider L might have been a better king in the past which we'll never know because the play starts in medias res and the characters are historic which means that they have no past or present
  52. 52A04 - DisguiseNone of the other characters know - but the audience does
    V. common in Jacobean theatre and closely linked to dramatic irony
    An impenetrable disguise makes the audience feel more connected with he disguised character as they feel that they have the overall perspective
    When the other characters trust the disguised one, we see him as deceptive and do not believe his lies although we do empathise with them more as we understand what they are doing (depending on the morality of the character in disguise!)
    on some level the other characters are judged by the audience when they fail to see through the disguise - their intelligence is questioned
    The audience are made to feel omniscient which allows them to feel their valued judgements are correct and they feel more superior to the other characters in the play
    e.g Lear comes across as foolish for not recognising Kent 'What art thou - a very honest hearted fellow'
    Loyalty and honesty is a very fragile concept in KL
    Honesty and lies coincide as Kent has to lie to be loyal - oxymoron - as a character he is conflicted
  53. 53concepts of order and disorderSimple - Order is a loving relationship between father and children, disorder is when children turn against father (Fool relates to this 'fathers that wear rags do make their children blind but fathers that bear bags will see their children kind')
    This concept is evident in both the main plot and subplot
    Order would be exemplified by a natural love for Lear, yet Lear's vanity in wanting to hear this love proven and expressed is destructive
  54. 54Values in KLThe play has a clear setting of humane values against evil passions that can destroy life
    We are made to think about the nature of mankind and the fact that there are animalistic instincts in people that can wreck all illusions of living in a civilised world
    A03 - the presence of C, Edgar and Kent whoa re all loyal offers us something more positive to hold on to than the all-questioning world of Hamlet, where the contagion of base passions seem to affect everything
  55. 55Examples of Nihilism'Can you make no use of nothing, nuncle?' 'No boy; nothing can be made out of nothing' Existential nihilism
    'Base, base' -Edmund rejects social order - political nihilism yet contradictory as also believes in inheritance
    R+G want to destroy what's left of the realm - political nihilism
    Gloucester's ambition to die once he lacks vision - death as escape v. nihilistic especially as no afterlife believed in
    Cordelia saying 'nothing' epistemological - denial importance of familial ties
    Here I stand you slave / a poor, infirm weak and despised old man ' existential
    Tearing G's white beard 'so white and such a traitor?' white has connotations of blankness and also draws attention to ageing and decline of value
    Kent values knowledge and believes in old order 'I am a gentleman of breeding' aristocracy and inheirtance which are humnan morals of Shakespeare's time - therefore his anti-nihilistic beliefs make him immune to Sh's wrath against nihilism
  56. 56What does the fool represent?According to several images in the tarot e.g. from the Sola Busca pack from 1491 the fool is in touch with nature + is optimistic. He is almost always depicted a stepping off a cliff edge into the unkown. In the tarot his number is zero representing nihilism and nothingness, contradictory to the hope he also represents
    Lear's fool links with this as he is loyal to Lear, following into the storm even when he is mad and unpredictable
    He is more than a comedic element, showing compassion for L and is a warning of madness' the night will turn us all to fools and madmen' He means nothing to any other than L
    Originally the fool in the tarot was depicted as a beggar with ragged clothes which fits to L's attempt to strip and Edgar's donning of clothes in an attemot to appear mad
    The ideas about the fool would have been present in Sh's time so no doubt influenced him
    Sh's fool represents knowledge + order but tarot Fool reps naturalness and naivety - he is often depicted as holding a flower which represents fragility and innocence
  57. 57A04 for foolSocial significance should not be underestimated - allows society to reflect on and laugh as its own complex pwr relations
    Fool commonly conducts an interaction between sm1 who society defnes as wise (L)
    Constantly questions our perceptions of wisdom and truth in every day experience
    Silly remarks lift the veil of authority to unmask unpleasant aspects of pwr
    Fools dont posses values or norms - they attach to existing ones and turn them upside-down
    Sh may have had Robert Armin in mind for the role (15681616_ he was apparently 'skilled with the natural physique of a clown but the mental agility of a professional wit' he also sang which is indicated 'when were you want to be so full of songs, sirrah?'
    His absence noted in 1.4 hint at independence
    The Elizabethan refined, court fool is representative of free speech - theatre was movin twrd the concept of theatre as leisure activity
    Elizabethan fool performed with, not to, the audience
    Sh wrote well developped subplots expressly for Armin's talents
    Armin's characters perpetual outsiders who reflected on but did not join recD
  58. 58Fool A02- Uses 'nuncle' suggesting he is a boy even though he was played by ppl of all ages even girls such as Emma Thompson in 1991 who portrayed self as tough
    - Imperatives 'mark it nuncle' either rude brave or pwrfl
    - Repition of 'Nothing' which taunts L about his previous use of the word against C as he disinherits her
    - Referred to as 'lad' and 'boy' which suggests a young age yet also refers to L as 'my boy' which is either patronising or proof of his older age
    - tells Lear 'thou art nothing' then gets L to admit tat 'nothing can be made out of nothing' ironic
    - In quarto 'Who is it that can tell me who I am?/ Lear's shadow' but in Folio changes so Fool says 'Lear's shadow' making it more humiliating for L as not just personal opinion about himself but society's perception too
    - Fool provides moral compass by speaking in riddles L comes to conclusions 'I did her wrong'
  59. 59Fool link to CordeliaNot present until 1.4 perhaps because same actor played Cordelia so couldn't be on stage at same time
    When L says 'my poor fool is hanged' we think he means cordelia but he could also be referring to Fool
    Escapes punishment but C doesn't - sexist?
  60. 60A02 for misogynyAlbany and Goneril fight 'See thyself; proper deformity shows not in the fiend so horrid as a woman' caesura in his insult could suggest hesitation due to fear or still love for her
    The uncertainty is reflected in his switched allegiance to Gloucester as he stops supporting Goneril
  61. 61Infidelity A02Goneril and Edmund embark on their affair switching from the formal 'thy' to the more familiar 'thee' as they move into a sexual relationship that is suggested by the imagery created by 'conceive, and fare thee well.'
  62. 62A02 cowardiceGoneril calls Albany a 'milk-livered man' which links to the image of a lack of blood in the liver, symbolising weakness and also milk symbolises effeminacy therefore Albany becomes emasculated by none other than his own wife who also makes him a cuckhold
  63. 63Portrayal of women and femininityCordelia is portrayed as very saint-like (The holy water from her heavenly eyes_ she encompasses the epitome of Christian femininity - the semantic field of saint-like imagery when describing hr is evident here through repition of religious language 'heavenly' implies she is above society and they talk about her as if she is a religious figure or myth (Foakes '(she) may appear as a sacrificial victim whose death is migitated by the promise of her ascent to heaven'
    - She is able to control her passions 'she was a queen/over her passion' in a society where female desire is condemned: Cordelia is the ideal virtuous woman
    - Contrasts heavily to presentation of her sisters, R+G. This scene closely follows the extremely violent and cruel actions involved in gouging out Gl's eyes, highlighting the difference between women who follow their passions and those who can control them
    'Dog-hearted daughters' presents the sisters as animalistic, following their passions so much tht they lose their humanity
  64. 64Kent's disillusionment'It is the stars/the stars above us govern our conditions' The repetition of stars emphasises the theme of fate and how lives are governed by forces outside of human control. This is evident in the Elizabethan idea of the 'wheel of fortune' where fate is undetermined and can change based on the spin of the wheel
  65. 65Hellish imagery'Burning shame detains him from Cordelia' The fire imagery here emphasises his mistaje as banishing his daughter could be seen as a sin as she was the most reliable and the burning refers to the hell that he will discover
  66. 66Cordelia's thoughts on flattery'Glib and oily art'
  67. 67Goneril's flattery'Love you more than words can wield the matter'
  68. 68Kent's wisdom'Thy youngest daughter does not love thee the least'

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A-Level English literature Flashcards on King Lear AO2, created by Toni Olukiran on 26/05/2016.
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Toni Olukiran
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  • Created by Chesca_M · Apr 15, 2015
  • Copied by Toni Olukiran · May 26, 2016
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