William Shakespeare’s King Lear

1. William Shakespeare’s King Lear Historical Context & Background Mr. Mehrotra ENG 4U0

2. Sources of King Lear: • 1605 – the true chronicle history of King Leir and his three daughters, Gonorill, Ragan, and Cordella (author unknown) • Cordella does not die • No Gloucester story • No storm • No insanity • No fool Mr. Mehrotra ENG 4U0

3. 1577 – Holinshed’s “Chronicles”: • Lear, upset by Cordeilla, marries the two older daughters to Cornwall & Albania • The kingdom is promised to the sons-in-law on Lear’s death • The two rebel against Lear • Lear is saved by a third son-in-law, Aganippus, Cordeilla’s husband and one of the twelve kings of Gallia • Cordeilla becomes Queen when Lear dies • Five years later, a nephew revolts and imprisons her • In prison, Cordeialla commits suicide Mr. Mehrotra ENG 4U0

4. 1599 – A Mirror for Magistrates (collection of works by various authors) • One story by John Higgins dealt with Lear • Cordell is the narrator of the story • Gonorell reduces her father’s guards • Her husband is Albany Mr. Mehrotra ENG 4U0

5. 1590 – The Faerie Queene (Edmund Spenser) • A work of poetry in two volumes • Contains some stanzas on the Lear theme • The name “Cordelia” appears for the first time • Cordelia dies by hanging • It is considered an act of suicide Mr. Mehrotra ENG 4U0

6. Shakespeare’s Lear: • 1607 – first performance • 1608 – first printing • The story of King Lear was a popular old folktale by this time, but the painful ending is Shakespeare’s own invention. Mr. Mehrotra ENG 4U0

7. Shakespeare’s Lear: • The themes in the play examine some of the fundamental problems in life: • Whether there are gods and whether or not they care for humans • The problem of evil co-existing with goodness • The question of Fate • The problems of parents and children and the exchange of power from one generation to another • The question of suffering – why must humans endure such agony (allusions to the Book of Job – The Old Testament) • The question “what is a human” Mr. Mehrotra ENG 4U0

8. Shakespeare’s Lear: • Characterization in King Lear is crucial because it delineates themes • Comparison is a good method of understanding character. • You should examine: • King Lear & Gloucester • Regan-Goneril & Cordelia • Edgar & Edmund Mr. Mehrotra ENG 4U0

9. Shakespeare’s Lear: • Imagery in this play is very important: • Animal • Clothing • Blindness/Seeing • Sexual Lust • Sickness • Nature Mr. Mehrotra ENG 4U0

10. The Structure of King Lear Mr. Mehrotra ENG 4U0

11. Structure: • The structure of King Lear is slightly different from most of Shakespeare’s tragedies • For the most part, in plays like Hamlet & Macbeth, the climax (reversal of fortune for the protagonist) occurs in the third act • For Lear, his fortunes reverse, then go forward, only to reverse again Mr. Mehrotra ENG 4U0

12. Stripping of Lear Blind pride & vanity Lear’s agony Reclothing of Lear Opening of Lear’s eyes Mr. Mehrotra ENG 4U0

13. Structure: • The play is also different in the sense that the secondary plot is fully developed • We are exposed to a secondary plot with Fortinbras in Hamlet, but we are not given the same amount of detail as given with Gloucester Mr. Mehrotra ENG 4U0