How does Shakespeare present Lear's increasing lack of power and authority up to and including Act 1, scene 4.

How does shakespeare present Lear’s increasing lack of power and authority up to and including the scenes we’ve read so far? We see in the opening scenes of King Lear that Lear is the character that carries the most authority and power, however he also begins to rapidly lose these traits throughout the play. This drastic change in Lear's life is portrayed by Shakespeare very effectively through change in different characters attitude and language, and symbolic events such as servants defying Lear and taking orders from his daughter instead. The quote “Come not between the dragon and his wrath” displays his power and authority through forceful language at the beginning of the play. It's evident he is aware of his power as he compares himself to a powerful beast. It portrays how he delivers demands without hesitation as he knows his servants and knights will tend to his every need. Lear’s first line of the play is a demand to Gloucester to “Attend the lords of France and Burgundy”, a demand Gloucester immediately. Again this presents Lear’s power and authority. During the opening scenes of the play Shakespeare emphasizes Lear’s power through the use of language. The use of ‘royal we’ signifies Lear’s power as King. He describes his daughter, Cordelia as “our joy” although he actually means ‘my joy’, this highlighting his royal status. We see

  • Word count: 1107
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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"Regan is no less a sympathetic character than Cordelia" In light of this view, analyse this comment taking into account dramatic effect.

Regan is no less a sympathetic character than Cordelia. Despite the immediate clearness of the plot of King Lear, it would be untrue to classify Regan and Cordelia as two characters two dimensional or singularly driven; categorizing Cordelia “benevolent” and Regan as “malevolent” is an interpretation too simple for characters so complex. Indeed, although Cordelia is portrayed as the restorational character and Regan as a destructive one, the proper characteristics, aims and nature of the characters must be explored in order to properly evaluate the degree to which they appear sympathetic. Arguably, although responsible for the actions that they carry out, it would perhaps be most accurate to say that they are victims of their own father, and that their doings and fate throughout the play are potentially unavoidable products of the circumstances they find themselves in due to their treatment by Lear. It is in the opening scene of the play that the characters of Regan and Cordelia are defined. Upon Lear’s arbitrary, egotistical and wholly unnecessary “love test”, Regan produces a speech of artificial eloquence and superficiality- “I am alone felicitate in your dear highnesses’ love”. Amongst the deceitfulness of Regan, there is however an underlying reason as to why she must feel the need for the expression of such superficiality. Lear establishes his

  • Word count: 1295
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Evaluate Shakespeares portrayal of Nature and loyalty in King Lear up to Act 2 Scene 1?

Evaluate Shakespeare’s portrayal of Nature and loyalty in King Lear up to Act 2 Scene 1? The theme of nature pervades King Lear throughout, and forms a large basis of the topic of the play. It is thanks to the idea of nature that we can see the characteristics of characters, for instance the degree of their loyalty, and their progression throughout the play in relation to their belief of ‘nature’. Nature, however, in King Lear can be a complex matter, and is best divided into three main areas. There is ‘Nature’ in itself, essentially seen as a force more powerful (perhaps omnipotent), by some characters and ‘removed’ from the human world. Then there is ‘nature’- that is the nature of characters and their personalities, and finally the ‘natural’- the characters’ own individual view whether something is in their eyes ‘natural’ or not. These three sub-topics heavily inter-link with each other during the play, and essentially help constitute each other too. However, ‘nature’ on its own is harmless. It is human influence that creates the disharmony that mentions of ‘nature’ appear to portray. It is therefore first appropriate to explain how ‘nature’ first causes such unrest. The opening dialogue of the opening scene introduces us to Gloucester’s view of what is natural or not. “I have so often blushed to acknowledge him…the whoreson

  • Word count: 1790
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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How does Shakespeare create a sense of unease in Act 1 Scene 1 of King Lear?

How does Shakespeare create a sense of ‘unease’ in Act 1 Scene 1 of King Lear? Throughout the opening of King Lear, Shakespeare introduces a number of key themes and ideas that later go on to set the nature, meaning and message of the play. Through a variety of techniques, such as the language used and the characterization and actions of the characters, the audience learns and are introduced to the traits of those partaking in the play. During this familiarization of the characters with the audience, Shakespeare creates a crucial type of ‘theme’ or feeling that pervades the opening scene of King Lear- unease. It is this unease that allows the audience to witness the patriarchal disharmony that forms the main basis of the play, and the mood of uncertainty, and also the way in which Shakespeare lets the characters set the scene and introduce key themes and ideas at the beginning of the play is typical of Elizabethan and Jacobean drama. It is however first key to define what exactly ‘unease’ constitutes. There are a variety of types- there can be uneasiness within the topic of power and authority, that is, the question of exploiting and abusing the various degrees of power that could lead to a sense of unjustness, or unease. There can also be a sense of unease within the family, for example the way in which inter-family relations and conflict are dealt with, and the

  • Word count: 2053
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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