King Lear Passage Analysis Act IV, Scene 7 (lines 26 - 69)
IOC: King Lear Act IV, Scene 7 (lines 26 - 69) Contextualisation of Extract Lear is driven to insanity by his daughters Goneril and Regan as they systematically stripped him of whatever prestige he had left, reducing his entourage from 100 to 50 to 25 to 10, 5, 1 and finally to nothing, at which point they cast him into the storm (III,2), which he in "hell-black night endured". He is then discovered by Gloucester who sends Lear, Kent and the Fool to Dover where he might be safe from his daughters. Upon reaching Dover, Lear runs from the Gentleman and two of Cordelia's attendants fearing capture. It can be inferred that Lear has been caught by the attendants as he enters this scene, "asleep in a chair carried by servants". Significance of Extract In this extract, Lear is finally reunited with his "joy" Cordelia for the first time since his banishment. Although Lear has descended completely into madness, he has finally realised his true state as a "poor, weak, infirm and despised old man" as well as gained a stronger sense of moral awareness and judgment. A touching reconciliation between Cordelia and Lear is seen. Lear is dressed in royal robes and is carried to Cordelia while asleep. I will be analysing three aspects of this extract - The characterisation of Cordelia - The portrayal of Lear's restoration (both physical and mental) - The depiction of Cordelia and
Critical Analysis of After Apple Picking by Robert Frost
IOC: Robert Frost After Apple Picking This extract comes from North of Boston, a selection of poems from the eminent American poet Robert Frost. Like most of the other poems in the book, Frost's After Apple Picking reads like a short drama. Like The Mending Wall or the Woodpile , this poem is narrated from a first-person point of view, where the poet refers to himself as "I" and is a principal actor in the poem- continuing to describe his setting, emotions and thoughts throughout. Frost, who is renowned for his figurative use of language, is sometimes counted amongst the ranks of the transcendentalist poets. Transcendentalism often amounted to drawing upon an individual sense of consciousness whilst eschewing the intellectualism of the day. A greater spiritual appreciation was appraised for the setting that influenced the transcendentalist and, thus, North of Boston is imbued with a dreamy quality whilst still retaining a vivid appreciation of nature. It is also interesting to note that some literary critics have called the transcendentalism an "American Romanticism" movement- and indeed, many of Frost's poems have a strong inclination toward nature combined with aesthetic appreciation for emotion and feeling. After Apple Picking is, in itself, a marvelous representation of Frost's philosophy and writing style- though it is somewhat unfortunate that no definite