Single Text - King Lear
Commentary on King Lear by Robert Parbs
A lecture by Robert Parbs on Shakespeare’s King Lear
(LearCommentaryParbs.mp3) right-click to download mp3 file (72 megabytes)
Love, Tyranny and Madness
An introduction to the televised production of King Lear directed by Sir Richard Eyres and starring Ian Holm
(King Lear-BBC 1998 Love Tyranny Madness.mp4) right-click to download mp4 file (473 megabytes)
Sample Questions to consider when studying (from leavingcertenglish.net)
King Lear
“King Lear is a man more sinned against than sinning” – Discuss
“Lear is a ‘foolish fond old man’ who deserves everything he gets” – Discuss
“Lear embarks on a harrowing journey through suffering to self-knowledge. At the end of the play he is a better and wiser man“
“The play King Lear is a realistic tragedy that depicts the tragic consequences of one man’s folly“
“King Lear is not a tragic hero, but rather a victim of circumstances“
Gloucester
“Gloucester is a weak and gullible man, but at heart, a decent one”
“Gloucester serves an important dramatic function in making Lear’s circumstances more credible”
“Discuss the dramatic significance of the Gloucester story in the play King Lear”
Lear and Gloucester
“Neither Lear nor Gloucester are deserving of the love and service they receive from their followers”
Cordelia
“Cordelia shares with her father the faults of pride and obstinacy”
“Cordelia’s dramatic function in the play is twofold: her wisdom highlights her father’s foolishness; her goodness highlights her sisters’ malevolence”
Goneril and Regan
“Lear’s evil daughters allow Shakespeare to present a very negative view of women in the play”
Edmund
“Edmund is a sociopath: a charming liar, incapable of remorse, who views men and women merely as obstacles or aids to his ambition”
“Edmund is an admirable villain. At the beginning of the play he has nothing; by the end he is almost King”
Edmund and Edgar
“Gloucester’s sons represent the very best and the very worst in human nature”
Minor characters: Kent & The Fool
“The Fool serves as Lear’s conscience in the play. When he disappears, it is because Lear no longer needs him”
“The fool is an unnecessary distraction in the play King Lear”
“Kent is too loyal to be believable as a real human being”
General character questions
“The play King Lear offers characters who represent the very best and the very worst in human nature”
“Shakespeare’s King Lear presents a dark and pessimistic view of humanity”
THEMES
Justice
“Cosmic justice is denied, yet human justice prevails in the play King Lear”
Family
“The relationship between parents and children is unrealistically portrayed in the play King Lear”
Loyalty (&/or Betrayal)
“It is only the loyalty of loved ones that enables Lear and Gloucester to endure their sufferings”
Blindness
“The theme of blindness – both physical and emotional – is dramatically presented in the play King Lear”
Appearance vs Reality (Deception/Manipulation)
“In King Lear, whilst characters are initially fooled by appearances, they gradually come to see the truth”
Madness
“In King Lear, ‘sane’ characters frequently behave in a crazy manner, whilst ‘mad’ characters at times seem perfectly sane”
Love
“Love as a redemptive force is a major theme in the play King Lear”
“The play King Lear memorably explores the meaning of love“
Good and Evil
“King Lear examines the nature of good and evil but neither force emerges triumphant”
Suffering
“Learning through suffering is central to the play”
Forgiveness
“The importance of self-knowledge and forgiveness is strikingly evident in the play King Lear”
Kingship
“The play King Lear explores what it means to be a good King”
OPEN QUESTIONS
“The play King Lear offers us one central experience: pessimism”
“Shakespeare’s vision of the world is not entirely pessimistic in the play King Lear”
“King Lear is one of the greatest tragedies ever written”
“Scenes of great suffering and of great tenderness help to make King Lear a very memorable play”
“The two plots of King Lear are closely paralleled in theme, character and action, to great dramatic effect”
“What, if any, relevance, does the play King Lear hold for today’s readers?”
LANGUAGE / STYLE
“King Lear is a play filled with striking images and symbols which heighten our experience of the play”
“Dramatic irony is used to tragic, and occasionally comic effect, in Shakespeare’s King Lear”
“The way characters speak accurately reflects their personality in Shakespeare’s King Lear”
“King Lear contains many scenes of compelling drama, but the extremity of the cruelty and violence presented prevents the audience from achieving catharsis. Rather than a release, we feel haunted by what we have witnessed“
A lecture by Robert Parbs on Shakespeare’s King Lear
(LearCommentaryParbs.mp3) right-click to download mp3 file (72 megabytes)
Love, Tyranny and Madness
An introduction to the televised production of King Lear directed by Sir Richard Eyres and starring Ian Holm
(King Lear-BBC 1998 Love Tyranny Madness.mp4) right-click to download mp4 file (473 megabytes)
Sample Questions to consider when studying (from leavingcertenglish.net)
King Lear
“King Lear is a man more sinned against than sinning” – Discuss
“Lear is a ‘foolish fond old man’ who deserves everything he gets” – Discuss
“Lear embarks on a harrowing journey through suffering to self-knowledge. At the end of the play he is a better and wiser man“
“The play King Lear is a realistic tragedy that depicts the tragic consequences of one man’s folly“
“King Lear is not a tragic hero, but rather a victim of circumstances“
Gloucester
“Gloucester is a weak and gullible man, but at heart, a decent one”
“Gloucester serves an important dramatic function in making Lear’s circumstances more credible”
“Discuss the dramatic significance of the Gloucester story in the play King Lear”
Lear and Gloucester
“Neither Lear nor Gloucester are deserving of the love and service they receive from their followers”
Cordelia
“Cordelia shares with her father the faults of pride and obstinacy”
“Cordelia’s dramatic function in the play is twofold: her wisdom highlights her father’s foolishness; her goodness highlights her sisters’ malevolence”
Goneril and Regan
“Lear’s evil daughters allow Shakespeare to present a very negative view of women in the play”
Edmund
“Edmund is a sociopath: a charming liar, incapable of remorse, who views men and women merely as obstacles or aids to his ambition”
“Edmund is an admirable villain. At the beginning of the play he has nothing; by the end he is almost King”
Edmund and Edgar
“Gloucester’s sons represent the very best and the very worst in human nature”
Minor characters: Kent & The Fool
“The Fool serves as Lear’s conscience in the play. When he disappears, it is because Lear no longer needs him”
“The fool is an unnecessary distraction in the play King Lear”
“Kent is too loyal to be believable as a real human being”
General character questions
“The play King Lear offers characters who represent the very best and the very worst in human nature”
“Shakespeare’s King Lear presents a dark and pessimistic view of humanity”
THEMES
Justice
“Cosmic justice is denied, yet human justice prevails in the play King Lear”
Family
“The relationship between parents and children is unrealistically portrayed in the play King Lear”
Loyalty (&/or Betrayal)
“It is only the loyalty of loved ones that enables Lear and Gloucester to endure their sufferings”
Blindness
“The theme of blindness – both physical and emotional – is dramatically presented in the play King Lear”
Appearance vs Reality (Deception/Manipulation)
“In King Lear, whilst characters are initially fooled by appearances, they gradually come to see the truth”
Madness
“In King Lear, ‘sane’ characters frequently behave in a crazy manner, whilst ‘mad’ characters at times seem perfectly sane”
Love
“Love as a redemptive force is a major theme in the play King Lear”
“The play King Lear memorably explores the meaning of love“
Good and Evil
“King Lear examines the nature of good and evil but neither force emerges triumphant”
Suffering
“Learning through suffering is central to the play”
Forgiveness
“The importance of self-knowledge and forgiveness is strikingly evident in the play King Lear”
Kingship
“The play King Lear explores what it means to be a good King”
OPEN QUESTIONS
“The play King Lear offers us one central experience: pessimism”
“Shakespeare’s vision of the world is not entirely pessimistic in the play King Lear”
“King Lear is one of the greatest tragedies ever written”
“Scenes of great suffering and of great tenderness help to make King Lear a very memorable play”
“The two plots of King Lear are closely paralleled in theme, character and action, to great dramatic effect”
“What, if any, relevance, does the play King Lear hold for today’s readers?”
LANGUAGE / STYLE
“King Lear is a play filled with striking images and symbols which heighten our experience of the play”
“Dramatic irony is used to tragic, and occasionally comic effect, in Shakespeare’s King Lear”
“The way characters speak accurately reflects their personality in Shakespeare’s King Lear”
“King Lear contains many scenes of compelling drama, but the extremity of the cruelty and violence presented prevents the audience from achieving catharsis. Rather than a release, we feel haunted by what we have witnessed“
