The Discombobulated Guide to King Lear

King Lear: An Introduction

How this works:

Each chapter is dedicated to a scene and each has a single line summary (apart from Act V Scene  3 because so much happens if you know what I mean).

Also, each scene will have bullet pointed summary of events and some key quotes- these are not exclusive but generic so add your own!.

If there is anything I feel like highlighting- e.g. important speeches addressing key themes- then these will be included under 'Notes'.

Terms in bold are explained after the summary.

Page numbers are taken from 'Heinemann Advanced Shakespeare: King Lear'

King Lear

One of the longest and critically acclaimed tragedies , 'King Lear', is a masterpiece of chaos, cruelty and... tragedy. Within the seemingly depressing yet tumultuous plot line, there is fountains of ingenuity from the bard himself- Shakespeare. The domestic complexities and conflicts strike right to the audience- but what is it really about?

That is the question (sorry I couldn't help it).

One of the best and most interesting parts of King Lear is that there are so many interpretations on it. Is it a christian allegory or a political one? A commentary on the changing social status and royal upheaval in Stuart England? (Remember the play was first performed in 1606, Elizabeth died in 1603 and James the I was King). Or is it a warning to show how 'suffering is the consequence of human tendency to evil'? (Frank Kermode).

This is the reason , as an A Level student (an Edexcel one anyway), you have to study differing interpretations on both tragedy and the play before incorporating these within your essays. (It is advised with your other texts but not necessary).

Shakespeare explores so many different themes within this play through his wonderful speeches, imagery and motifs. It is a complex, interwoven tapestry and to strip it back seems a shame but on a basic level here are a few themes to get started with;

Madness: just count the characters who are/act mad in this play... don't worry I'll wait.

Power: I mean... it is about splitting up a kingdom and the struggle that ensues.

Appearance and Reality: this might link to madness slightly but Shakespeare also goes a little OTT with disguises. Have you considered Edgar??

Chaos and Order: Family order, societal order, natural order between god and man. Remember to consider order in Stuart times e.g. primogeniture, microcosm, Great Chain of Being (lots of good AO3 to explore). Is order really restored at the end?

Fillial Relationships: SUCH AN IMPORTANT ONE. To what extent could you argue this play isn't about a kingdom but family relationships?

Fate: Is Lear to blame? Or ,as Gloucester says , are the characters like 'flies to wanton boys... they [the Gods] kill us for their sport' pg.175 Act IV S4. Are the gods responsible?

Gender: Goneril and Regan are seen as nasty pieces of work- do they deserve their ending? Are they completely to blame? 

Explore some more and update me if you have any other interesting ones!

Tragedy

I'm only going to do a quick mention about this because it is the genre of the play.  What makes something tragic?? 

Sadly there is no textbook definition for tragedy or what makes something tragic, especially with Shakespeare because he created his own features. Here are a couple;

Tragic hero-  there are numerous of these in Shakespeare's plays. Lear, Hamlet, Othello etc. normally someone from a high status who loses everything- literally and metaphorically. 

External pressure: In Lear this could be the storm, or the oncoming war within the Kingdom or something that manipulates the characters.

Violence/Death..... oh boy, Shakespeare loves a good death count

Justice/Injustice?; Who is right? Is the ending satisfying...hmm. I'll leave that one up to you.

Again this is a very basic list and you need to work out your own ideas for tragedy from other critics and your teachers. Find what tragedy means to you and argue for it in the exam. Use other critics ( whether you agree with them or not) to back it up.

Wow. That was a long introduction that barely scrapes the surface. Ah well only a couple more tips before we jump straight into these scene summaries.

Uno; check out Good tickle Brain. This is an ingenious  artist who has drawn whole scenes in comic strips for majority of Shakespeare's plays. Look the website up (link below) and enjoy the satirical and hilarious take on King Lear.  Here is the link;

https://goodticklebrain.com/king-lear-index/

Dos; go see a play. Go watch the play. I know it might be sound boring and obvious but WATCH A VERSION OF THE PLAY. Shakespeare wrote this to be performed on stage and it really, really, really will help your understanding to see it performed- even if it's on youtube. The Ian McKellan and the 2017 RSC staring Antony Sher productions are really good ones to watch. Also, for the Harry Potter fans out there, the Talawa production in 2016 (it was on BBC iplayer I don't know if it remains) has Don Warrington as Lear and Alfred Enoch (our fav Dean Thomas) as Edgar. Not to mention a mainly black cast which I love.

 I cannot stress this tip enough. Different productions stress different aspects of the play and seeing it will give a whole new outlook on characters, plot and themes .

 Enough blabbing- on with the show! Read on for my 'One Line Summaries' of King Lear.   

Note: The summaries written are not meant to offend or degrade the author or anyone at all, they are just my personal ideas. If you don't get the humour, that's fine, and if you don't agree with me- even better! Please share your own interpretations or ideas about the play. The whole point of English Literature is analysing and forming your OWN arguments and ideas- it's meant to be debatable otherwise it would be boring!!