COURSE : SHAKESPEARE

COURSE CODE : 16AACEN9

UNIT : III

TOPIC : KING LEAR

COURSE INSTRUCTOR
MRS. P. SUBHA
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF
ENGLISH
 KING LEAR

 King Lear is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare.

 It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain.
 King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his
daughters.
 He becomes destitute and insane and a proscribed crux of political machinations.
 DRAMATIS PERSONAE

 King Lear - king of Britain

 Goneril – his eldest daughter
 Regan – his second daughter
 Cordelia – his youngest and favourite daughter
 Duke of Albany – husband of Goneril
 Duke of Cornwall – husband of Regan
 Duke of Burgundy – Suitor of Cordelia
 King of France- Suitor of Cordelia and marry her
 Kent – faithful Nobleman
 Gloucester - another loyal nobleman
 Edger – Gloucester’s rightful son
 Edmund – a Bastard son of Gloucester
 Fool – a faithful companian of Lear
 Curan – courtaer
 An Old man – tenant of Gloucester
 An officer – employed by Edmund
King Lear and His Three Daughters
At Lear’s castle…

 Lear decides to give up his throne and divide his kingdom among his three daughters.
 His daughter, Cordelia, has two suitors – the king of France and duke of Burgundy.
 Lear asks his daughters how much they love him.
 Goneril and Regan flatter, but Cordelia says that she loves him no more than a daughter
loves her father.

"Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave my heart into my mouth: I love yourmajesty according to
my bond; nor more nor less”.
• Angered, Lear disowns Cordelia and divides his kingdom between Goneril and Regan.

• Kent tries to defend Cordelia, but Lear banishes him from Britain.

• Lear gives Cordelia to the king of France, and though Cordelia is not happy about leaving her father with
her sisters, she leaves England with her husband.

• Lear gives his power to Albany and Cornwall, the husbands of Goneril and Regan.
The treachery begins…

 Lear settles down to live with Goneril with 100 knight his knights.
 Goneril tells her steward, Oswald, to be disrespectful towards Lear.
 Kent returns, disguised as a man named Caius and defends Lear.
 Goneril offends Lear and dismisses 50 of his knights.
 Lear is angered and storms out of Goneril’s palace with his knights and Fool.
 He sends Caius (Kent) with a letter to Gloucester.
Meanwhile…

 Edmund shows his father Gloucester a forged letter that said that Edgar was planning to
take over his lands.
 Edmund pretends to help Edgar, but is actually plotting to have Edgar removed.
 He persuades Edgar to flee and wounds himself to make it seem that Edgar attacked him.
 Gloucester is convinced and vows to capture Edgar.
 Betrayed!

 Kent (Caius) gets into a fight with Oswald.

 Cornwall and Regan break up the fight.
 The loyal Caius is placed in the stocks for 24 hours.
 Lear arrives and demands that Caius; Regan refuses, but allows Lear to stay at her palace.
 Regan dismisses all of Lear’s knights, and Lear leaves in anger.
Lear goes insane
 Goneril, Regan, and Cornwall are glad that Lear is gone, but Gloucester is worried for his
king’s health.

 A storm approaches and Lear and his last servants (Caius and the Fool) walk into a health.

 Lear stands in the rain and curses his daughters 239.

The storm builds up….
 Kent sends a man to Dover to father cordelia of her father’s plight.

 Kent brings Lear into a nearby cave, where they meet Edgar, who disguises himself as a
madman (“Poor Tom”).

 Gloucester then arrives and takes them to a farmhouse.

 Edmund decides to betray his father.

 He tells Cornwall that Gloucester was helping Lear.

 At the farmhouse, Gloucester tells Lear, the Fool, and Caius to flee because Cornwall was
planning to kill them.

 Cornwall arrives and captures Gloucester.

 Gloucester is tortured, his eyes are ripped out.

 A servant wounds Cornwall and helps Gloucester escape.

 They meet Edgar (in disguise still as a madman) and Edgar leads his blind father the rest
of the way to Dover, where a French army under Cordelia is stationed.

 Gloucester realizes that he had mistaken Edgar.

Blind Gloucester
The plot tightens..

 On the way to Dover, Edgar and Gloucester meet Oswald.

 Edgar fights Oswald and kills him; he finds a letter from Goneril to Edmund, telling him
to kill Albany so that she could marry him.

 We learn that Cornwall had died from the wound, and the Regan is also in love with
Edmund.

 There is conflict between sisters now.

The storm breaks...
 At Dover, Cordelia sends a sentry to find her father.

 Father and daughter are finally reunited.

 Lear is unconscious when they find him, but when he wakes, he recognizes Cordelia and
asks for her forgiveness.
The final battle

 The English and French are at war.

 At the English camp, Goneril argues with Albany and fights with Regan for Edmund.

 Albany decides to cooperate with Goneril and Regan only because of the French invasion.

 The French army under Cordelia loses, and she and her father are captured by the evil
Edmund.

 Edmund sends them to jail and orders the captain to have both of them hanged.
The ending...
 Edgar brings Goneril’s letter to Albany, and he decides to fight against Goneril and
Regan.

 Another battle occurs, and in the climactic scene, Edgar fights Edmund and wounds his
evil half-brother.

 Edmund admits to all his crimes and repents.

 Meanwhile Goneril poisons her sister Regan and commits suicide herself after learning of
Edmund's defeat.
 Edgar and Caius sent people to save Lear and Cordelia.

 The save Lear, but they are too late for Cordelia.

 Lear enters, holding Cordelia’s body

Howl, howl, howl, howl! O! you are men of stones: had I your tongues and eyes, I’d use them
so that heaven’s vaults should crack. She’s gone for ever. I know when one is dead, and when one
lives; she’s dead as earth.
–Lear, Act V Scene 3
 Edgar reveals himself to his dying father, Gloucester.

 Caius reveals himself as Kent to Lear, who in grief over Cordelia finally recognizes his
most loyal servant.

 Lear though is completely mad and dies of grief over his daughter’s death.

 Albany and Kent are left to restore order following the tragedy.
 THE END

Nothing can come of nothing, speak again. Now, gods, stand up

for bastards! To have a thankless child! Thou shouldst not have
been old till thou hadst been wise.
THANK YOU