King Lear Study Questions

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1.Who are the two nobles in the opening scene and what are they talking about?

The two noble are Gloucester and Kent, they are talking about King Lear and him about to divide his kingdom. However the conversation changes and Lord Kent asks Gloucester to introduce his son Edmund. He introduces his him and explains that he is a bastards being raised away from home, but he still loves him anyways.

2.How do you think that Edmund must be feeling at this moment?

He is angry.

3.What does Old King Lear plan to do with his kingdom? What is the test that he proposes to the daughters?

He plans to divide his kingdom among his daughters and his test is for them to tell him how much they love him.

4.How do each of the first two daughters answer the old man?

They answer with flattery and they tell him that they love him more than anything else in the world.

5.What is Cordelia's answer and why does she answer as she does? What does her reference to "nothing" suggest about the use of this motif in the rest of the play?

Cordelia says, “Nothing my Lord.” She is silent and says she has no words to describe how much she loves her father.

6.Do you think that Cordelia is being cruel in refusing to play her father's game? Why?

No, because her love is sincere and she does not want to be fake like her other sisters.

7.How does Lear react to Cordelia's response? How does Lord Kent react to Lear's response?

He gets angry and disowns her and divides her share of the kingdom among her other two sisters. The Earl of Kent disagrees. He thinks that the King is not in his right mind to reward flattery over sincerity.

8.How might the references to sight and blindness become important for the rest of the play?

They become important to the rest of the play because it is the King’s inability to see or be aware of what is actually going on which causes his misjudgment that leads to his downfall. Also, both King Lear and Gloucester are blinded by the fakeness of their children which ends up in both of their downfalls.

9.How do France and Burgandy each react to the news that Cordelia will not receive any dower and what does their reaction tell us about their characters?

Burgandy withdrawals his offer of marriage but France is impressed by Cordeila’s honesty and decides to make her his Queen. Burgandy’s withdrawals shows he was only going to marry her because of her wealth and France still wanting to marry her shows that he is a man of integrity.

10.What does Cordelia mean when she says to her sisters, "I know you what you are." What do the sisters say about their father near the end of the scene?

Cordelia mean that she knows them for who they are. The two sisters say that their father has always loved Cordeila best and his bad judgment in disowning her is now obvious.

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11. What are the two views of nature contrasted in the action and dialogue of this scene?

The two views of nature contrasted in the action and dialogue of this scene are at first it was seen as good and beautiful and to the latter part it was viewed as evil.

12. What parallels do you see between this scene and the first one?

The parallels between this scene and the first is that the first was with good intentions and this one was the plot of evil intentions.

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13.A couple of months have now passed; what is bothering Goneril at this point and what does she instruct her servant Oswald to do about it?

Goneril is bothered because her father hit one of her attendance for scolding his fool. She feels that he wrongs her and he constantly comes up with a horrible new offense. She states his knights are getting out of control and so is he. She instruct her servant Oswald and his fellow servants to be as lazy and neglectful as he pleases around her father.

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14.Why does Kent wish to serve Lear? What does he discern in Lear's countenance and how is this ironic?

Kent wishes to serve Lear because he loves his master and he’ll find him very hard working even though Lear condemned him. He discerns by disguising himself as a beggar so that he could be able to protect his king. This is ironic because he was banished from the kingdom and yet he wants to help the king. Also, it is ironic on the part of the king because the same man he banishes is the same one he accepts to protect him unknowingly.

15.What is Kent's reaction to what Oswald's servant does to Lear?

Kent trips him and tells him to “get up and get out of here!” and then says to him that he will teach him to respect his betters.

16. Why is what the knight says about the Fool's pining away "since my young lady's going into France" important?

It is important because the fool knows most and says all but yet no one knows.

17.What is the Fool's function in this part of the play and what are at least three examples of how he fulfills this function?

The fool’s function in this part is to be a comic relief providing a commentary on the king’s folly in splitting his kingdom among his daughters.

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18.How does Edmund trick his brother Edgar into fleeing?

Edmund makes his brother believe that his father’s soldiers are after him and therefore he is no longer safe.

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19.How do Kent's actions with Oswald characterize him as a "plain dealer"?

Kent’s actions with Oswald characterizes him as a “plain dealer” for he shows the king his nice side while he is mean and insulting to Oswald. He seems to be a nice person but has a mean streak on the inside.

20.How might Kent's line "Nothing almost seems miracles/But misery" serve as a motto for the play?

“Nothing almost seems miracles/But misery” serves as a motto for the play because all but miracles occur in the play. All they see is misery.

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21. How is Edgar's disguising himself as a bedlam beggar an example of social criticism in the play? Why is Edgar's comment, "Edgar, I nothing am" important to the meaning of the play?

Edgar’s disguising himself as a bedlam beggar is an example of social criticism in the play for it shows that when you are at the bottom of the social scale that you are pitied for who you are and what you don’t have. Edgar's comment, "Edgar, I nothing am" is important to the meaning of the play because it shows that when you have nothing you are unknown and when you are unknown you are of no importance or meaningless.

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22. Why is Lear so angry that his servant Kent has been put in the stocks by Regan and Cornwall?

Lear is angry because he sees it as humiliating and only animals are treated in that way.

23. What is Regan's first response when Lear complains of his treatment at the hands of her sister?

She says he does not know how to appreciate her (Goneril) and that her sister would never fail in her duties as a daughter.