King Lear
by Carolanne Boorman
1. Motifs
1.1. Madness-CENTRAL PILLAR TO THE PLAY --> It was associated with CHAOS and HIDDEN WISDOM. When Lear himself goes mad his 'mind mirrors the chaos of his kingdom'. HOWEVER Lear's descent in to madness provided him with wisdom in humility & basic after he was stripped of his royal pretence.
1.2. Lear is joined in his, very real insanity by Edgar who is merely pretending. Edgar's time spent masking as a mad beggar puts him in a position to defeat Edmund at the end of the play.
1.3. Betrayal- Lear's betrayal of Cordelia is ultimately what starts the series of events that the play follows. By the end of the play we see the betrayers themselves; Goneril and Regan turn on one another as they become attracted to Edmund which causes the sister's mutual destruction of the sisters.
2. Notes
3. general themes in the play
3.1. Justice - the play raises the question as to whether or not there is any sense of justice in the world, or perhaps more importantly if the human race is indifferent to one another.
3.2. Order and anarchy- As King, Lear stood to represent authority. Once he gave that away to his two daughters Goneril and Regan, who indulge their own pursuit for power but are unworthy of it, it becomes clear that Lear had not only lost authority over his family but his country too which in turn meant subjecting them both to cruelty and chaos. This leads Lear to the realisation that he is just as insignificant as the rest of society --> realisation came in a storm. This leads him to readdress his priorities and attempt to fix the political chaos.
3.3. Reconciliation- The start of the play witnesses the banishment of Cordelia, the daughter who truly loves him. Cordelia never begrudged him for her banishment but instead mobilised an army to come to her father's aid against his tormentors. This meant that he was faced with a lesson in humility and he was able to learn the true depths of his daughter's love.
3.3.1. Included
3.3.2. Included
3.3.3. Excluded
4. Symbols
4.1. The storm (Act three) - It is a natural representation of Lear's inner turmoil and mounting madness. It also represents the force of nature that forces him to realise his own mortality which prompts his humility. It is also a symbol of the political turmoil that Britain found itself in in the wake of Lear's abdication.
4.1.1. Project specifications
4.1.2. End User requirements
4.1.3. Action points sign-off
4.2. Blindness- The physical blindness of Gloucester symbolises the metaphorical blindness of the two father figures in the play; Lear & Gloucester. Both disinherit their loyal child(ren) and for a time favour the disloyal ones. It's Gloucester's loss of his physical sight and Lear's dissent in to madness that allow both of them to appreciate what they had lost.
4.2.1. Define actions as necessary