King LearSlide 2King Lear CharactersSlide 4King Lear FoilsKing Lear Motifs and ImageryKing Lear Seeing motifSlide 8Slide 9King Lear ThemesKing LearKing LearStructure, characters, and themesKing LearKing LearA l b a n yG o n e r i lC o r n w a l lR e g a nF r a n c eC o r d e l i aK i n g L e a rKing LearReganGoneril CordeliaAlbany Cornwall FranceKing LearKing LearCharactersCharactersMain Plot •Primary -- dynamic–Protagonist, changes through play•Lear–Antagonist, character revealed•Goneril, Regan•Secondary -- static–Reflection characters•Cordelia, Kent, Fool, FranceKing LearKing LearCharactersCharactersSub Plot •Good–Gloucester, Edgar, change•Evil–Edmund, character revealed–Reflection characters•Oswald, Albany, Cornwall, servant to CornwallKing LearKing LearFoilsFoils•Character foiling–Lear and Gloucester–Cordelia and Edgar–Goneril/Regan and Edmund•Plot foiling–Act 1, sc 1 & Act 5, sc 3–Act 3, sc 6 and sc 7King LearKing LearMotifs and ImageryMotifs and Imagery•Motifs–Seeing–Judging–Flattery–“the worst”–“unaccomodated man”–Patience–nothing•Imagery–Insults–Foul fiend, madness–Swearing by Gods–AstrologyKing LearKing LearSeeing motifSeeing motif•Act 1 –“Hence and avoid my sight” “Out of my sight!”–“See better, Lear” –“If it be nothing, I shall not need spectacles”•Act 3–“Pluck out his eyes”–“I would not see thy cruel nails pluck out his poor old eyes”–“I shall see the winged vengeance overtake such children”–“See it shalt thou never”King LearKing LearSeeing motifSeeing motif•Act 4–“I stumbled when I saw”–“Might I but live to see thee in my touch, I’d say I had eyes again”•Act 5–“As for the mercy Which he intends to Lear and to Cordelia, The battle done, and they within our power, Shall never see his pardon”–“Do you see this? Look on her, look, her lips, Look there, look there!”King LearKing LearMotifs and ImageryMotifs and Imagery•Motifs–Seeing–Judging–Flattery–“the worst”–“unaccomodated man”–Patience–nothing•Imagery–Insults–Foul fiend, madness–Swearing by Gods–AstrologyKing LearKing LearThemesThemes•Parent/child relationship•Flattery•Madness•Judgment•Appearance vs. reality•world view of Renaissance Christian Humanist and