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Edexcel A-level English Literature: Drama - King Lear essay plans
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King Lear Essay PlansAO1/LOA – RED
AO2/LSF/QUOTE – BLUE
AO3/CONTEXT – GREEN
AO5/CRITICS – ORANGE
How is justice presented in ‘King Lear’? (2023)
1. Justice is served when Edmund dies, and Goneril/Regan fail to successfully maintain their position at
the throne, it seems the evil are punished, shows the consequence of betrayal.
2. Arguable no justice, the death of the ‘good’ character Cordelia depicts how morality does not
always lead to a happy ending, contradicts religious interpretations that being moral brings you a
good ending. Religious motifs. This is further evoked through Lear’s nihilistic death and how justice
does not align with his own wishes – perhaps he is also punished for being a bad king. ‘Expose
thyself to feel what wretches feel.’ Context of Everyman.
How is the different varieties of language portrayed in ‘King Lear’? (2023)
How is loyalty presented in ‘King Lear’? (2022)
How are Goneril and Regan presented in ‘King Lear’? (2022)
1. Shakespeare presents Goneril and Regan to challenge the stereotypes of women in Jacobean
England through their assertive dialogue and plethora of speech – seen through their unexpected
betrayal of Lear (not typical of their gender) and their dominance over their husbands. Carol Rutter:
‘they now assume the male voice, the male space Lear abandons.’ Their denial to speak to Lear in
Act, “deny to speal with me?” Can see the effect the reversal of gender roles has on Lear as he says,
“thou hast power to shake my manhood.” Additionally, the dominance Goneril and Regan have in
their marriage is evident by the lack of dialogue from their husbands as well as their submissiveness
to them, for example when Cornwall follows Regan’s order of banishing Lear to the storm, “My
Regan counsels well.” During a time where women were seen to be properties of their husbands
and fathers + primogeniture It can also be argued that Shakespeare feeds into the stereotypes of
women by painting Cordelia in an angelic light in comparison to her sisters as she is the ideal good
sister who keeps quiet and behaves how a woman would be expected to behave. Carol Rutter: ‘the
two who speak are monsters; the one who does not is monstered…that good women keep their
mouth shut.’ Kathleen McLuskie: sees Shakespeare’s vision as conventional and conservative and his
portrayal of female characters as misogynistic. Seen through animal imagery of sisters, “sharper
than a serpent’s tooth,” “sharp-toothed unkindness like a vulture here.” Serpents are the only
animals that betray their parents. Versus Cordelia’s comparison to animals, “Why should a dog, a
horse, a rat have life, and thou no breath at all?” Compared in a superior manner to animals. As well
as her saintly and pure imagery, “O dear father it is thy business that I go about…love, dear love,
and right” – self-sacrificial and helping her father in comparison to her sister. Also the recomposed
Pieta in the last scene where Lear holds Cordelia – compares her image to Christ. So, the
glorification of Cordelia’s character and the villainising of Goneril and Regan, who are women who
assert power and play against what is expected of them for personal gain, showcases Shakespeare’s
complicity with the stereotypical view of women in Jacobean society.
2. On the other hand, the sympathy gained towards Goneril and Regan by the audience when
Shakespeare portrays them as victims of the patriarchy is revoked due to their intense desire and
, greed of political power. Although at first their power can be seen as inspirational through a feminist
lens, a Marxist approach to their obsession with power would see it as corrupt. Arnold Kettle:
focuses on the evolution of the king’s character and the moral education he undergoes. However,
this can be seen as the opposite case for Goneril and Regan as their gain in power leads to their own
rivalry such as their shared love for Edmund (“To both these sisters have I sworn my love; each
jealous of the other as the stung are of the adder.”) – mimics Marxist ideas about competition
between capitalists for control over economic and social resources. The evolution of Lear’s moral
conscience juxtaposes the dissolution of Goneril and Regan’s moral destruction. As one character
reaches a moral high, the other faces a moral low. Margot Heinemann: ‘Goneril, Regan… rewarded
for their obsequiousness with land.’ Their immorality is further emphasised through Heinemann’s
critical voice – Shakespeare does not play into poetic justice and allows Goneril and Regan to gain
power despite their cruel ways in achieving it. The feudal system of the time required power and
land to be in the hands of the royalty and land was granted to nobles in exchange for loyalty. Ironic
as Goneril and Regan are disloyal and thus have a reduced moral image. Their disloyalty in earnest
for power and political gain causes the destruction of any chance for moral redemption. This
malevolent behaviour is most evident in Regan’s initiation of Gloucester’s blinding, “One will mock
another. [Gouge] th’other too!” Regan’s lack of empathy for those lower in class than her can be
viewed as Shakespeare’s social commentary on the disregard the ruling class has of the poor.
How is human weakness presented in ‘King Lear’? (2021)
Explore how Shakespeare presents setting in ‘King Lear’ (2021)
How are family relationships presented in ‘King Lear’? (2020)
How is the fool presented in ‘King Lear’? (2020)
1. Shakespeare presents the fool as a voice for the audience allowing him to critique the Jacobean
social and political system in the name of comedy. Maynard Mack: ‘Shakespeare himself, perhaps –
who, having been given the power to see the ‘truth’, can convey it only through poetry – what we
commonly call a ‘fiction’ and dismiss.’ “Thou hadst little wit in thy bald crown when thou gavest
golden one away.” “I had rather be any kind o’thing than a fool. And yet I would not be thee nuncle”
Brief moments of humour with philosophical seriousness (form features). Maynard Mack: ‘Can be
privileged in madness to say things.’ Opposing authority = integral part of Western intellectual
tradition. Could be argued Shakespeare presents Fool as a symbol of Renaissance Humanism due to
his lack of suppression of ego and ability to stand on his own without being a member of a definite
group. He is an ‘all-licensed’ jester.
2. Shakespeare also utilises the fool’s character to display the importance of loyalty in the play and the
effect his devotion has on Lear. His disappearance in the later acts of the play is notable, and his
absence marks a shift in the tone as the tragedy intensifies. The fool's silence becomes a poignant
element in the latter part of the play. David Scott Kastan: ‘The fall from prosperity to wretchedness
became commonplace.’ Lear’s mental disintegration puts him on level with the Fool. “Who is it that
can tell me who I am?” This allows the fool’s loyalty to be prioritised by Lear as everybody has left
him. The fool’s loyalty to Lear can be interpreted through a Marxist lens - it takes the upper class to
lose everything to see eye to eye with the lower class, whereas the lower class has undying loyalty
regardless. Margot Heinemann: ‘The horror of a society divided between extremes of rich and poor
[…] Lear […] discovers this only when his own world is turned upside down and he himself is
destitute and mad and at last sees authority with the eyes of the dispossessed.’ “Poor naked
wretches…how shall your houseless heads and unfed sides...defend you…O, I have ta’en too little
care of this!”
How is Edgar presented in ‘King Lear’? (2019)
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