Hey class, here's the questions for this week! As I'm sure you've gathered from the sonnets, Shakespeare loves disguising ideas / metaphors / feelings in his language. As you read, I recommend picking out words and ideas that seem to recur. I give four examples below--nature, animals, authority, nothing--but there are far more; keep an eye out for others!
Q1 (Carol C.): The word "nature" seems to come up again and again in Act I; Lear mentions it several times, and Edmund, Gloucester's illegitimate son, seems obsessed with it. Note the spots where the term or idea comes up, and talk about what's behind it's ubiquity. (Hint: Different characters might be interested in it for different reasons).
Q2 (Sam): What do you make of this character, the Fool? What seems to be his function in the play? Does he remind you of anyone in anything else you've read / seen?
Q3 (Alice): Do you notice any similarities, either in language or in theme, between this first act of King Lear and the sonnets?
Q4 (Mia): Look carefully at the setting and stage directions of the various scenes. How important are they? How do they affect how we should interpret what happens in the dialog?
Q5 (Jenny): Animals are just everywhere in this first act, typically as metaphors or analogies. Why? Find some spots that strike you as interesting.
Q6 (Isabella): Summarize the responses of Lear's three daughters to his request that they declare how much they love him. Who seems the most sincere?
Q7 (Ashley): In Act I, Scene 4, Kent (in disguise) tells Lear that he has the look of "Authority"; does he, really? How would you describe the King's authority over the course of this first act of the play?
Q8 (Anne): This word "nothing," like nature, seems to come up again and again and again. Why? Pick out some spots where you think something interesting might be going on.
This is Carol Chang trying to answer Q.1!
回覆刪除After reading Act I, I found that King Lear and Edmund are two people who mention nature a lot. However, I think that they give “nature” totally different meaning. Nature sometimes represents goddess or one’s temperament. When King Lear first mentions about nature (p.1147, line 170) is that Kent disobeys him. I think that King Lear considers nature as those things he wants. He wants his servants to obey his directions and her daughters to give him all their love. He wants to be praised. King Lear is a king, so he can get whatever he wants. When someone or something does not follow his wish, he will think that nature has been destroyed. Even when he says nature as goddess (p.1161, line 271), he uses as a curse to punish Goneril to be sterility. I think that nature is a tool for King Lear to punish other when they disobey him or even an excuse for King Lear to fulfill his arrogant.
Edmund is not a legitimate, but I think he is more clever and cunning than Edgar. At the beginning of act 1.2, Edmund mentions nature for the very first time. I think nature by Edmund’s meaning represents an ideal world for him. Edmund knows that he is a bastard, but he also knows that he is not worse than Edgar. However, he has to endure all those prejudices. The goddess, nature, can provide him a fair world which there would be no difference between legitimate and bastard. Nature can be a tool for Edmund to get rid of all those prejudices in order to have a better social status.
Other people have also talks about nature. I think most of them consider nature as a custom. Children have to obey their father. Servants have to obey their master as well. When arguments happen between people, they will consider it unnatural. For them, nature will be like some kind of rules to follow.
This is Alice answering Q3.
回覆刪除I think that there are some similarities between King Lear and Sonnets 18. Both of two works talk about ‘’language’’. Could language express what people truly feels? Could language make people immortal and live on forever?
In King Lear, it is manifest that language cannot truly express human’s feelings. Love is much weighty than the tongue. Love cannot be easily conveyed throughout words. For Goneril and Regan, love is quantifiable. They compare their love to other things like liberty, space and joy. King Lear trusts the hollow flattery. In the end, it turns out to be a tragedy. On the other hand, in Sonnet 18, the poet conveys his love by written words. I think that in Sonnets 18, the poet considers that language can express what people truly feel. The poet tries to express his feelings. Love which is conveyed by written language may transcend the nature, even the death. The love in written words is so powerful that the future generation can feel and admire it.
Could language make people immortal and live on forever? In King Lear, language simply cannot be trusted. Love cannot be measured by language. The flattery delivered by Goneril and Regan is hollow and insincere. The power cannot last forever. In the end, people pay their debts and end their lives. On the other hand, in Sonnet 18, the poet suggests that the poem can give his lover immortal life by passing down from one generation to another generation. The words, ‘’ lines to time’’, in line 12, serve as a metaphor which means poem. Lines can be set and shaped by time. The poem will also survive from time.
This is Sam answering Q2.
回覆刪除The fool, who are regarded as inferior to normal people, play important roles in many literature works. I think the most important function of them is to build up an ironic atmosphere.
In King Lear, the King holds great authority. In some way, he can be regarded as the power to knowledge, in that some people may not dare to blame the King for his wrong decisions or ideas. However, when it comes to a fool, nobody will take seriously about what he says. With the "courage" of criticizing the king, the Fool sometimes becomes the one who holds correct aspect toward things.
Besides, the Fool are contrary to those who are clever, or at least to those who think they are clever. However, we often find out in the end that those who think they are clever are not wise at all; the Fool turn out to be the most wise one.
The first example I immediately came up with is Forrest Gump. Forrest is an idiot, on the contrary of his friend Jenny. However, though everyone thinks Forrest Gump is a idiot, he does things earnestly, and lead a meaningful life. In contrast, though Jenny is regarded as a clever woman, she did not have a good life. However this example is not overall the same with the Fool in King Lear, in that the Fool is a supporting role. But to some extent, I think they share the same function: mocking at people who think they are clever.
(Forrest Gump is the only person I can come up with.)
This is Isabella answer question 6.
回覆刪除First, the oldest daughter Goneril answered King Lear’s question by using a lot of compare symbols like dearer than liberty, beyond the valued (line 55.56) to describe how much she loves her father, and her love to Lear even make her breath poor and speech unable.(line 59) Second, daughter Regan continue Goneril’s words and swaid that if she did not love King Lear, she will away from all other joys.(line 73) Last, the youngest daughter Cordelia said that she love her father is just like how much her father loved her.(line 96-98) And also criticize her two sisters that they are not really loved King Lear because they are married.(line 99.100) Finally, Cordelia point out that she will not get married so she can love her father all.(line 103.104)
In my opinion, I think that Cordelia is much more sincere than her two sisters. If I am Cordelia, I will say something flattery because Lear is a KING. However, Cordelia say the real truth to the KING, she even use the word “duty” to describe her love to Lear.(line 97) It’s really a brave act. As a result, I think Cordelia is the more sincere than her sisters because she dare to say the thing that will enrage her father.
This is Jenny answering the question 5.
回覆刪除they usually use monster, cur, whoreson dog to talk about somebody is bad and hateful. i think the reason that they use animals as analogies is that it could be more vivid to describe how is person and let people be easier to image how is the character.
there are some interesting analogies in the act one, like in act 1.4, kent represent himself as a person who eat no fish. it is really special and interesting way to talk about a person who is not man enough.
another place that i think is interesting is in act 1.4. the fool says"Truth's a dog must to kennel; he must be whipped out, when Lady the brach may stand be the fire and stink." actually, i couldn't totally understand here.i wonder that Shakespeare wanted to say, "truth is a dog.'' or " the truth is that dog must to......" the meaning could be really different when they are explained in these two ways.
also, by the analogies we could know some thing about animals, like in act 1.4, the fool says,''the hedge-sparrow fed...... bit off by it young.'' i didn't know that hedge-sparrow would fed the cuckoo before i saw this.
This is Anne answering the question 8-1 and 8-2:
回覆刪除I think Cordelia's answer "nothing" to King Lear's question is a contrast to her sisters' "anything". Goneril compares her love to many things, tangible or intangible. And Regan follows her answer.
"Sir, I love you more than words can wield the matter;
Dearer than eye-sight, space, and liberty;
Beyond what can be valued, rich or rare;
No less than life, with grace, health, beauty, honor;" (Line54-57)
Goneril exaggerates her love to her father and compares it to everything she could think of
because she wants everything of her father. Conversely, Cordelia really loves her father so she doesn't know what can be equal to her love for Lear. Love cannot be said. One should take action to show one's love to other people.
"Then poor Cordelia!
And yet not so; since, I am sure, my love’s
More ponderous than my tongue." (Line77-79)
Therefore, she simply says "nothing" to Lear's question. However, Lear doesn't understand Cordelia's mind. He says "Nothing will come of nothing, speak again."(Line90) Cordelia insists her answer because she is greedy for nothing.
As for the 8-2 question, I think the spot that Kent dissuades the King from giving his crown and kingdom to Albany and Cornwall is very ironical and typical. Usually the character who is very stubborn at first will regret in the end of the story. From this spot we can know that King Lear will not have good outcome.
This is Ashley answering Q7.
回覆刪除Authority means the moral or legal right or ability to control. In the first act, Lear’s authority had a dramatic change. I think when Kent answered him “Authority”, Lear’s authority remained only in Kent’s mind. Lear didn’t has the look of authority. Kent could indicated Lear’s authority since he has already known him.
In the beginning, Lear’s authority was great. He could ask his daughters to say those flattering words by his authority. However, it was his decision of distributing his territory, fortune and power to his daughters reduced his authority. When his daughters, Goneril and Regan got what they want, they started to worry about Lear would still control them. Evil Goneril started to try to enrage Lear. From the indifferent attitude of Goneril’s retainer, Oswald, Lear started to feel that his authority was declined. After falling out with Goneril, he found that he can’t do anything but rely on Regan. He had no authority then. What he didn’t know is that seeking for Regan’s help was in vain. When disguised Kent was still willing to follow him, Lear’s authority was only valid to Kent. Just in act 1, Lear reduced from a powerful king to an old man who betrayed by his daughter. His authority disappeared.