Act 1 Scene 1: Lear takes no time in messing everything up
SUMMARY:
Open with courtly gossip about Lear's love for his daughter's husbands. Introduce Edmund, and Gloucester makes fun of Edmund's bastardly origins in front of Kent.
Lear enters and announces that he will split Kingdom via a love test where each sister will house Lear for a month.
Love test occur with Goneril and Regan spouting OTT love proclamation but Cordelia refuses out of real love and in rage Lear banishes her.
Kent intercedes and tries to knock some sense into Lear but gets banished instead.
Lear calls Cordelia's suitors; Burgundy and France, and presents Cordelia as dowerless. Burgundy refuses her hand but France accepts and Lear leaves.
Cordelia says goodbye to her sisters and warns them to look after Lear then exits with France.
Regan and Goneril talk about Lear's ageing and how to usurp his control before exiting.
KEY QUOTATIONS
'tis our fast intent/ To shake all cares and business from our age,/ Conferring them on younger strengths, while we/ unburthened crawl toward death.' pg. 5 line 37-40 Lear
'Come not between the dragon and its wrath' pg.11 line 121 Lear
'See, better Lear' pg.13 line 157 Kent
'Fairest Cordelia, that art most rich, being poor;/ Most choice , forsaken; and most loved, despised!' pg. 19 line 249 France
Note: You probably will annotate the life out of this scene so I won't say much, if you want more just comment.
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The Discombobulated Guide to King Lear
Non-FictionAnyone else trying to wade through English Literature books?? Join the club! Although I love English Literature one does have to keep the passion alive and therefore during my exams I got a couple of ways of making it fun and decided to share with y...
