King Lear - Act 1 themes and plots PDF

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Summary

King Lear Act 1 plots and themes. Scenes and lines....

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Plotline

Summary (include scene and lines)

Lear vs. Cordelia

When Lear asks his daughters who loves him most, Cordelia responds honestly and real unlike her sisters by saying “nothing” and King Lear shuns her for that because he wanted her to say that she loves him more than her sisters. Instead she says that she loves him how a daughter should love her father no more no less. Act 1 scene 1 lines 27-34.

Lear vs. Goneril& Regan

Goneril betrays Lear and even tells her servants to be rude to Lear. Lear then says that he will stay with Regan that he believes will be true to him. Goneril then writes a letter to Regan to basically not house Lear’s hundred knights. Regan is going to treat Lear no better than Goneril has been. Lear is of course mad! Scene 4-5 lines 95,105-106,127-129 Scene 5 line 28.

Lear vs. Kent

Kent is being honest with Lear on the mistake he’s making but Lear gets angry with Kent and banishes him from the kingdom and tells him he must be gone within 6 days. Scene 1 lines 54-57.

Edmund vs. Edgar & Gloucester

Gloucester is introduced and he makes jokes about his bastard son Edmund. “Through this knave came something saucily into the world before he was sent for, yet was his mother fair; there was good sport at his making, and the whoreson must be acknowledged.” Scene 1 line 9

Edmund & Goneril vs. Edmund & Regan

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Four Central Themes

Summary (include scene and lines)

Desire for Power

“Which we durst never yet,---and with strain’d pride To come between our sentence and our power,” He explains to learn that no one will come between their power. Scene 1 lines 59-60

Corruption of Authority

King Lear gave his authority away to the unworthy Goneril and Regan. Not only did he put himself into chaos but he brought Britain into chaos as well. He is losing his authority because now the sisters are turning against him

and slowly kicking him out by having their servants be rude to him and taking away his knights and basically just doing everything to take away from him until he is left with nothing. Keep in mind he is still King. He even says that he’ll get his support from his other daughter and Goneril then writes a letter to Regan to sustain him and his hundred knights. Scene 4 lines 120-133 Justice

Explains to edmund to read the essay he wrote for his justification Edmund. I hope for my brother’s justification, he wrote this but as an essay or taste of my virtue. Scene 2 line 16.

Aging/Legacy/Mortality

Aging is one of the themes in Act 1 that King Lear shows. He starts making decisions about his kingdom and makes a bet on the persons expressing their love for them. When him aging he starts losing his significance. Scene 1 line 21....