King Lear Quotes assignment PDF

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breakdown of king lear quotes, analysis, patterns, and more....

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Act 1 scene 1 37-41 Quote Lear. Meantime we shall express our darker purpose. Give me the map there. Know that we have divided In three our kingdom, and ’tis our fast intent To shake all cares and business from our age, conferring them on younger strengths while we unburdened crawl toward death. Context: Lear is talking about his plan to retire and divide the the kingdom into 3 for his daughters to avoid any conflicts that could potentially arise due to their inheritance from lear. This is the start to when Goneril and Regan in a sense butter-up Lear to gain their inheritance of the land. Where Cordelia is honest and does not try to butter-up Lear and is banished. This is the quote that advances the plot and relates to the theme Rash and reckless actions can breed violence and destruction. Because Lear ends up suffering in the long term by banishing Cordelia and disowning her. Act 1 scene 1 130 Quote Lear: Come not between the dragon and his wrath. Context: Lear tells Kent not to get involved when he disowns Cordelia for not telling him how great he is. When he says come not between the dragon and his wrath he is referring to himself as the dragon and his wrath represents his anger. Because Cordelia was Lear's favorite daughter and he had plans of growing old and having her take care of him. This helps to advance the plot because its a key part in showing how Lear’s ego and pride lead to his downfall. Relates to the theme People often do not see the truth (reality) when their weaknesses and emotions block their insight. Because Lear only realizes what he has lost in the end. Act 1 scene 1 143-144 Quote Lear: Only we shall retain the name and all th’ additions to a king. Context: This is where Lear decides to give the extra third of the land that Cordelia was supposed to have to his 2 other daughters. This quote is referring to how Lear wants to keep power and privilege but not have anything to do. This develops Lear’s character by representing his ignorance and ego. Act 1 scene 1 282 - 283 Quote France: Be it lawful I take up what’s cast away. God’s, gods! ’Tis strange that from their coldest neglect My love should kindle to inflamed respect. Context: This is the part of the play where the king of France still wants Cordelia and does not care about what has happened with Lear. The king of France says the gods made him love her so much and now she can completely be his since Lear has severed his ties with Cordelia. This advances the plot because of Regan and Goneril act so rude towards Cordelia and this shows their character. Which relates to how the tables will soon turn on Lear because he thinks that his two daughters love him so much even though all they care about is power. This relates to the theme Chaos and to the theme statement the world is cruel to the honest and forthright as well as to the wicked and deceitful. Act 1 scene 1 322-323 Quote Regan: ’Tis the infirmity of his age; yet hath ever but slenderly known himself. Context: This quote describes the scene where Cordelia leaves and Goneril and Regan are talking about how Lear always lets his bad judgment get in the better of him and makes the wrong mistakes. This relates to the theme The world is cruel to the honest and forthright as well as to the wicked and deceitful and The world is cruel to the honest and forthright as well as to the wicked and deceitful. This advances the plot by showing the start to the karma that King Lear will face due to his bad actions bad consequences will follow. Act 1 scene 2 21-22

Quote Edmund: Shall top the legitimate; I grow; I prosper. Now, gods, stand up for bastards! Context: Edmund is the illegitimate son of the earl of Gloucester He is talking about standing up for himself and going up against the legitimate. This advances the plot because Edmund is one of the main antagonists in the play. He is speaking about going up against Edgar the legitimate and this leads to Edmunds self-destruction as Edgar wins a duel between them and stabs him and he dies after confessing his sins. Act 2 scene 2 34-36 Quote Gloucester. No? What needed then that terrible dispatch of it into your pocket? The quality of nothing hath not such need to hide itself. Let’s see. Come, if it be nothing, I shall not need spectacles Context: The letter that Edmund is reading Gloucester sees him hide it and is curious as to why he was in such a hurry to hide the letter. Gloucester thinks the letter is fake and questions Edmund about it. This foreshadows the civil war that breaks out later on in the play where the son is against the father. This advances the Plot because in a way it is a form of foreshadowing and relates the theme chaos Act 1, Scene 3 lines 17-19: “ That still would manage those authorities That he hath given away! Now by my life, Old fools are babes again and must be used" Speaker: Goneril Context: - Lear commences his retirement at goneril’s castle - Goneril complains to Oswald (steward) that Lear’s knights are becoming riotous and that Lear himself is an obnoxious guest to have - She tells Oswald to tell Lear that she is sick and will not see him. - Goneril orders her servants to be rude to Lear in hopes of provoking a reaction from him Dramatic Significance: - Goneril shows her lack of personal regards to her dad Theme: family relationships; the drama of king lear essentially revolves around the destruction of relationships. Tragedy comes as a result of bonds broken between family. Goneril and Regan do not agree with Cordelia. Theme: authority; foreshadowing Goneril turning against him (along with Regan) - Develops plot and the ultimate tragedies that are to come Act 1, Scene 4 lines 109-111: “ Learn more than thou trowest, Set less than thou throwest, Leave thy drink and thy whore” Translation :Don’t believe everything you hear, Don’t bet everything on one throw of the dice, Leave behind your booze and your whore, Speaker: the fool Context: - Kent appears in Goneril’s castle, calling himself Caius and lear accepts him - Lear’s servants and knights notice that Goneril’s servants no longer obey their commands - Oswald continues to disrespect lear, lear strikes finally - Fool tells Lear through puns that he has made a big mistake giving his power to Regan and Goneril - Goneril finally speaks with Lear and tells him that his servants and knights have been disorderly and he will have to send some of them away whether he likes it or not. (Send half of 100 knights away)

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Lear is shocked at Goneril’s betrayal and regrets giving her power and curses her to not have kids Lear leaves to stay with Regan instead thinking she will be his truest daughter Goneril and Albany argue as he is upset about how she treated her father Goneril writes to Regan to not house Lear and his knights.

Dramatic Significance: - Lear’s failure to recognize Kent as Caius also stands as a double entendre for how he cannot see the true colours of his daughters. It is a dramatic metaphor - Lear would like Oswald’s acknowledgment which depicts how sight and recognition is a big part of having authority and power - Lear has destroyed himself while trying to create the kingdom - Fool is insightful, which is ironic Act 1, Scene 4 lines 130-133: “Cornwall and Albany, With my two daughters' dowers digest this third. Let pride, which she calls plainness, marry her.” Translation: Cornwall and Albany, you and your wives can divide this last third of my kingdom between you. If she wants to be proud, or “honest,” as she calls it, she can just marry her own pride. Speaker: King Lear to Cornwall and Albany Context: - Lear’s daughters will only receive parts of the kingdom if they are supporting Lear instead of going against him and refusing to house him and his knights - Themes: relationships, authority, sight Lear continues to believe he can have respect despite stepping down from the throne Dramatic Significance: - Lear truly begins to see how his daughters are betraying him - Shows how prevalent authority and power are in this era - Fool is being insightful; irony Act 1, Scene 4 lines 160-161: “ My life I never held but as a pawn To wage against thy enemies, nor fear to lose it, Thy safety being motive.” Translation: i never considered my life as anything more than a chess pawn for you to play off against your enemies. I’m not afraid to lose it if it helps protect you Speaker: Kent Context: - Kent is speaking to Lear - Kent is disguised as Caius Dramatic Significance: - Kent continues to depict his loyalty for lear, even dressed as Caius - Kent literally lives to serve lear no matter how he is treated, shows how noble Lear is (by default) when really he is not actually the King anymore - SHOWS KENT'S LOYALTY Act 1, Scene 4 lines 226-227: “ I do beseech you To understand my purposes aright.

As you are old and reverend, should be wise.” Translation: I’m asking you to understand my point of view. Since you’re old and respected, you should be wise. Speaker: Goneril Context: - Goneril is speaking to her father, Lear - Goneril tells Lear how she is upset/angry at Lear for letting his entourage of servers and knights get out of control. - She says his knights are always loud and riotous, she worries he's actually encouraging their behavior. - She is trying to get Lear to see things from her point of view Dramatic Significance: - This proves that old âge and wiseness have no equivalency - Lear is old, however he is not actually wise as Goneril thinks. He is being reckless. Childish, and expects to be treated as a king even when he does not want the responsibilities of being king - Therefore depicts the theme of broken relationships, broken bonds between families, parent to child

Act 1, Scene 4 lines 289-291 “What, fifty of my followers at a clap? Within a fortnight?” Translation: What, fifty of my knights dismissed all at once? In only two weeks? Speaker: king lear Context: - Goneril has dismissed fifty of Lear’s knights so Lear is shook - Lear will move to Regan’s house, claiming she will treat him how he deserves to be treated; like a king - Albany is confused as he missed the fight between Lear and Goneril Dramatic Significance: - Shows betrayal of Goneril to her father - Really depicts the prevalent theme of broken bonds of child to parent. Scene 4 really commences the gradual deterioration of the bonds between Lear and his daughters, first Cordelia, then Goneril. - Develops the plot and enhances Lear’s character - Lear continues to remain without insight - Lear does not see his daughters point of views Act 1 scene 4 lines 354-355: “How far your eyes may pierce I cannot tell. Striving to better, oft we mar what’s well.” Speaker: Albany Context: ● Goneril criticizes the Fool and all of Lear's knights for disturbing the peace in her house ● Goneril scolds Lear, telling him he must return to his usual self ● Goneril demands Lear to reduce the number of knights with him from 100 to 50 ● Albany is upset with Goneril for the way she treated her father ● Translation: Maybe you know more than I do. But people often screw things up trying to make them better. Dramatic Significance: ● Albany begins to see that Goneril may have cruel intentions especially towards her own father ● drives him away from her

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conveys the first signs that Albany is unhappy about his wife's treatment of her father Theme: Chaos; foreshadows what’s to come, her secrets among other things eventually “screw” up her marriage.

Act 1 scene 5 lines 41-42 “Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise.” Speaker: Fool Context: ● The fool was saying this to King lear ● Lear explains what happened with Goneril to Kent ● sends Kent to deliver a letter to Regan ● Lear is teased by his Fool, who predicts that Regan will be as like Goneril ● Translation: You’re not suppose to get old till you’re wise Dramatic Significance: ● you see the fool is the wise and paternal one possessing of fatherly insight ● fools character development ● Lear is getting old, the fool says that he has not yet become wise ● The fool indirectly calling Lear a Fool ● Theme: Blindness and Insight ;shows intelligence on his part, because he is able to see foolishness in a place where the king can't. Act 2 Scene 1 lines 10-11 “ Have you heard of no likely wars toward ‘twixt the Dukes of Cornwall and Albany?” Speaker: Curan Context: ● Curran mentions to Edmund that there are rumors of imminent war between Cornwall and Albany ● Edmund thinks of this as good news ● He thinks in a way it will help with his schemes ● Translation:You haven’t heard of the war brewing b Dramatic Significance: ● Theme: Chaos;The talk of war foreshadows a breakdown in the kingdom's order, laws and in the relationships between those who hold power ● shows what a villain Edmund is ● between the Dukes of Cornwall and Albany? Act 2 Scene 1 Lines 124-126 “So much commend itself, you shall be ours. Natures of such deep trust we shall much need; You we first seize on.” Speaker: Cornwall Context: ● Edmund betrays his brother by telling his father that Edgar had assaulted him ● Gloucester exiles Edgar and calls Edmund his “loyal and natural boy” ● Cornwall and Regan tell Gloucester about the conflict between Lear and Goneril ● They believe Edmunds lies ● Cornwall asks Edmund to work for him and he accepts ● translation :As for you, Edmund, you’ve been so loyal and virtuous throughout this whole business. I’d like you to work for me. I need people as trustworthy as you. Dramatic Significance : ● Gloucester prefers to believe his illegitimate son who has been away for years over Edgar ● shows him to be extremely credulous ● Theme:Blindness;Like Lear he is blind to the truth, only later being able to 'see' the truth when, ironically, he no longer has eyes. Act 2 Scene 1 Lines 90-92

“May have due note of him, and of my land, Loyal and natural boy, I’ll work the means To make thee capable” Speaker: Gloucester Context: ● Edmund tells Gloucester Edgar wanted him to join in a plot against Gloucester’s life ● Gloucester praises Edmund and tells him he will send people to search for Edgar ● Gloucester further declares that Edgar is no longer his son ● Translation:And I’ll send his picture everywhere so that the whole kingdom will know what he looks like. —And as for you, my loyal and true son, I’ll find some way to make you my heir. Dramatic Significance ● Theme: Chaos and Blindness;Edmund has provided yet another instance of manipulating vision in order to produce blindness ● Gloucester falls for it and uses his authority to reverse the usual legal order ● preferring the illegitimate to the legitimate.

Act 2 Scene 2 Lines 68-70 “Who wears no honesty. Such smiling rogues as these, Like rats, oft bite the holy cords atwain Which are too intrinse to unloose; smooth every passion” Speaker: Kent Context: ● Kent picks a fight with Oswald ● Edmund, Cornwall, Regan, Gloucester, and his servants, enter, and demand to know what is going on ● Oswald explains that Kent only spared him because of ‘his grey beard’ ● Translation:only encourage the unreasonable passions of their masters. They foster both rage and apathy. They say “Yes” and “No,” turning their noses whichever way the wind blows without taking a firm stance on anything.

Dramatic Significance ● Kent represents old-fashioned virtues in a world that is threatened by insanity and selfishness ● His attack on Oswald demonstrates his loyalty to Lear as a man and to all that kingship symbolises ● supporting Oswald and putting Kent in the stocks, Cornwall reveals his true nature Act 2 Scene 2 Lines 89-91 “I have seen better faces in my time Than stands on any shoulder that I see Before me at this instant” Speaker: Kent Context: ● Kent further insults Regan, Cornwall, and Gloucester claiming he’s seen better faces ● Kent stresses that he is able to see through Cornwall and Regan to the corruption in their hearts ● Translation: I’m used to telling the truth, sir, and I have to say that I’ve seen better faces than those I see here Dramatic Significance: ● Kents notable characteristics;loyalty and bluntness are shown ● Theme: Old Age; Oswald chooses not to attack Kent because of Kent’s “gray beard”—at nearly fifty, Kent is an old man and thus no longer suited for fighting ● Kent’s attack seems to be rooted in his anger at Goneril’s treatment of Lear

Act 2 Scene 2 lines 173-175 Of my obscured course--and “shall find time from this enormous state, seeking to give loses their remedies”--All weary and o’erwatched Speaker:Kent Context: ● Regan orders that Kent be put in the stocks and left there overnight. ● Kent, once a powerful lord, is now left alone to endure a humiliating punishment in the cold. He settles down for the night. ● Kent comforts himself by reading a letter from Cordelia, who is keeping herself informed about her sisters' treatment of their father. Translation: Who knows that I’m serving the king in disguise.She says that she will have time, now that she’s away from the monstrous conditions here, to find a way to fix things. Significance: ● Kent reads this letter that Cordelia wrote and knows that she has a way to fix things ● The letter says that Cordelia has been informed of the steps Kent has taken, disguising himself, and will in time return to remedy the trouble in Lear's England. ● Cordelia says that she has time and that at least she's away from all the monstrous conditions. ● Cordelia's letter to Kent provides the first sign that there are forces working to restore justice and order in England Theme: ● Family; particularly that not all family-feeling between children and parents is lost. Act 2 Scene 4 lines 116-119 Infirmity doth still neglect all office whereto our health is bound. We are not ourselves when nature, being oppressed, commands the mind to suffer with the body.I’ll forbear Speaker: King lear Context: ● Lear, his Fool, a Gentleman, and his other followers arrive at Gloucester's castle. ● Lear grows infuriated when he sees Kent in the stocks, demanding to know who put him there. Kent explains that Regan and Cornwall themselves are responsible. ● Lear storms off into the palace to find them. While he is away, Kent asks why Lear has so few attendants with him. ● The Fool mocks Kent for asking such a stupid question. Translation: When we’re ill we can’t carry out our duties as well as when we’re healthy. When our bodies are out of order, our minds can’t function properly. I’ll hold off, and subdue my impulsive temper, which makes me judge a sick man as if he were well. Significance: ● Lear comes closer to the brink of madness upon seeing his messenger abused by his own other daughter particularly. ● He is strongly offended by this Theme: ● Chaos: when Lear gives up his power and Goneril and Regan turn against him, he falls apart, going crazy. Act 2 Scene 4 lines 195-199 Against my coming in.Thou better knowest The offices of nature,bond of childhood, Effects of courtesy,dues of gratitude, Thy half of the kingdom hast thou not forgot Speaker: King Lear Context: ● Having freed Kent from the stocks, Cornwall and Regan receive Lear.

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Lear explains his grievances against Goneril. Regan insisting that he should be ruled by someone who better than he can, Regan encourages Lear to return to Goneril's house and ask for her forgiveness. Lear is confused. As Cornwall joins in reproaching Lear, Lear curses Goneril insisting that he will never curse Regan in this manner because she knows better what the "offices of nature, bond of childhood" are. Translation: You know better than she does how important the duties of a child to a parent are, and the responsibilities that come from gratitude. You haven’t forgotten the half of a kingdom I gave you. Significance: ● When Regan reveals herself as having just as little regard for both her father's age and the responsibilities following from the "bond of childhood" ● As Goneril the extent of Lear's misjudgment (and blindness) becomes increasingly clear. Theme: ● Blindness: The tragic errors that King Lear and Gloucester make in misjudging their children constitute a form of figurative blindness and a lack of insight into the true characters of those around them. Act 2 Scene 4 line 227 I pray you, father, being weak,seem so. Speaker: Regan Context: ● Oswald app...