King Lear: Act I

Use specific examples (with line references) to provide an insightful, analytical response
1. What do Cordelias asides during scene 1 reveal about her character?
2. Explain Lears meaning when he says Nothing will come of nothing (1.1.89).
3. What does Lear do to punish Cordelia for her unwillingness to please him with
flattery? What does he do to Kent, his advisor?
4. Note Cordelias farewell to her sisters and their response. What does short
exchange reveal about each womans character and Lears own sense of judgment?
5. What makes France such a noble person compared to Burgundy?
Scene ii
6. PFC Edmunds three soliloquies in scene 2. What do we learn from him?
7. List the parallels between Gloucester and his sons Edmund and Edgar, and King
Lear and his daughters by referencing loyalty, flattery and seeming/pretending.
Scene iii
8. What do Gonerils instructions to Oswald indicate?
Scene iv
9. Describe Lears behaviour and state of mind while at Gonerils castle.
10. Paraphrase Lears curse on Goneril.
11. The Fool has been a character of much debate. What is the dramatic purpose of the
Fool? Locate four passages to support your response.
12. What is Albany and Gonerils relationship like, judging from their brief exchange at
the end of the scene?

Scene v
13. How can we tell that Lears fortune when he arrives at Regans is not promising?
14. What is the meaning of Lears comment I did her wrong? (1.5.22)
15. Evaluate the comments made on age and the aging throughout act 1. Who makes
the comments? Why or how does this alter their meaning?
16. Provide three references to sight (in any form) throughout act 1 and briefly discuss
the meaning of each.