| Act 1 Scene 1 | Lear divides up the Kingdom- Cordelia and Kent are banished |
| Act 1 Scene 2 | Edmund has a soliloquy about how he is not respected in society and writes letter to frame Edgar |
| Act 1 Scene 3 | Goneril begins to get irritated with Lear’s knights. She tells Oswald to ignore Lear |
| Act 1 Scene 4 | Goneril confronts Lear and he storms off to Regan’s. |
| Act 1 Scene 5 | The Fool warns Lear of his mistake- he says “O! Let me not be mad…I would not be mad!” Tells him he is a fool for giving up his power |
| Act 2 Scene 1 | Edmund tricks Edgar and Gloucester once more by cutting his arm and having Edgar flee- Edmund is described as Gloucester’s “good and natural boy” whilst Edgar is banished |
| Act 2 Scene 2 | Kent is put in the stocks by Cornwall and Goneril for attacking Oswald because he was rude to Lear |
| Act 2 Scene 3 | Edgar is disguised as Poor Tom |
| Act 2 Scene 4 | Lear finds Kent in the stocks- is shocked when Regan defends Goneril and they want to take away all his knights. He is locked out into the storm. |
| Act 3 Scene 1 | The King of France and Cordelia are preparing their armies at Dover. |
| Act 3 Scene 2 | Blow winds blow!”. On the heath |
| Act 3 Scene 3 | Gloucester leaves to search for Lear and tells Edmund about the letter from Cordelia saying that the French are about to invade |
| Act 3 Scene 4 | Lear descends into true madness on the heath, stripping. They meet Poor Tom who pretends to be possessed, and are led by Gloucester to shelter. |
| Act 3 Scene 5 | Edmund shows Cornwall his father’s letter- condemning him to treason |
| Act 3 Scene 6 | Lear, Kent, Gloucester and “Poor Tom” find shelter and proceed to Dover. |
| Act 3 Scene 7 | Cornwall plucks out Gloucester’s eyes- Regan then throws him out of his own home; “smell your way to dover” |
| Act 4 Scene 1 | “Poor Tom” sees blinded Gloucester and offers to take him to Dover for Gloucester to commit suicide. |
| Act 4 Scene 2 | Goneril & Edmund plot to be together. Cornwall dies. Albany learns of Edmund’s treachery & the blinding and is outraged. |
| Act 4 Scene 3 | Cordelia reacts to news of Lear- sunshine and rain all at once. |
| Act 4 Scene 4 | Cordelia searches for Lear and prepares for battle. |
| Act 4 Scene 6 | Edgar pretends that Gloucester has committed suicide yet been saved by the gods. Lear is “fantastically dressed with wild flowers”. |
| Act 4 Scene 7 | Lear and Cordelia reunite- “I am old and foolish”, “I think this lady to be my child Cordelia”. |
| Act 5 Scene 1 | Everyone is readying for battle with France. Edmund plots to have Albany killed to stop Lear and Cordelia being pardoned. |
| Act 5 Scene 2 | Battle- French lose, Lear and Cordelia taken prisoner |
| Act 5 Scene 3 | Edmund is put under arrest by Albany because he refuses to release Cordelia and Lear. Regan goes off stage and dies- poisoned by Goneril. Edmund & Edgar fight- as Edmund is dying he admits his wrongs (“the wheel is come full circle”). Edgar describes that Gloucester has died upon finding out his identity. Goneril then kills herself with a dagger. Lear enters with dead Cordelia in his arms. Edmund dies. Lear is unable to accept that Cordelia is dead and dies thinking she is breathing. Albany gives up the land to Edgar and Kent |
| Which one of Lear’s counselors reprimands the king for exiling his daughter? | Kent |
| Who is Gloucester’s bastard son? | Edmund |
| When Lear visits Goneril, what does she demand of him? | That he send away some of his knights |
| When they hear that Lear is coming to visit them, where do Regan and Cornwall go? | To Glouchesters Castle |
| Why is Kent thrown into the stocks? | For beating Oswalds with the flat of his sword |
| When he flees from his father, how does Edgar disguise himself? | As a common beggar |
| When Lear tells Regan that Goneril has wronged him, what does Regan advise him to do? | Go to Goneril and ask her for forgivness |
| After he curses both Goneril and Regan, what does Lear do? | He storms out of Gloucester castle, accompanied by the fool. |
| Whom does Lear meet living in a little hovel on the heath? | Edgar, in disguse |
| Why is Gloucester accused of treason? | Because Edmund revolves letters showing that he knows about the French Invasion |
| Where does Gloucester send Lear and his attendants? | To Dover |
| How is Gloucester punished for his “treason”? | He is blinded |
| Who encounters Gloucester on the heath and offers to lead him to Dover? | Edgar |
| Who is leading the army that lands at Dover? | Cordelia |
| Why does Gloucester want to reach the cliffs of Dover? | He wants to throw himself over the cliff |
| To whom are both Goneril and Regan attracted? | Edmund |
| Before the battle between the French and English armies, to whose camp is Lear brought? | Cordelia’s |
| What happens to Lear and Cordelia during the battle? | Edmund takes them captive |
| How does Regan die? | Goneril poisons her |
| Who fights a duel with Edmund? | Edgar |
| What does Edmund reveal as he lies dying? | That he ordered Cordelia and Lear to be killed |
| What happens to Cordelia? | she is hanged in prision |
| What happens to Lear at the end of the play? | He dies while weeping over Cordelia’s body. |
| What does Edmund give the Captain? | A note, giving orders to kill Cordelia and Lear |
| Who kills Edmund | Edgar |
| Who says the following: “And my poor fool is hanged. No, no, no life?Why should a dog, horse, a rat have life, And thou no breath at all? Thou’lt come no more,Never, never, never, never, never.—–“ | Lear |
| “Vex not his ghost. O, let him pass? He hates him/That would upon the rack of this tough world/Stretch him out longer.” This is an example of a(n) | Irony |
| Why does the Duke of Burgundy refuse to marry Cordelia in Act I of ???????????????? ????????????????? * | He won’t wed a princess without a dowry |
| In ???????????????? ????????????????, a coxcomb is a/an | Fools Cap |
| What does Gloucester say about Edmund when he introduces him? | The Edmund is illegitimate but he still loves him. |
| How does Lear plan on spending his remaining years? | Visiting his daughters. |
| How does Lear react to Cordelia’s refusal to flatter him? | He gives her share of the kingdom to her sisters |
| Why is Edmund jealous of Edgar? | He will inherit their father’s estate. |
| How does Edmund make Gloucester want to read the forged letter? | By obviously hiding it from him. |
| What does Goneril order her servants to do to Lear? | Act rudely to him |
| Who shows up at Goneril’s castle disguised as a peasant? | Kent |
| What does the Fool say to Lear? | That he was wrong to give his kingdom to Goneril and Reagan |
| What does Lear say he hopes happens to Goneril? | That she becomes infertile |
| Who protests about how Goneril treats Lear? | Albany |
| Who gave the order to shut the doors of Gloucester’s castle after Lear’s dramatic departure? | Reagan |
| Kent is put into the stocks for his abuse of | Oswald |
| In Act II, scene 1, Edmund encourages Edgar to flee before Gloucester arrives. What does Edmund then do to increase Gloucester’s anger and his view of Edgar as villain? | Stabs himself in the arm. |
| When Edgar is disguised and pretending to be insane, what name does he use? | Poor Tom |
| When King Lear goes out into the storm, who loyally goes and stays with him? | Gloucester and Fool |
| “Winter’s not gone yet, if the wild geese fly that way.” | Fool |
| “…O fool, I shall go mad!” | King Lear |
king lear summary
July 15, 2019