King Lear is set in the court of an ageing British monarch. Shakespeare probably wrote it in around 1604, sandwiched between two other great tragedies, Othello and Macbeth.
Having reached the age of 80, the widowed King Lear calls his nobles together to announce his intention to pass on the cares and responsibility of monarchy to his three daughters, with whom he means to live on a rota basis. His eldest, Goneril, is married to the Duke of Albany and his middle child, Regan, is married to the Duke of Cornwall. At the court are the Duke of Burgundy and the King of France, both hoping to marry Lear's youngest (and favourite) daughter Cordelia.
BANISHMENT
Before dividing his kingdom, however, Lear challenges his daughters to prove which of them loves him best. His two elder daughters play along, making passionate speeches about the depth of their love for him, but his youngest, horrified by their excesses, refuses to say anything. Her unwillingness to exaggerate her feelings enrages Lear and he banishes her forever. He divides his country between his elder daughters and their husbands.
On learning that Cordelia will no longer inherit anything from Lear, the Duke of Burgundy withdraws his proposal of marriage. She leaves with the King of France who loves her more now that she has proved her honesty. When Lear's rash behaviour is challenged by his most faithful servant, the Earl of Kent, he is banished too, but returns in disguise to serve his old master in secret, calling himself Caius.
In a similar misunderstanding, the Earl of Gloucester is misled by his scheming illegitimate son, Edmund, into believing that his legitimate son, Edgar, wishes to murder him in order to inherit his title and lands. Edgar escapes his father's anger by running away and disguising himself as a mad beggar called 'Poor Tom'.
APPEARANCE AND REALITY
Lear soon discovers that, by passing his authority to his daughters, he has damaged his relationship with them so much that he is refused a home with either of them. He finds himself banished into a storm with only his Fool (a jester) and the disguised Kent for company. As he descends into madness he learns the error of his ways.
Gloucester's support for the displaced King angers Goneril and Regan and he too finds himself cast out and defenceless and in the care of Poor Tom, whom he still believes to be a beggar rather than his own son. As both Lear and Gloucester learn the true nature of their children, their hopes rest with Cordelia, newly returned to Britain in charge of a French army.
Stop reading now if you don't want to know how it ends...
As Cordelia's army prepares to meet that led by her sisters and their husbands, she is reconciled with Lear, who begs her forgiveness. Gloucester's attempt at suicide is foiled by Poor Tom, and he too is reunited with Lear.
The enemy armies are disrupted as Goneril and Regan compete for Edmund's love. He however is driven only by his ambition. A servant of Regan's husband (Cornwall) is so shocked that Regan and Cornwall have blinded Gloucester by gouging out his eyes that he kills his master. Goneril believes that now her sister's husband is dead, Regan intends to marry Edmund so she poisons her and plots to kill her own husband.
The sisters' army still manages to defeat that of Cordelia. Both Cordelia and Lear are imprisoned by Edmund, who plans that Cordelia should be hanged in prison. Edgar, still in disguise, accuses Edmund of treachery and challenges him to a duel. Edmund is fatally wounded, but with his dying breath sends a messenger to save Cordelia's life. On hearing of his death, Goneril kills herself.
Tragically, the messenger arrives too late and Lear enters carrying Cordelia's dead body. As he mourns the death of his daughter, Lear also learns that Gloucester has died and that the Fool has been hanged. The agony of loss upon loss breaks Lear's heart and he too dies. As the loyal Kent leaves to commit suicide, it is left to Edgar to speak the moving lines that end this great tragedy.
Answer each question with examples and detailed explanations
What is the point of view of this story?
Characterization is the way an author reveals the personality of a character. What does the landlady like, and how do you know?
What characterization helps us to realise her more sinister nature?
Foreshadowing is a hint or clue to what will happen later in the story. Give three examples of how the author foreshadows what will happen?
Hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration. What is an example of hyperbole from the text?
A simile is a comparison of two unlike things using “like” or “as.” Write down three that you find as you reread.
Imagery is the use of language to appeal to all the senses. In the story, find examples of taste, touch, smell, sound, and sight imagery?
A metaphor is the transference of a quality from one thing to another. Give three examples of metaphors from the text with explanations of how they are metaphorical and how they shape meaning.
Conflict is a struggle. It may be internal (character v. self) or external (character v. something else). Give examples of both internal and external conflict in the story with explanations.
“We March Against Patriarchy that Kills” was the motto of a protest held in Prishtina on Wednesday, marking the International Women’s Day.
Hundreds of protesters marched in Kosovo’s capital demanding an end of violence caused to women and gender equality.
The Marshojme, S’festojme (We March, We Don’t Celebrate) collective organizing this march, stated in the announcement that “we march because we do not want to celebrate while girls and women are being killed”.
Only during 2020, six women have been murdered in Kosovo. 1,222 cases out of 1,596 of domestic violence between January and September, had women victims.
Those marching stopped in front of Kosovo Police headquarters where they called “Edhe sa thirrje te humbura” (How many more missed calls) and “Drejtesi per grate e vrara” (Justice for murdered women).
“I want to work without being harassed”, “The time has come to overthrow the patriarchy”, “Patriarchy kills”, “Today we march, every day we fight” were some of the placards held by protesters.
The Acting President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani and the incoming Prime Minister, Albin Kurti joined the march.
Red Shoes Left to Symbolise Murdered Albanian Women and Girls
Dozens of pairs of red shoes have been left on the steps of the main boulevard in Durres on International Women’s Day.
Some of the pairs were accompanied by a red rose. They were placed there to symbolize the number of women murdered by men as a result of domestic or sexual violence in Albania.
At least seven women were murdered in 2020, but the number of cases of violence increased. Furthermore, there were several incidents of rape and sexual violence inflicted on minors during the year. Over 120 women have been murdered in the last 10 years in Albania.
More than 50% of all Albanian women will be victims of domestic violence at some point in their lives and at least once. Furthermore, the police fail to adequately protect and prosecute offenders.
According to data from the State Police seen by Exit, only 13% of complaints of domestic violence were criminally prosecuted between January and December 2020.
Out of 4701 reported cases of domestic violence during the year, the police prosecuted 615. They also issued 2816 protection orders, equating to 59.9% of the reports.
Data suggests that Albanian women spend almost a quarter of their day doing unpaid work such as cooking, cleaning, and caring. Men on the other hand do just 3.47%.
This equates to Albanian women working 40 hours a month, almost a full working week, for free.
The Albanian government continues to do little to meaningfully combat sex trafficking, despite Albania being designated as a source country and it predominantly impacted women and girls. According to the Council of Europe, the judiciary’s response to holding traffickers to account is getting worse.
UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT OF VIOLA DAVIS' SPEECH AT WOMEN'S MARCH 2018
"In the words of my fellow American, Malcolm X, I'm gonna make it plain.
In 1877, America, the greatest country on this planet, put laws in place called the Jim Crow laws. And the Jim Crow laws restricted the rights to quadroons, octoroons, Blacks, Hispanics, Indians, and Malays. Restricted medical. Restricted relationships. Restricted education. Restricted life.
It told us that we were "less than" and it came on the heels of the 13th Amendment. It came on the heels of fifty five individual great Americans writing the greatest document called the Constitution of the United States, saying "We the people".
Now the reason why those destructive laws came into place, I think can be greatly described by Martin Luther King. And what he said about time is. He said "I'm not ready to wait a hundred years, or two hundred years for things to change. That I think actually that time is neutral. That it can either be used constructively or destructively. That human progress rarely rolls in on inevitability. It is through human dedication, and effort, that we move forward. And that when we don't work, what happens is that time actually becomes an ally to the primitive forces of social stagnation. And the guardians of the status quo are in their oxygen tanks keeping the old order alive.
And so that time needs to be helped by every single moment doing right.
And the reason why these Jim Crow laws were in place that stifled my rights and your rights is because we fell asleep.
We fall asleep when we're moving ahead and we don't look to the left and the right and see that we're no including people in this move ahead. Because really, at the end of the day, we only move forward when it doesn't cost us anything. But I'm here today saying that no one and nothing can be great unless it cost you something.
One out of every five women will be sexually assaulted and raped before she reaches the age of eighteen. One out of six boys. If you are a woman of colour and you are raped before you reach the age of eighteen, then you are 66% more likely to be sexually assaulted again.
Seventy percent of girls who are sex trafficked are girls of colour. They are coming out of the foster care system. They are coming out of poverty. It is a billion dollar industry. When they go into the sex trafficking business- and they call it a business, trust me - more than likely they are gang raped.
I am speaking today not just for the 'Me Toos', 'cause I was a 'Me Too,' but when I raise my hand, I am aware of all the women who are still in silence. The women who are faceless. The women who don't have the money and don't have the constitution and who don't have the confidence and who don't have the images in our media that gives them a sense of self-worth enough to break their silence that's rooted in the shame of assault, that's rooted in the stigma of assault.
Written on the Statue of Liberty is "Come you tireless, poor, yearning to breath free- to breath free."
Every single day, your job as an American citizen is not just to fight for your rights. It's to fight for the right of every individual that is taking a breath, whose heart is pumping and breathing on this earth..
And like the originators of this "Me Too", the Fannie Lou Hamers, the Recy Taylor who in 1944 was gang raped by six White men, and she spoke up. Rosa Parks fought for her rights. She was silenced. To the Tarana Burkes. To the originators, the first women to speak out -it cost them something. Nothing and no one can be great without a cost.
I am always introduced as an award winning actor. But my testimony is one of poverty. My testimony is one of being sexually assaulted, and was very much seeing a childhood that was robbed from me. And I know that every single day when I think of that, I know that the trauma of those events are still with me today. And that's what drives me to, to the voting booth. That's what allows me to listen to the women who are still in silence. That's what allows me, even to become a citizen on this planet, is the fact that we are here to connect. That we are here as three hundred and twenty four million people living on this earth to know that every day that we breath and we live that we gotta bring up everyone with us.
I stand in solidarity with all women who raise their hands because I know that it was not easy. And my hope for the future, my hope- I do hope- that we never go back.
That it's not a just about clapping your hands and screaming and shouting every time someone says something that sounds good. It's about keeping it rolling once you go home."
