Commentary on King Lear

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Intro Subject followed by purpose and emotion: In this scene, Lear realizes the error in his ways by banishing Cordelia and separating the remaining land to Goneril and Regan. Albany enters and Lear questions him whether he had anything to do with the relieving of his 50 knights however Albany states for whatever reason Lear is upset, he had no part in it. Subsequently, Lear gets enraged with Goneril and calls upon the goddess of nature to wish upon her curses such as infertility. Albany asks his wife why Lear is so enraged and Goneril responds by stating its nothing more than a senile man ranting and to not concern himself with such affairs. Lear, assaulted womanhood and his attitude towards women was revealed in the depth of the curse and what omens he wished upon Goneril. This may be Shakespeare using Lear as a tool to express his own dislike towards women or conversely, show how devastating it is for a parent to have an ungrateful child that turns her sadness into joy. Furthermore, through statement from “Never afflict/That scope” spoken by Goneril may be an indirect reference to the elderly and how they may rave on about senile matters that are of no concern to the younger generation as this is what Goneril thinks of Lear when he is this angry ranting on about cursing Goneril. The bulk of this text is very emotional as it focuses on Lear degenerating Goneril as a female. The mood is very dark and gloomy. This is emphasised by Shakespeare’s use of striking words such as: fiend, marble-hearted, serpent (all associated with some form of evil or malevolence). These words set the tone in the reader’s minds and allow the progression of Lear’s curse to have a more devastating effect on both the reader and Goneril. Body Craftsmanship: Structure, Language, Imagery, Movement, Sound It’s is interesting to note the following writing structures as a metaphor for

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