King Lear story
King Lear is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It tells the tale of a king who bequeaths his power and land to two of his three daughters, after they declare their love for him in an extremely fawning and obsequious manner. His third daughter gets nothing, because she will not flatter him as her sisters had done. When he feels disrespected by the two daughters who now have his wealth and power, he becomes furious to the point of madness. He eventually becomes tenderly reconciled to his third daughter, just before tragedy strikes her and then the king.
26 total · 3 choice · 11 major · 12 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| father and daughter | choice | King Lear's complicated relationship with his daughter was central to the tale |
| honest character vs. deceitful character | choice | honest to a fault Cordelia was contrasted with her false and deceitful older sisters |
| honesty | choice | The story pivoted on the fact that Cordelia would rather miss out on her dowry and a third of the KKingdom than exaggerate how she felt about her father |
| betrayal | major | Goneril betrayed both father and husband |
| coping with aging | major | Lear felt his years at the outset then more so as the story progressed |
| cruelty | major | Goneril and Regan and their respective husbands were notably cruel as they turned out their father, put Kent in stocks, blinded Gloucester (...) |
| fall from grace | major | King Lear went from monarch to a poor crazed outcast, through much fault of his own |
| family dispute | major | Lear fell out with his two older daughters over the size of his retinue |
| handing over the mantle before retirement | major | desirous of a quieter dotage, King Lear unwisely handed over his Kingdom to the husbands of his two older daughters |
| husband and wife | major | Goneril and Albany; Regan and Cornwall |