King Lear
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Key Facts
full title · The Tragedy of King Lear
author · William Shakespeare
type of work · Play
genre · Tragedy
language · English
time and place written · England, 1604–1605
date of first publication · First Folio edition, 1623
publisher · John Heminge and Henry Condell, two senior members of Shakespeare’s acting troupe
narrator · Not applicable (drama)
climax · Gloucester’s blinding in Act 3, scene 7
protagonist · Lear, king of Britain
antagonists · Lear’s daughters Goneril and Regan; Edmund, the bastard son of Gloucester
setting (time) · Eighth century b.c.
setting (place) · Various locations in England
foreshadowing · Goneril and Regan’s plotting in Act 1 foreshadows their later cruel treatment of Lear.
tone · Serious and tragic; the occasional bursts of comedy are uniformly dark
themes · Justice, authority versus chaos, reconciliation, redemption
motifs · Madness, betrayal, death
symbols · Weather plays an important symbolic role in the play, notably in Act 3, when the tremendous thunderstorm over the heath symbolizes Lear’s rage and mounting insanity; the actual blindness of Gloucester symbolizes the moral blindness that plagues both Lear and Gloucester himself in their dealings with their children; the “wheel” of fortune is another symbol by means of which Edmund, at the end of the play, conceives of his fall from power back into insignificance.
the Gloucester side story
by Merpandderp, April 07, 2013
to help with the side story, think of the movie Thor:
Gloucester: Odin-son
Edgar- Thor (the good brother; gets punished and illegitimate brother takes over for a while)
Edmund-Loki (evil, illegitimate son who is jealous of his brother)
MIND BLOWN. Stan Lee probably read Shakespeare
Help with the Gloucester side story
by Merpandderp, April 07, 2013
it is kind of confusing dealing with King Lear and his three daughters, and then having to deal with Gloucester. My suggestion, think of the movie Thor:
-Gloucester: Odin-son
-Edgar: Thor (the good brother who is supposed to succeed Odin-son/Gloucester when he dies; is deceived by Loki/Edmund and then gets punished)
-Edmund: Loki (the evil, illegitimate brother who is jealous of Thor/Edgar (except Loki was adopted); gets control of the throne for a while)
Hope this helps
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