Overview

Although King Lear is a dark, tragic, and nihilistic play, there are some light moments here and there. Students will use this worksheet to explore, work with, and better understand the wordplay Shakespeare uses throughout the play. Pass out this worksheet before students begin reading and explain that it’s their challenge to find some examples of lighthearted, fun language in the dark text. Take a moment to review the worksheet and some of the different kinds of wordplay found in the play, including playful rhymes, homophones (dolors/dollars, reign/rain/rein), words with double meanings, puns, jests, sarcasm, irony, and nonsense words. Students will fill out the worksheet independently, and can then work together to answer the concluding question.

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