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Themes, Study notes of English Literature

Mallow College of Further Education (MCFE)English Literature

Sample Paragraph. At the beginning of the play, Lear gives the impression of being a powerful ruler, in full control of his family and the court.

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Themes
Appearances and Reality
Critical Analysis
The following top-grade sample paragraph uses the guideline notes on the theme of
appearance and reality as part of a full essay in response to this question.
Q ‘In the play King Lear, Shakespeare presents a compelling vision of a hypocritical
society where nothing is as it seems.’
Write a paragraph discussing this statement and supporting your answer with suitable
reference to the play.
King LearThemesCharacterisation
1
Sample Paragraph
At the beginning of the play, Lear gives the impression of being a powerful ruler, in full
control of his family and the court. But within a short time, he is making a series of foolish
decisions – dividing his kingdom, disinheriting his honest child, Cordelia, and encouraging
the flattery of her older sisters. His pettiness and lack of judgement is obvious – and
not just to Goneril, who privately admits that ‘Old fools are babes again’. The hypocrisy
and flattery of the love contest is compelling because it is so obvious to everyone else –
particularly the audience. We know that Lear is making a monumental mistake that will
lead to tragedy. It takes the king some time – and much anguish – to get to know the
truth about his daughters. Similarly, Gloucester is deceived by his embittered younger
son, Edmund. By including the same kind of deceit in a second noble family, Shakespeare
highlights the extent of the breakdown in father–child relationships. Like Lear’s cold-
blooded daughters, Edmund will do and say anything to fulfil his ambitions. His plausible
schemes involve convincing moments of drama that fascinate the audience. The sadistic
thrill he takes in manipulating the ‘foolish honesty’ of his ‘credulous father and a brother
noble’ reveals his true villainy – and engages audience sympathy for Gloucester and Edgar.
After just two scenes of the play, we are drawn into a disturbing world where morality is
reversed. Within this absorbing, corrupt environment, honourable characters suffer while
evil ones appear to thrive. (c. 250 words)
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Themes

Appearances and Reality

Critical Analysis

The following top-grade sample paragraph uses the guideline notes on the theme of appearance and reality as part of a full essay in response to this question. Q ‘In the play King Lear , Shakespeare presents a compelling vision of a hypocritical society where nothing is as it seems.’ Write a paragraph discussing this statement and supporting your answer with suitable reference to the play.

Themes King Lear

Sample Paragraph

At the beginning of the play, Lear gives the impression of being a powerful ruler, in full control of his family and the court. But within a short time, he is making a series of foolish decisions – dividing his kingdom, disinheriting his honest child, Cordelia, and encouraging the flattery of her older sisters. His pettiness and lack of judgement is obvious – and not just to Goneril, who privately admits that ‘Old fools are babes again’. The hypocrisy and flattery of the love contest is compelling because it is so obvious to everyone else – particularly the audience. We know that Lear is making a monumental mistake that will lead to tragedy. It takes the king some time – and much anguish – to get to know the truth about his daughters. Similarly, Gloucester is deceived by his embittered younger son, Edmund. By including the same kind of deceit in a second noble family, Shakespeare highlights the extent of the breakdown in father–child relationships. Like Lear’s cold- blooded daughters, Edmund will do and say anything to fulfil his ambitions. His plausible schemes involve convincing moments of drama that fascinate the audience. The sadistic thrill he takes in manipulating the ‘foolish honesty’ of his ‘credulous father and a brother noble’ reveals his true villainy – and engages audience sympathy for Gloucester and Edgar. After just two scenes of the play, we are drawn into a disturbing world where morality is reversed. Within this absorbing, corrupt environment, honourable characters suffer while evil ones appear to thrive. (c. 250 words)

Justice Critical Analysis The following top-grade exemplar uses the guideline notes on the theme of justice in a sample paragraph as part of a full essay in response to this question. Q ‘The play King Lear explores aspects of justice and injustice through memorable moments of intense drama.’ Discuss this view, supporting your answer with suitable reference to the text.

King Lear Themes

Sample Paragraph

The mock trial scene provides a memorable moment of dramatic irony when a madman, a professional fool and a fake lunatic hold court. Lear has descended into insanity and charges his daughters with cruelty to him, ‘she kicked the poor King her father’. He uses the formal language of court, ‘I will arraign them straight’ and ‘I here take my oath before this honourable assembly.’ But the entire trial is a farce, a mockery of justice, with the sentence already passed before the hearing even begins, ‘To have a thousand with red burning spits/ Come hizzing in upon ’em’. Yet this ironically mirrors the obscenity of Gloucester’s summary ‘trial’ when Goneril and Regan announce his punishment before he is even interrogated, ‘Hang him instantly,’ ‘Pluck out his eyes.’ This scene of intense drama also underlines the absurdity of Lear’s rash judgement of his honest daughter, Cordelia, and Gloucester’s inhuman ‘sentencing’ of his absent son, Edgar. Neither is given a fair hearing, but is swiftly dispatched at the whim of each deluded father. The Fool’s attempt to get Lear to behave rationally is futile. Goneril is not present in the scene but is represented by a piece of furniture. This seems to be an ironic reference to Kent’s attempt to get Lear to ‘See better’ when he banished Cordelia. Amid the intensely surreal chaos, Lear speaks of the ‘robed man of justice’ – the delirious beggar, Poor Tom. This mocking reference reminds us of the insight: ‘Robes and furred gowns hide all’. This is ‘the great image of authority’. Shakespeare has presented his audience with a caustic topsy-turvy view of court, which bears quite a startling resemblance to the real system of justice. (c. 280 words)

Madness Critical Analysis The following top-grade exemplar uses the guideline notes on the theme of appearance and reality in a sample paragraph as part of a full essay in response to this question. Q ‘What fascinates audiences of Shakespeare’s play King Lear is the fine balance that exists between madness and wisdom.’ Write a paragraph discussing this statement and supporting your answer with suitable reference to the play.

King Lear Themes

Sample Paragraph

One of the most interesting issues that arise in King Lear is the extent to which the king’s insanity restores his moral blindness. Some of the most memorable and harrowing scenes

  • especially on the stormy heath and in the hovel – illustrate how madness offers Lear insights and vision. At times, he comes to his senses about his children’s cruelty. Strangely, any wisdom he gains is usually in the context of self-pity – insisting that he was an innocent victim of ‘filial ingratitude’. Yet he does confront reality, and tries to understand the cause of evil, ‘Then let them anatomise Regan.’ Lear learns humility as well, accepting his earlier misjudgement of Cordelia and his social irresponsibility as a king when he ignored impoverishment. At last, he clearly regrets his failure ‘to feel what wretches feel’. Interestingly, Lear veers between insanity and reason for much of the time. One of the most surprising lessons he learns is about justice and the law, concluding that ‘A dog’s obeyed in office.’ Through his rage, he challenges corruption and hypocrisy in high places – ‘The usurer hangs the cozener’. At the height of his tragedy – when he carries Cordelia’s lifeless body – the old king is forced to retreat into self-delusion. Unable to cope with the awful truth of her seemingly pointless death, the distraught Lear finds it easier to escape into one final fantasy: ‘Look on her, look, her lips’. (c. 230 words)