King Lear Exam Preparation

The exam for King Lear will be three parts. The format for these parts is short essay/answer questions. You will need to know and understand the major plot developments of the play including: characters names, their relationships with one another, and how these characters have changed throughout the play. You will also need to understand larger

The first two parts of the exam will cover theme. You will need to be prepared to analyze a theme throughout the play and give examples that span the course of the play from beginning to end. In addition, you will need to give numerous specific lines in support of a given theme and explain how they connect to that theme.

Here are some themes that you might consider when preparing for the exam:

• Love and Devotion
• Destiny/Fate versus "Making your own luck"
• Weather/Storms
• Loyalty and Betrayal
• Family conflict
• Sight versus Blindness 

The third part of the exam will evaluate your ability to apply the ideas conveyed in King Lear to a modern text. You will need to consider plot, character, and theme in your analysis and explain how King Lear (a classic text) has impacted the way plot, character, or theme are developed in a television show or film.

King Lear Acts 4 and 5

Your goal over the next two days is to read, evaluate, and present one scene from King Lear from Act 4 Scene 1 to Act 5 Scene 2. You will be assigned a group, and your group will be responsible for reading the scene you are assigned together, discussing the important happenings, key lines, and critical understanding of themes in this scene. You will be presenting the scenes to the class in a way decided as a group. You may present this as a short skit, presentation, or other creative endeavor, but each person in the group must have a part in the presentation. 

Wednesday: reading and preparation time

Thursday: presentation time

Friday: King Lear Act 5 Scene 3 in class. 

King Lear, Song Lyrics, and the Weather Theme

In Act 2 Scene 4 and Act 3 Scene 1, we see a shift in the weather in the play. Shakespeare and other greats often use the weather to help show changing tone, emotions, and even plot developments in their stories. Since weather is one of the themes of the play (we see it foreshadowed by the fool in Act 2 Scene 4), let's explore the theme a little bit more. Follow the steps below:

1. Read Act 3 Scene 1 on your own or with a partner. Read the left and right-hand side to get the most meaning out of the scene. The storm is a prominent theme in this scene.

2. Look back at the scenes mentioned above, then find a song that you think represents this theme in King Lear. Write a paragraph about how the song fits with the scenes in King Lear.

3. Pull out 1 part from the scenes above that address weather. Explain how this contributes to driving the play forward.

King Lear Wheel of Fate Assignment

At the end of Act 2, Scene 2, Kent references the wheel of fortune. Complete the following to learn more about the wheel:

1) Do a quick search on Google for Shakespeare's wheel. Write down a description (in your own words) of the wheel and what it represents. Include specifics.

2) Draw a depiction of the wheel as you envision it.

3) Find 4 quotations between Act 1, Scene 1 and Act 2, scene 2 that refer to destiny, fortune, and/or fate.

Include this on a separate piece of paper. Turn this in to Mr. Hertz.