For Wednesday: Shakespeare, King Lear, Act 2

 Answer two of the following: 

Q1: In a play about nature/natural vs. unnatural/nothing, why are so many people acting and/or playing roles? Besides the Fool, both Kent and Edgar take up disguises as madmen/fools, and even Lear, to some extent, is playing a role (since he’s no longer the king). Why do you think Shakespeare has so many characters switching identities merely to perform before one another?

Q2: In some ways, Lear’s response to his daughters is similar to Hamlet’s response to his mother, as both use terms such as “adulterous” and “incestuous” to describe rather normal situations (a mother falling in love again, daughters rebelling against their father’s whims). Why does he find their behavior so unnatural, especially since he exclaims to Regan in 2.4, “I gave you all” (115). What does he feel he has given them—love? Land? Life?

Q3: Somewhat related to Q2, why does Lear insist on maintaining his knights even when he’s no longer king? When asked why he needs 25, 10, 5, or even 1 knight, he thunders, “O, reason not the need!” (117). Why might this speech in 2.4 shift Lear from being a rather flat, antagonistic character to someone more round and compelling? Is this the moment Lear becomes a more sympathetic character to you?

Q4: Act 2.2 is a strange scene, where Kent goes after Oswald like a man out for revenge. He not only viciously berates him (pp.83-85), but attacks him and seems on the verge of killing him. Since this scene almost comes out of nowhere, is this scene supposed to be played for laughs? Is Kent just acting mad here for the audiences’ entertainment? And if so, why does Regan punish him so severely?