Shakespeares King Lear 1. Characterize King Lear from the first scene. What sort of fellow does he seem to be? Show me your proof in detail. Then look again at Lear in 2.2. How would you characterize him now? 2. Why does he test his daughters with his questions? Do you think he wants one in particular to win? Who is it and why do you think he wants that one to win? Characterize Lears daughters, each one alone. How does it seem that each delivered her speech to her father? 3. What is significant about his tossing Cordelia from the kingdom? What about Kent? 4. When do you think Lear begins to go mad? Is he already mad? What is your proof for either choice? 5. Describe Edmund after looking again at his first speech in 1.2. See also Edmunds speech at the end of the scene, p. 21. 6. Talk about Kent and his characterization. What is his part in the play? How does it play out? 7. How does Gloucesters character develop? What similarities does he share with Lear, and why are they important? 8. Look at the Fool in 1.4. Characterize him. What part does he play for the king? What does the fools death symbolize? Why does it happen in the end of the play? 9. The Fools most important words appear probably in 1.5. What is significant about his words between lines 35 40? 10. Why is it important that Edgar and Kent both don costumes? 11. One thing that Shakespeare did not do, as youll see when you see the later plays well be doing, is to add stage directions. Why do you think he did not do that? What would the advantage be for doing it that way? 12. What are some scene staging possibilities for scene 3.2? How would you address the storm elements if you were directing the play? 13. Look at all of the mentions, directly and indirectly, of fortune. Why are they important? How many ways can the word have meaning in the play? Can it be connected with the theme of the play, and what is the theme? How do you know?