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King Lear: A Level York Notes A Level Revision Guide

Revise the key points

Read through the key points, then print the cards as a handy revision aid.

1 Act II Scene 4 – Goneril and Regan take power from Lear

  • At this point in Act II, Goneril and Regan between them reduce Lear’s entourage from one hundred knights to none. Read from ‘what! fifty followers?’ to ‘What need one?’ (II.4.236–62).
  • WHY is it important? This is a turning point. Goneril and Regan act together to outwit Lear and take power. Lear can do nothing and his status is materially taken from him.
  • WHAT themes does it explore? The theme of ‘nothingness’ is important here; Lear’s kingly status has been removed, leaving him with no sense of identity. Cordelia’s original statement of ‘nothing’ begins to resonate through the play.
  • HOW does it work dramatically? We see clearly the divisions of power on stage: on one side, Lear is agitated and increasingly desperate, while on the other his daughters are cool and unmoved.
  • WHAT language techniques does it employ? Goneril and Regan use rhetorical questions to manipulate. Lear’s kingship is expressed in terms of subtraction. The sisters’ shared lines show they are allies.

Key extracts

King Lear: A Level

2 Act III Scene 7 – Gloucester is blinded

  • At this point in Act III, Gloucester endures physical torture at the hands of Cornwall, encouraged by Regan. Read from ‘Where hast thou sent the King?’ to ‘Out, treacherous villain!’ (III.7.50–85).
  • WHY is it important? This is a turning point in the play because violence becomes physical; from this moment, the suffering is relentless.
  • WHAT themes does it explore? The themes of sight and suffering are significant – the blinding may represent Gloucester and Lear’s blindness in their misjudgement. Gloucester’s physical suffering mirrors the mental torture of Lear.
  • HOW does it work dramatically? Cruelty without reason is frightening; here, Gloucester is trapped, surrounded by his enemies. The violence is animalistic and can be difficult to watch.
  • WHAT language techniques does it employ? Gloucester’s use of the word ‘see’ is repeated by Cornwall and appears to be the catalyst for torture – a comment on the random nature of cruelty. Animal imagery is used to describe the sisters.

Key extracts

King Lear: A Level

3 Act III Scene 2 – Lear is out in the storm

  • At this point in Act III, Lear, maddened, calls on nature in all its violence. Read from ‘Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks!’ to ‘He that has a house to put’s head in has a good head-piece’ (III.2.1–25).
  • WHY is it important? Lear presents us with a model of madness that is wild, elemental. The storm is destructive; the upheaval in nature reflects the loss of natural order that Lear’s actions have caused.
  • WHAT themes does it explore? Shakespeare explores different ideas of madness in the play. Here we are presented with a nightmare vision of madness.
  • HOW does it work dramatically? Today’s productions may use special ‘storm’ effects, but it is Lear’s words – most likely delivered centre stage – that conjure a dramatic vision of nature in tumult. The Fool is a voice of sanity.
  • WHAT language techniques does it employ? Lear’s speech is rich in hellish imagery, dynamic verbs, onomatopoeia, listing and exclamations. The storm is a metaphor for his furious madness.

Key extracts

King Lear: A Level

4 Act IV Scene 7 – Cordelia and her father are reconciled

  • At this point in Act IV, Lear wakes from his madness and recognises Cordelia; they are reconciled. Read from ‘Was this a face to be opposed against the warring winds?’ to ‘And so I am, I am’ (IV.7.31–70).
  • WHY is it important? Lear’s madness has passed, and he is humbled. He comes to accept that he is a father; the role of king was a construct.
  • WHAT themes does it explore? The themes of nothingness and sight are relevant; Lear is clear-sighted, recognising that he is simply a ‘foolish fond old man’ (line 60). Cordelia’s loyalty is also significant. We are reminded also of Lear’s relentless suffering.
  • HOW does it work dramatically? This is a moment of relief; the scene is quiet, after the previous violence of Act III. Lear’s status as king is reaffirmed: he is dressed in fresh garments. The tone is loving and full of pathos.
  • WHAT language techniques does it employ? The ‘storm’ imagery in Cordelia’s speech reminds us of Lear’s suffering, while his words contain imagery of torture. Cordelia addresses Lear as ‘your Majesty’, reaffirming his kingship.

Key extracts

King Lear: A Level

5 Act V Scene 3 – Lear has discovered that Cordelia has been hung

  • At this point in Act V, Lear enters with Cordelia’s body in his arms. Read from ‘Howl, howl, howl!’ to ‘All’s cheerless, dark, and deadly’ (V.3.257–89).
  • WHY is it important? Cordelia’s death is perhaps the final tragedy and shows us that good has not won out over evil. It is the final straw for Lear, whose heart breaks.
  • WHAT themes does it explore? The themes of suffering and nothingness are relevant here; the play explores nihilistic ideas of a cruel world with no redemption. For Lear, Cordelia’s death is the climax of his suffering and he dies.
  • HOW does it work dramatically? The entrance of Lear with Cordelia’s body in his arms is a tableau – it is visually dramatic and the audience’s worst fears are realised in what is the tragic climax to the whole play.
  • WHAT language techniques does it employ? The repetition of ‘Howl!’ is an animalistic wail, emphasising Lear’s pain. His plea ‘stay a little’ shows the iambic rhythm fragmented as his heart breaks. Kent’s comment is a bleak, alliterative triplet: ‘cheerless, dark, and deadly’.

Key extracts

King Lear: A Level

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