KingLearByWilliamShakespeareCONTENTSABriefIntroductiontoWilliamShakespeareKingLearBackground&CriticismCharactersPlot&SubplotRoleAnalysisThemeWilliamShakespeare(1564-1616)

agreathumanistagreatpoetadramaticgenius,thegreatestplaywrightofalltime.amasteroflanguage37plays,twonarrativepoemsand154sonnetsLifeExperienceBornonApril23,1564inStratford-on-AvonAttendedgrammarschoolandhadsomeeducation(“smallLatinandlessGreek”)Hisfatherwasinvolvedinfinancialdifficulties.DropouttohelpsupportthefamilyAt18,marriedAnneHathaway3yearslater,wenttoLondonandstayedthereabout5years(1587-1592)In1594,joinedatheatercompany,andlaterbecameitsplaywrightandpartownerIn1597,wentbackhomeandboughtahousecalledNewPlaceRetiredat49DiedonApril23,1616,at52,andwasburiedatStratfordFourPeriodsofHisDramaticCareerPeriodofEarlyExperimentation(?-1594)PeriodofRapidGrowthandDevelopment(1595-1600)PeriodofGloomandDepression(1601-1607)PeriodofCalmafterStorm(1608-1612)TheFirstPeriod(themid-1590s)FourcomediesTheComedyofErrors《錯誤的喜劇》TheTamingoftheShrew《馴悍記》TheTwoGentlemenofVerona《維洛那二紳士》Love’sLabor’sLost《愛的徒勞》FourhistoryplaysTheSecondPartofKingHenryⅥTheThirdPartofKingHenryⅥTheFirstPartofKingHenryⅥTheLifeandDeathofKingRichardⅢOnetragedyTitusAndronicusTheSecondPeriod(1595-1599)SixcomediesAMidsummerNight’sDreamTheMerchantofVeniceMuchAdoAboutNothing《無事生非》AsYouLikeIt《皆大歡喜》TheMerryWivesofWindsorTwelfthNightFourhistoriesTheLifeandDeathofRichardⅡTheFirstPartofKingHenryⅣTheSecondPartofKingHenryⅣTheLifeofKingHenryⅤTwotragediesRomeoandJulietTheLifeandDeathofJuliusCaesar《凱撒大帝》TheThirdPeriod(1600-1608)GreattragediesHamlet,PrinceofDenmarkOthello,theMooreofVeniceKingLearTheTragedyofMacbethAntonyandCleopatraTheTragedyofCoriolanusTimonofAthens《雅典的泰門》DarkcomediesAll’sWellThatEndsWell《終成眷屬》TroilusandCressidaMeasureforMeasure《一報還一報》TheFourthPeriod(1608-1613)FourtragicomediesCymbeline,KingofBritain《辛白林》TheWinter’sTale《冬天的故事》TheTempest《暴風(fēng)雨》PrinceofTyreTwoplaysTheLifeofKingHenryⅧTheTwoNobleKinsmenThetwolongnarrativepoemsVenusandAdonisandTheRapeofLucrece

wererespectivelypublishedin1593and1594.HisSonnetswerepublishedin1609.Theyaredividedintotwogroups.Oneisabouttheconflictedloverforayoungmanofsuperiorbeautyandtheotherabouttheuncontrollableloveforamysterious“darklady”ofirresistiblebeauty.ComedyHistoryTragedyPoetryAll'sWellThatEndsWellAsYouLikeItTheComedyofErrorsLove'sLabor'sLostMeasureforMeasureTheMerchantofVeniceTheMerryWivesofWindsorAMidsummerNight'sDreamMuchAdoAboutNothingPericles,PrinceofTyreTheTamingoftheShrewTheTempestTwelfthNightTheTwoGentlemenofVeronaTheTwoNobleKinsmenTheWinter'sTaleHenryIV,part1HenryIV,part2HenryVHenryVI,part1HenryVI,part2HenryVI,part3HenryVIIIKingJohnRichardIIRichardIIIRomeoandJulietCoriolanusTitusAndronicusTimonofAthensJuliusCaesarMacbethHamletTroilusandCressidaKingLearOthelloAntonyandCleopatraCymbeline154Sonnets

ALover'sComplaint

TheRapeofLucrece

VenusandAdonis

FuneralElegybyW.S.HisWorks

KingLearKingLearstandsalongsideHamletasoneofthemostprofoundexpressionsoftragicdramainliterature.Writtenbetween1604and1605,itrepresentsShakespeareattheheightofhisdramaticpower.DrawingonancientBritishhistory,Shakespeareconstructsaplotthatreadslikeafableinitsclear-sightedbutterrifyingsimplicity.BackgroundCriticismMetaphorsofmonstrosityandperversionsofnaturestructurethedramaticaction,andtheplay'sendingremainsoneofthemostharrowinginallofShakespeare.ManyseeaprofounddespairandnihilisminKingLear,andwouldagreewithKent'sconclusionthat"All'scheerless,darkanddeadly".Otherwritershaveidentifiedaradicalbutpessimisticcritiqueofcontemporaryconceptionsofkingshipandabsolutistauthority,yetitremainsaremarkabletragedyofpublicmisjudgmentandintenselyprivategriefandanguish.CharactersKingLear

高納里爾

Gonerill里根Regan寇蒂莉亞Cordelia康華爾公爵TheDukeofCornwall奧本尼公爵TheDukeofAlbany葛羅斯特伯爵TheEarlofGloucester愛德伽Edgar愛德蒙Edmond李爾王：不列顛國王，他是一位很專制的人物，他對他的女兒們錯誤的判斷導(dǎo)致了他的失敗。高納里爾（Goneril或Gonerill）：李爾的長女，奧本尼公爵的妻子里根（Regan）：李爾的次女，康華爾公爵的妻子寇蒂莉亞（Cordelia）：李爾的三女，也是李爾最疼愛的女兒。奧本尼公爵（TheDukeofAlbany）：高納里爾的丈夫，高納里爾對他的“牛奶似的禮貌”不滿，得知高納里爾有意害死他后起來反對高納里爾?？等A爾公爵（TheDukeofCornwall）：里根的丈夫，在一次風(fēng)暴中他將肯特伯爵推上了柴堆，將李爾放在一個火爐上，刺瞎了葛羅斯特伯爵。此后葛羅斯特伯爵的一個侍者攻擊他并使他負(fù)致命傷。葛羅斯特伯爵（TheEarlofGloucester）：愛德伽和愛德蒙的父親，愛德蒙欺騙他反對愛德伽，后來愛德伽扮裝逃亡。肯特伯爵（TheEarlofKent）：李爾的忠臣，他反對李爾對寇蒂莉亞的態(tài)度后被李爾驅(qū)逐，但他扮裝為仆人繼續(xù)為李爾服務(wù)，只是不讓李爾知道他是誰。愛德蒙（Edmund或Edmond）：葛羅斯特伯爵的私生子，他為高納里爾和里根服務(wù)來使得自己不斷上升，三人之間關(guān)系曖昧。愛德伽（Edgar）：葛羅斯特伯爵的兒子，他改裝后化名為“湯姆·白德蘭(TomBedlam)”，繼續(xù)服侍他的瞎眼的父親，最后他成為國王。奧斯華德（Oswald）：高納里爾的侍者，被稱為是一個“有效的壞蛋”。他試圖刺殺葛羅斯特伯爵，但被愛德伽所殺。弄人（TheFool）：一個忠于李爾和寇蒂莉亞的宮廷小丑。PlotTheagingKingLeardecidestodividehiskingdomamonghisthreedaughters,allottingeachaportioninproportiontotheeloquenceofherdeclarationoflove.ThehypocriticalGonerilandReganmakegrandpronouncementsandarerewarded;Cordelia,theyoungestdaughter,whotrulylovesLear,refusestomakeaninsincerespeechtoproveherloveandisdisinherited.ThetwooldersistersmockLearandrenegeontheirpromisetosupporthim.Castout,thekingslipsintomadnessandwandersaboutaccompaniedbyhisfaithfulFool.HeisaidedbytheEarlofKent,who,thoughbanishedfromthekingdomforhavingsupportedCordelia,hasremainedinBritaindisguisedasapeasant.KenteventuallybringsLeartoCordelia,whocaresforhimandhelpshimregainhisreason.SubplotThesubplotconcernstheEarlofGloucester,wholikewisespurnshishonestson,Edgar,andbelieveshisconnivingillegitimateson,Edmund.EdmundallieshimselfwithReganandGoneriltodefendBritainagainsttheFrencharmymobilizedbyCordelia.HeturnshisfatherovertoCornwall—whogougesoutGloucester'seyes—thenimprisonsCordeliaandLear,butheisdefeatedinbattlebyEdgar.JealousofEdmund'sromanticattentionstoRegan,Gonerilpoisonsherandcommitssuicide.Cordeliaishanged.Lear,broken,dieswithherbodyinhisarms.KingLearandtheFoolintheStormKingLearmournsCordelia'sdeathRoleAnalysisLear'sspiritualprogressEarlofGloucesterEdgarandAlbanyLear'sspiritualprogressThevariousstagesofLear'sspiritualprogress(akindof“conversion”)arecarefullymarked.Helearnsthevalueofpatienceandtheworthof“unaccommodatedman.”Hebeginstorealizehisownfaultsasakingandalmostunderstandshisfailureasafather.Hebeginstofeelforthe“poornakedwretches”andconfesses,“O,Ihaveta'en/Toolittlecareofthis.”Hisinstabilityofmind,almostapredispositiontomadness,isshownfromthebeginning.Histerribleragesandcurses,firstuponCordeliaandlateruponGonerilandRegan,andhisrantingandtyrannicallanguageallforeshadowhisbreakdown.Hisfaithfulcounselorisplainwithhim:“BeKentunmannerly/WhenLearismad”;andhisdaughtersshrewdlyjudgehim:“hehatheverbutslenderlyknownhimself.”Heispainfullyconsciousofapproachingmadness,butgraduallythebombastofhissanitygivesplacetoaremarkablekindofeloquence,flowingeasilyandneverincoherent.His“ravings”areintelligibletotheaudience,howeverperturbingtheymayseemtotheothercharactersonthestage.Theyexpressapointofviewthat,hadheunderstooditearlier,wouldhavesavedhimfrommanyerrorsofjudgment.ThemodeofspeechofthemadkingcontrastsstronglywiththecongenitalinconsequentialityofhisFoolandtheassumedmadnessofEdgaras“PoorTom.”EarlofGloucesterKingLear'ssubplotfocusesonthefortunesofGloucester—anotherfathersufferingfrom“filialingratitude”andfromhisfalsejudgmentofthecharactersofhischildren.Thissubplotisintroducedintheopeningscene,insomedetail,asifitwereofasmuchimportanceasthemainplot.ThestagesbywhichGloucestersimilarlylearnsbysufferingareclearlyindicated.Hebeginsbybeingthecheerfulsinner,butgraduallyhissenseofpityanddutybecomestronger,andherevealshimselftoEdmund:“IfIdiefor't,asnolessisthreatenedme,/theKingmyoldmastermustberelieved.”ThisrevelationofhisgoodintentionstothetreacherousEdmundleadsdirectlytohisdownfallandtohisbeingblinded.EdgarandAlbanyTwoofthe“good”characters,EdgarandAlbany(Goneril'shusband),alsogrowinmoralstatureandstrengthinthecourseoftheplay.Atfirst,Edgarseemsratherineffectual,quiteunabletocopewiththevillainyofhishalfbrotherEdmund;buteventuallyheemergesasastrongcharacter,confirmedbysufferingandbycompassion,abletofightandovercomeEdmundintheordealatarms;andeve