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Q & A on King Lear by Shakespeare

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Here is a summary of King Lear by William Shakespeare: A tragedy of love, betrayal, and madness.


King Lear is a tragedy about an old king who divides his kingdom among his three daughters, based on how much they flatter him. He banishes his youngest and most loyal daughter, Cordelia, who refuses to lie about her love. He also banishes his faithful friend Kent, who defends Cordelia. Lear's older daughters, Goneril and Regan, soon turn against him and strip him of his power, dignity, and sanity. 


Lear wanders in the wilderness with his Fool and Kent, who disguises himself as a servant. He also meets Edgar, the son of his ally Gloucester, who has been betrayed by his illegitimate brother Edmund and forced to disguise himself as a mad beggar. Gloucester tries to help Lear, but is captured by Regan and her husband Cornwall, who gouge out his eyes. 


Edgar guides his blind father to Dover, where Cordelia has landed with a French army to restore Lear to his throne. Lear and Cordelia are reunited, but their joy is short-lived. Edmund, who has become a powerful general and the lover of both Goneril and Regan, defeats the French army and imprisons Lear and Cordelia. He orders Cordelia's execution, but is challenged by Edgar, who reveals his identity and kills him in a duel. 


Goneril poisons Regan out of jealousy and then kills herself when her treachery is exposed. Lear enters with Cordelia's body in his arms, having killed the hangman. He dies of grief, leaving his kingdom in chaos.

A masterpiece of human nature, King Lear explores the themes of family, loyalty, power, justice, and fate.


Self Examination 

Here are five possible questions and answers on King Lear:


1. What test does King Lear use to divide his       kingdom among his daughters?

    A) He asks them to solve a riddle

    B) He asks them to fight each other

    C) He asks them to tell him how much     they love him

    D) He asks them to pay him a tribute

   


2. What does Cordelia say when it is her turn to declare her love for Lear?

    A) She says she loves him more than her sisters

    B) She says she loves him as much as he loves her

    C) She says she loves him no more, no less than a daughter should

    D) She says she loves him not at all

   


3. Who is Edmund and what does he plot against his family?

    A) He is Gloucester's illegitimate son and he plots to kill his father and brother

    B) He is Lear's illegitimate son and he plots to overthrow his father and sisters

    C) He is Cornwall's illegitimate son and he plots to betray his father and Regan

    D) He is Albany's illegitimate son and he plots to seduce Goneril and Regan

   


4. Who accompanies Lear when he wanders on the heath during the storm?

    A) Kent, the Fool, and Edgar

    B) Kent, the Fool, and Edmund

    C) Gloucester, the Fool, and Edgar

    D) Gloucester, the Fool, and Edmund

   


5. How does Cordelia die at the end of the play?

    A) She is hanged by Edmund's order

    B) She is stabbed by Goneril in a fit of jealousy

    C) She is poisoned by Regan in a plot to marry Edmund

    D) She is killed by Lear in a moment of madness

  


See if you got them correctly

  1. C
  2. C
  3. A
  4. A
  5. A




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