Krantz
English 4620
Reading questions
Shakespear's King Lear

1. What does the equal division of his kingdom tell you about Lear?
2. What seems to motivate Cordelia to answer her father's question of love as she does?
3. What sort of character does Lear appear to have when he responds to Cordelia's refusal to answer his question? Is this characterization contradicted elsewere? Explain.
4. Why does Gloucester ask Edmund if he recognizes his brother's handwriting?
5. If you have read Othello, what echoes of it do you find in Lear?
6. How does the Gloucester story parallel Lear's?
7. Where does the question of predestination and free will come up? Is it resolved?
8. Is Lear's fool wise? Is he loyal? Explain.
9. What is the meaning of the questions Lear asks in 1.4.212ff