20th March 2018

Act 2 scene 4 close reading.

When he is told that Regan and Cornwall put Kent in the stocks, Lear battles with Kent about it. Look into the use of the aullsion below and explain why Lear might swear on Jupiter and what this could reflect about his conception of his own power as King.

.I think that means that he believes he has such a great status as king which means that he feels justified in swearing on the king of gods. To remind the characters in the play about what status he’s supposed to have. As if to bring them back to the reality that he is in. Which he feels is the right reality. 

The next screenshot is the moment when Lear begins to believe that Cornwall and Regan have put Kent in the stocks. Notice the harsh nature of the language- what is Lear comparing Cornwall and Regan’s actions too? How can this help us to understand how insulting this is to Lear?

He feels that it is an extreme crime. Especially because of the fact that he says that its worse than murder. Which means that he places what they did as an extreme crime. The way in which he words this. Has an undercurrent of disbelief like he cant even fatham