KING LEAR

1. KING LEAR Historical Context AO4 (Equal weight of marks)

2. King Lear Performed in front of a Jacobean audience – religious and superstitious but….set in Pagan England Shakespeare not concerned with historical accuracy. The play is full of contemporary images, sights and sounds of Jacobean England

3. Sir Philip Sidney’s ‘Arcadia’ Story of a Paphlagonian king who is dethroned and blinded by his illegitimate son. There is a storm and a duel between brothers (although the bastard son is forgiven)

4. Montaigne’s Essays Thought to have influenced the presentation of folly and justice in the play: ‘A dog’s obeyed in office’ (Act4,Sc5)

5. Samuel HarsnettPamphlet which attacked priests for conducting exorcisms provided Egdar as ‘mad Tom’ with vocabulary such as ‘Prince of dumbness’ ‘Flibbertigibbet’ ‘Modo’

6. Food shortages, poverty, unemployment, riots. Bedlam beggars were familiar and disturbing figures roaming the countryside pleading for charity.

7. London gossip of the day ….. 1603…… Sir Brian Annsley.. Eldest of his 3 Daughters (Grace Wildgoose)tried to commit him to a lunatic asylum. His youngest daughter Cordell, challenged her sisters in court..

8. London gossip of the day ….. Sir William Allen, Former Mayor of London, in his old age, divided his estate between his 3 daughters who all mistreated him.

9. The memory of the Spanish Armada of 1588 was still fresh in the minds of the audience and the arrival of Cordelia with a French army would have reminded them of the risk of invasion.

10. First performed on St Stephen’s Day1606 • a day of charity and of hospitality • when pity was taken on those who suffered. • The audience would have seen the parallels in ‘King Lear’ – a king • becomes poor, is shut out and asks for hospitality. • The character of Kent resolves to • ‘return and force their curtesie’ • according to the St Stephen’s day • custom.

11. Shakespeare lived during the reign of ELIZABETH 1ST a very strong queen ….and woman … as had been her sister, Mary Tudor ... People concerned about division of the Kingdom, foreign monarchs, civil war and inheritance matters..

12. Followed by King James 1st Son of Mary Queen of Scots (rival to Elizabeth) Desire to unite Scotland and England

13. THE DIVINE RIGHT OF KINGS ‘The state of the monarchy is the Supremest thing upon the earth; for Kings are not only God’s lieutenants upon earth, and sits upon God’s throne, but even by God himself they are called Gods..’ 1609

14. ‘Project for Union’ - important issue of the day.Many were against the unification of Scotland and England In James’ 3rd session of Parliament (one month before the first performance of the play) he reassured his subjects about England and Scotland.

15. The Family Patriarchal Men did not retire nor relinquish their power or wealth. On their death, the eldest son inherited. Born out of wedlock (bastard) deprived you of any right.

16. Daughters Were expected to be totally subservient and obedient. A huge shock to the audience that Cordelia defies not only her father but her King – and in Court.

17. 1606-1607 – the parliamentary leitmotif of James was ‘Jove’, the Thunder God, the implication being that terrible punishments would be administered if the ‘Project of Union’ stalled. (Image of Jove prominent in the play)

18. However …. ‘What swarms of Scots came with him, and after him into this Kingdom?’ 1652 Archie Armstrong – James’ court’s fool – very familiar with the King and nobles ‘all licensed fool’ Act1,Sc 1V

19. James abused the ‘monopolies’ system – gave to his favourites. Would ‘coin’ money when he ran short. He used the ‘Court of Chancery’ to override the legal curbs to his power.

20. Albany and Cornwall At the beginning of the play references are made to the two Dukes. A contemporary audience would think of Prince Henry, who was the Duke of Cornwall and his brother Charles who was the Duke of Albany.

21. Gloucester’s declaration that ‘These late eclipses in the sun and moon portend no good to us’ (Act 1, Sc 2) reflects a common superstition of the time. Unusual events in the skies were regarded as evil omens – an eclipse of the moon took place on 27th Sept 1605, followed by an eclipse of the sun on 2nd Oct. The discovery of the Gunpowder Plot in that November was proof that the skies could foretell disaster.

22. Jacobean London: times were changing…. Discovery of the new world, travellers, tradesmen = the self made man.

23. James 1st was very authoritative as is Lear • 1604, Count Beaumont wrote to Henry IV of France, commenting that James was far too fond of hunting – Lear’s hobby.

24. Lear attacks Regan’s elegance. Some onlookers might have noted this as a warning to James who spent four times as much as Elizabeth 1st on fashionable clothing.

25. Act 3 Sc7 Gloucester is bound to a chair and insulted by Regan and Cornwall. ‘I am tied to th’stake..’ The Jacobean audience would have recognised the image of a helpless baited bear chained to a post to be savaged by dogs (Regan and Cornwall) Common entertainment

26. The Blinding of Gloucester Most acts of violence and murder tended to take place off stage in Shakespeare’s plays. This act would have been absolutely shocking for the audience to see. However, blinding was a common punishment for adultery and Gloucester was in fact an adulterer!

27. Lear enters with Cordelia in his arms. Most Jacobeans would have recognised this image from church paintings (Christ being cradled in His Mother’s arms) and understood it as a symbol of redemption.