Characters - Cornwall
4 important questions on Characters - Cornwall
Where can we see that Cornwall has completely turned his back on Lear? What does this say about Cornwall?
When he sends Lear out into the storm. Cornwall seems to be seizing power simply because the opportunity is here for him to do so.
How do we know that his resentment is powerful? Who does he target? (Quote included)
He harms those who are loyal to Lear e.g. Gloucester is blinded: background-color“I will have my revenge ere I depart his house.” (Cornwall to Edmund) = Cornwall’s cruel authority = despite the fact he has stayed in Gloucester’s house, he still punishes him for his loyalty to Lear.
How are Albany and Cornwall different and what do they emphasise?
They emphasise the dichotomy between good and evil. As the play progresses they become divided in their loyalties and actions, emphasising the difference in their moral status.
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What can be said about the audiences of Shakespeare's time?
Playwrights and audiences in Shakespeare's time were less concerned with psychological realism that with character types and their functions - they expected stock figures of traditional dramas = machiavellian character (Edmund), the faithful counsellor (Gloucester and Kent), the tragic hero (Lear), the personified vices and virtues of morality plays such as Vanity (Goneril), Lust (Regan and Goneril), Truth (Cordelia) and Vice itself (Edmund)
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