King Lear scene 1

Questions and answers .

1-what was the decision King Lear made regarding his kingdom ? Why did he
decide this ?
Lear was getting old and didn’t want to have the worries of ruling his
kingdom, so he declared he had divided his kingdom up into three parts among
his three daughters and he would give the largest share to the daughter that
he believed loved him the most.
2- What was the response to his question that Lear received from his two eldest
daughter ? What did he give to them ? why ?
Gonerial and Regan (his two eldest daughters) both swore undying love for the
king in very expressive language . King Lear gave them their parts of the
kingdom as they showed Lear how they loved him .
3- What did King Lear ask of his three daughters? Why did he ask this?
He had three daughters (Gonerial, Regan and Cordelia) He told them that he
would divide the three areas under his rule among them according to which of
them loved him the most and the best land would be given to the daughter
who loved him the most and the best land would be given to the daughter who
loved him the most.
4- Explain why Lear gave nothing to Cordelia.
What did Lear expect to hear from Cordelia when he asked her how much she
loved him ?
Why did he expect this ? How did he react to her answer ? Why did she
respond this way ?
The youngest daughter ,Cordelia , was unable to express her self very well and
simply said that she loved Lear as I child should love a father. This enraged
Lear, and disowned her on the spot.
Cordelia was Lear`s youngest daughter who loved him the most but she didn`t
know how to express it she was too honest and young to flatter her father at
his request. Cordelia voiced her loved to Lear as she saw it and she suffered his
wrath as a result.
5- what did Regan and Gonerial receive from Lear ? what did he keep ?
Lear was pleased by Cordelia`s reply, he pointed to areas on the map with
forests, rivers and peaceful fields , he gave them to her and her husband. Also ,
he was pleased from Regan`s words so he gave her the same beauty and
amount of land as Goneril . he kept a portion to Cordelia .
N.B. Cordelia`s simple words showed that her love was true, while the
colourful words of her sisters where clearly false . king Lear , was no
longer wise in his judgement , was enraged by his once favourite
daughter`s reply. Cordelia`s answer gave no sign of love or respect. The
earl of Kent tried to make Lear see how sincere Cordelia love is .
6-In what way did Kent try to help Lear? What was Lear reaction?
He spoke pleadingly on Cordelia`s behalf . he wanted to cancel Lear`s harsh
judgement on his loving daughter . Kent swore to Lear that his youngest didn`t
love him least . he told him that a loud mouth often points to an empty heart
and just because Cordelia was quiet didn`t mean she was unloving . Lear was
furious and ready to lose one`s temper to become extremely angry and he
ordered him to stop talking if he wanted to still alive .
7- After Lear ordered Kent to leave the kingdom , What did Kent do ?
Kent asked Lear to let him stay at his palace where Lear can look for hi for good
advice.
(Kent was Lear’s adviser and friend that he was banished for speaking the truth
after Lear’s bad decision to not give Cordelia any land.)
8-Discuss the two men initially wanted to marry Cordelia . Who married her ,
and why?
The king of France was present at the beginning of the play during the praising
contest in which Lear tested the love of his daughter . Cordelia, for him. He has
been negotiating for Cordelia’s hand in marriage , competing with the Duke of
Burgundy who was a wealthy , powerful nobleman for that privilege. But unlike
Burgundy , who lost interest in Cordelia the moment she disinherited . On the
other side king of France said he would marry Cordelia even though she had no
money and no title .