A2 Lit - Lear character questions

1. 'A man more sinned against than sinning': Do you agree with this estimation of Lear's character?

2. 'Edmund represents no more than the inevitable fight of the young to claim the world from the old.' Discuss this viewpoint.

3. 'Unlike some antagonists, Edmund has a motive - and it's a motive which secures the sympathy of the modern audience.' To what extent do you agree?

4. 'Goneril and Regan's role in King Lear is purely to enable Lear's downfall. In themselves, there is no development or interest.' Do you agree?

5. 'It is Edgar's journey, not Lear's or Gloucester's, which is most significant for the play.' To what extent do you agree?

6. 'The Fool acts as a dramatic mechanism in the play - he is both the antithesis of Lear and the mirror image of Lear.' To what extent would you argue that this is a valid viewpoint?

{We have already looked at a question on Cordelia in class.}

Good luck everyone!