Act 1 Scene 5

Question 1

crab tastes like a crab to a crab

Answer 1

“She will taste as like this as a crab does to a crab.”

AO1 (Meaning & Argument):
Fool sarcastically remarks that Regan won’t treat him any better than Goneril—there’s no difference.
AO2 (Method):
The simile “as like this as a crab does to a crab” uses bitter imagery to show Fool’s growing cynicism. The crab, a hard and unyielding creature, symbolises the cold-heartedness of both daughters.
AO3 (Context):
In a patriarchal society, daughters were expected to be gentle and loyal. Lear’s frustration reflects his disillusionment with traditional family roles.
AO4 (Connections & Links):
Links directly to Lear’s earlier belief that Regan would “flay” Goneril—now, he realises both daughters are alike in cruelty.
AO5 (Critical Debate):
Some critics argue Lear is beginning to see the truth but is not yet ready to face his complicity. Others highlight the play’s breakdown of familial expectations.

Question 2

realisation yet he believes he wasn’t that bad a father

Answer 2

“I did her wrong… so good a father.” – Lear
AO1 (Meaning & Argument):
Lear begins to acknowledge his mistreatment of Cordelia
AO2 (Method):
The ellipsis between “wrong” and “so good a father” suggests a stuttering attempt at self-reckoning. The juxtaposition is tragic: Lear sees himself as a “good” father but is now faced with the truth of his actions.
AO3 (Context):
In a patriarchal society, a father’s authority was rarely questioned. This is a radical and humanising admission of failure from a king believed to rule by divine right.
AO4 (Connections & Links):
This foreshadows his later reunion with Cordelia in Act 4 Scene 7, where he says: “You have some cause, they have not.” It also parallels Gloucester’s later realisation about Edgar: “O my follies, then Edgar was abused.”
AO5 (Critical Debate):
Some critics argue this is the start of Lear’s tragic catharsis. Others see it as too little, too late—his self-awareness doesn’t prevent further suffering or restore balance.

Question 3

No correlation between age and wisdom

Answer 3

“Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise.” – Fool
AO1 (Meaning & Argument):
The Fool mocks Lear’s lack of wisdom despite his age—Lear should’ve matured before becoming old.
AO2 (Method):
Aphoristic and paradoxical. The juxtaposition of “old” and “wise” highlights the failure of age to confer intelligence. The Fool’s irony cuts sharply, exposing truth under the guise of comedy.
AO3 (Context):
Age and wisdom were traditionally linked in Elizabethan culture. The Fool disrupts that belief, presenting age as meaningless without judgement. venerate
AO4 (Connections & Links):
Mirrors Edmund’s critique of age and inheritance in Act 1 Scene 2. Also connects to Lear’s own later recognition: “I am a very foolish fond old man.”
AO5 (Critical Debate):
Some critics argue the Fool is Lear’s conscience. Others view him as a necessary social critic—his jests expose deeper truths than noble speeches.

Question 4

Scene setting, engagement with the fool

Answer 4

Outside showing his isolation. Fragile mental state as he doesn’t engage with the fool and is occupied by his thoughts.

Question 5

Tragic stuff

Answer 5

We already suspect Regan will take him in coldly and he will have no one to turn to. He doesn’t recognise his faults as a father all his troubles are caused by his offsprings.

Question 6

Trying to control his sanity

Answer 6

“O let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven!” – Lear

AO1 (Meaning & Argument):
Lear pleads to retain his sanity, revealing his deepening fear of mental collapse.
AO2 (Method):
The repetition of “not mad” conveys rising desperation and loss of control, while the apostrophic address to “sweet heaven” suggests spiritual panic. The line’s broken rhythm mirrors Lear’s fracturing mind.
AO3 (Context):
Madness was feared and stigmatised in Jacobean England; to a king, losing his mind meant losing legitimacy. A divine-right monarch unraveling mentally was both tragic and terrifying.
AO4 (Connections & Links):
Anticipates Lear’s mental deterioration in the storm scenes. Connects to Gloucester’s later plea for sanity: “The grief hath crazed my wits.”
AO5 (Critical Debate):
Some critics read Lear’s madness as divine punishment; others, especially psychoanalytic critics, see this as the beginning of psychological trauma rooted in rejection and identity loss.