Act 2 Scene 1

Question 1

everything falling into Edmunds plan

Answer 1

Quote: “This weaves itself perforce into my business.” – Edmund

Context: Edmund sees Curan’s news as an opportunity to manipulate Gloucester.
AO1 (Meaning): Shows Edmund’s opportunism and ability to exploit external events for personal gain.
AO2 (Methods): Metaphor of “weaving” implies manipulation and careful plotting.
AO3 (Context): Reflects Machiavellian villainy in Jacobean drama.
AO5 (Critical Debate): Critics see Edmund as a product of social exclusion, but also as an architect of his own rise.

Question 2

edmund his own play write

Answer 2

Quote: “In cunning I must draw my sword upon you. Now quit you well.” – Edmund

Context: He pretends to fight Edgar to make the story more believable.
AO1 (Meaning): Demonstrates his willingness to stage violence to serve lies.
AO2 (Methods): False formality (“quit you well”) contrasts with violent deceit.
AO3 (Context): Audience familiar with honour duels would find this mockery of it chilling.
AO5 (Critical Debate): Could be read as satire of honour culture or proof of Edmund’s calculated villainy.

Question 3

making his play more realistic

Answer 3

Quote: “Some blood drawn on me would beget opinion.” – Edmund

Context: Cuts himself to convince Gloucester of Edgar’s guilt.
AO1 (Meaning): He physically manipulates truth to manufacture trust.
AO2 (Methods): Gruesome imagery of self-harm shows commitment to deception.
AO3 (Context): Reflects the play’s motif of blood as both evidence and betrayal.
AO5 (Critical Debate): Draws comparison to Iago: self-wounding to construct false narratives.

Question 4

Playing on Gloucester’s superficial beliefs

Answer 4

Quote: “Revenging gods ’gainst parricides did all their thunders bend.” – Edmund

Context: Uses Gloucester’s belief in divine justice to manipulate him.
AO1 (Meaning): Plays on superstition to reinforce false narrative about Edgar.
AO2 (Methods): Religious diction appeals to Gloucester’s faith in divine punishment.
AO3 (Context): Reflects Jacobean belief in divine retribution.
AO5 (Critical Debate): Critics debate whether Edmund’s manipulation is psychological realism or archetypal villainy.

Question 6

Edgar motivate to kill him for personal gain

Answer 6

Quote: “If they not thought the profits of my death were very pregnant and potential spurs…” – Edmund

Context: Suggests Edgar has motive to kill him for personal gain.
AO1 (Meaning): Paints Edgar as driven by ambition, when it’s actually Edmund.
AO2 (Methods): Language of fertility (“pregnant”) contrasts with death.
AO3 (Context): Irony in villain projecting his greed onto the innocent.
AO5 (Critical Debate): Critics may see this as projection or clever deflection.

Question 7

Gloucester disowns son

Answer 7

Quote: “I never got him.” – Gloucester

Context: Denounces Edgar, disowning him based on Edmund’s lies.
AO1 (Meaning): Gloucester quickly casts away his true son — shows fragility of trust.
AO2 (Methods): Harsh monosyllables show emotional coldness.
AO3 (Context): Theme of filial ingratitude and patriarchal expectation.
AO5 (Critical Debate): Highlights Gloucester’s tragic flaw: gullibility.

Question 8

Edgar treated like a legitimate

Answer 8

Quote: “I’ll work the means to make thee capable.” – Gloucester

Context: Promises Edmund legitimacy and inheritance.
AO1 (Meaning): Shows Gloucester’s misguided reward for deceit.
AO2 (Methods): Formal tone reflects legal action and urgency.
AO3 (Context): Reflects anxiety about succession and inheritance in Jacobean society.
AO5 (Critical Debate): Critics may view Gloucester as morally blind.

Question 9

Lies about Edgar’s correlation with knights

Answer 9

Quote: “Yes, madam, he was of that consort.” – Edmund

Context: Lies to Regan about Edgar being among riotous knights.
AO1 (Meaning): Edmund twists truth for gain.
AO2 (Methods): Polite diction conceals deceit.
AO3 (Context): Theme of false loyalty; courtly language masks evil intent.
AO5 (Critical Debate): Edmund manipulates social roles masterfully.

Question 10

Cornwall needs loyalty like edmunds

Answer 10

Quote: “Natures of such deep trust we shall much need.” – Cornwall

Context: Refers to Edmund’s ‘loyalty’ and the need for trustworthy men.
AO1 (Meaning): Dramatic irony — Cornwall praises the villain.
AO2 (Methods): Weighty tone in “deep trust” contrasts with audience’s knowledge.
AO3 (Context): Political need for loyalty post-abdication of Lear.
AO5 (Critical Debate): Tragedy shows how misjudgement destroys nations.