Act 2 Scene 3

Question 1

Edgar taking on a shape

Answer 1

Quote: “Take the basest and most poorest shape” – Edgar
AO1 – Meaning and Argument: Edgar chooses to disguise himself as the lowest social class—“Poor Tom”—to survive. This marks his descent from nobility into feigned madness.
AO2 – Method: The intensifier “most poorest” is grammatically redundant, reflecting Edgar’s emotional turmoil and the extremity of his disguise. “Basest” alludes to base status, reinforcing class degradation.
AO3 – Context: In Jacobean England, Bedlam beggars were feared and pitied; Edgar’s disguise would evoke both disgust and sympathy.
AO4 – Connections: Like Lear, Edgar undergoes identity collapse to find truth; both endure hardship to reach enlightenment.
AO5 – Interpretations: Some critics argue this is a form of emotional purification (catharsis), while others see it as a critique of the ease with which society dismisses the vulnerable.

Question 2

man vs beast

Answer 2

Quote: “Brought near to beast” – Edgar
AO1 – Meaning and Argument: Edgar acknowledges that suffering has stripped him of humanity, bringing him close to animalistic existence.
AO2 – Method: The phrase is deliberately passive (“brought”), indicating that this was not by choice but by necessity. The comparison with a “beast” dehumanises him.
AO3 – Context: Human vs. animal nature is a major theme in King Lear. The divine hierarchy placed humans above beasts; this quote challenges that.
AO4 – Connections: Mirrors Lear’s later speeches in the storm where he questions whether man is “no more than this.”
AO5 – Interpretations: Marxist critics may argue Edgar’s fall exposes the class system’s brutality—he is only “beast-like” once stripped of wealth and title.

Question 3

Edgar’s new identity

Answer 3

Quote: “Poor Tom” – Edgar
AO1 – Meaning and Argument: Edgar adopts this pseudonym as part of his disguise; it becomes a symbol of dispossession and madness.
AO2 – Method: The name “Poor Tom” is a stage shorthand for Bedlam beggars; its simplicity degrades Edgar’s former nobility.
AO3 – Context: Bedlam beggars were real figures in early modern England, often actors of their own suffering.
AO4 – Connections: Reinforces Shakespeare’s exploration of madness, real and feigned. Also reflects inversion of the social order.
AO5 – Interpretations: Some critics see Edgar’s disguise as heroic self-preservation; others question its morality—why trick his grieving father?

Question 4

something but nothing

Answer 4

Quote: “Edgar I nothing am.” – Edgar
AO1 – Meaning and Argument: Edgar fully sheds his identity, embracing anonymity and despair.
AO2 – Method: The paradox “Edgar I nothing am” uses inversion to place “nothing” at the core of his self. The phrase echoes the play’s recurring motif of “nothing.”
AO3 – Context: Shakespeare frequently explores identity collapse; here, Edgar’s transformation critiques the instability of status and name.
AO4 – Connections: Reflects Lear’s journey toward “unaccommodated man.” Also links to Cordelia’s “nothing” in Act 1.
AO5 – Interpretations: Psychoanalytic readings see this as symbolic death and rebirth; he must lose his name to reclaim moral clarity.