Act 4 Scene 1 Flashcards
(11 cards)
truth over false
Yet better thus, than still contemned and flattered.” – Edgar
AO1: Edgar chooses truth and hardship over false praise, showing moral strength.
AO2: The antithesis between “contemned” and “flattered” reinforces Edgar’s rejection of superficial courtly values.
AO3: Reflects the play’s contrast between appearance and reality.
AO4: Echoes Kent’s similar embrace of plain-speaking over false flattery.
AO5: Critics often view Edgar as the embodiment of moral endurance and clarity.
long serving servant
“I have been your father’s tenant and your tenant these fourscore years.” – Old Man
AO1: Shows working-class loyalty in contrast to noble betrayal.
AO2: Repetition of “tenant” underlines generational devotion.
AO3: Reinforces the theme of honour residing in the lowborn, not the elite.
AO4: Offers a glimpse of compassion in a cruel world.
AO5: A Marxist reading may see the old man as an emblem of integrity in an unjust hierarchy.
hopeless despair
“I have no way.” – Gloucester
AO1: A moment of hopeless despair for Gloucester after his blinding.
AO2: The short, blunt phrase reflects his inner emptiness and lack of direction.
AO3: A classical tragic line expressing the nadir of his fall.
AO4: Reflects a similar moment in Lear’s emotional collapse.
AO5: Can be read as an existential admission of meaningless in a godless world.
didn’t value his sight
“I stumbled when I saw.” – Gloucester
AO1: Ironic realisation that he was blind to truth when he had sight.
AO2: Paradox of “stumbled” and “saw” reveals his moral awakening.
AO3: Links to the wider motif of sight vs blindness.
AO4: Mirrors Lear’s own awakening after losing power.
AO5: Psychoanalytic critics see this as symbolic of inner vision overtaking physical.
blind by privilege
Our means secure us, and our mere defects prove our undoing.” – Gloucester
AO1: Recognises how privilege blinds people to truth, while vulnerability reveals it.
AO2: Juxtaposition of “means” and “defects” highlights social irony.
AO3: Challenges the Jacobean assumption that power equals wisdom.
AO4: Similar to Lear’s storm speeches on humility.
AO5: A political reading may interpret this as Shakespeare’s critique of elitism.
he wants edgar
“Might I but live to see thee in my touch, I’d say I had eyes again.” – Gloucester
AO1: Emotional connection with Edgar matters more than physical sight.
AO2: Tender metaphor equates love with vision.
AO3: Suggests emotional clarity replaces literal perception.
AO4: Reverses earlier blindness to Edgar’s innocence.
AO5: Some critics see this as a redemptive moment in Gloucester’s arc.
came into mind
“My son came then into my mind.” – Gloucester
AO1: Shows his repentance and growing emotional depth.
AO2: Plain, sincere diction signals genuine reflection.
AO3: His focus on Edgar shows moral growth.
AO4: Contrasts with earlier condemnation of Edgar.
AO5: Could be seen as the beginning of Gloucester’s tragic redemption.
flies to the divine
“As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods; they kill us for their sport.” – Gloucester
AO1: Expresses despair and nihilism after being blinded.
AO2: The simile of children tormenting flies evokes casual cruelty.
AO3: Undermines the Jacobean belief in divine justice.
AO4: Similar to Lear’s storm speech questioning divine order.
AO5: Seen by many critics as one of the bleakest lines in all of Shakespeare.
noble led by madman
“’Tis the time’s plague when madmen lead the blind.” – Gloucester
AO1: Captures the chaos of the world, with truth obscured and reason lost.
AO2: Symbolic language critiques power and perception.
AO3: Reflects the reversal of natural and political order.
AO4: Refers directly to Lear and Edgar, deepening dramatic irony.
AO5: A political critic might see this as warning about failed leadership.
shares lear’s idea about distribution
Distribution should undo excess, and each man have enough.” – Gloucester
AO1: Shares Lear’s new ideas about social justice.
AO2: Didactic tone with abstract terms like “distribution” and “excess.”
AO3: Reflects shifting views from personal loss to societal fairness.
AO4: Mirrors Lear’s speech on the “houseless poor.”
AO5: Marxist critics view this as radical in the context of feudal hierarchy.
wants to kill himself
Bring me but to the very brim of it.” – Gloucester
AO1: He intends to kill himself, believing he’s of no worth.
AO2: “Brim” metaphor evokes the edge of life and despair.
AO3: Anticipates the Dover cliff scene of false death.
AO4: Echoes Lear’s suicidal despair.
AO5: Tragic irony: the audience knows Edgar plans to save him, deepening pathos.
