Changing Roles

• Who is Oswald in relation to Goneril?

  Oswald is Goneril’s servant
• How does Oswald change roles in the play?

  He becomes disrespectful and tries to demote Lear
• How does Kent change roles in the play?

  Kent changes roles by being obedient and serving Lear
• What powers does King Lear possess?

  King Lear has emotional and physical power through his title and his 100 knights
• What does Lear ask about his messenger in the quote “Why came not the slave back to me when I called him?”

  He is questioning why his messenger did not return
• What does the knight imply when he says Lear is not entertained with the same ceremonious affection?

  The knight suggests that Goneril’s household is not treating Lear with respect
• What does the knight mean when he says “my duty cannot be silent”?

  He feels obligated to speak the truth to the King, similar to Kent
• How does the knight show loyalty to the Feudal order?

  He risks the King's displeasure to deliver an important message
• What does Lear mean when he says “I think that the world’s asleep”?

  He feels that the world is strange and unrecognizable to him
• What is Lear experiencing for the first time according to the text?

  He is experiencing what it is like to be a commoner
• How does Lear's vanity affect his perception of the world?

  He believes the world has changed when it is actually his experience that has changed
• What class insults do Kent and Lear use against Oswald?

  They use terms like “base football player”, “Cur”, and “mongrel”
• What does Kent mean by “I’ll teach you differences”?

  He intends to use violence to enforce the Feudal hierarchy
• What has happened to Lear's authority?

  • Exposed it for what it was: Make-believe
  • The King was playing a role anyway
• What was Goneril's strategy?

  She has provoked her dad and now he has reacted in a way that she can "censure"