King Lear Quotes

Front 1

“Edmund the base shall top th' legitimate. I grow, I prosper.
Now, gods, stand up for bastards!”

Back 1

In Shakespeare's day, primogeniture was the rule. Edmundis not only seen as a lesser being than his older half-brother, Edgar, he alsostands to inherit nothing from his father. But, Edmund objects to the waysociety views him as insignificant and insists that he's just as noble andwell-composed as his brother, Edgar.

Front 2

“Sir, I love you more than words can wield the matter”

"Dearer than eyesight, space and liberty"

-Goneril

Back 2

This quote contains enough tragic foreshadowing to predict the outcome of the entire play. The second line, for example, speaks directly to all three of these characters: Literally, Gloucester loses his eyes, Edgar and Lear lose their “space” in the world, and all three characters lose their "liberty" in some way or another.

Front 3

“A love that makes breath poor, and speech unable.” -Goneril

Back 3

So Goneril’s speech, supposedly laden with declarations of love, is actually filled with platitudes that forecast major losses in the play. Lear’s speech begins to expose the loss of his mind, and Edgar begins to speak as a madman of the hills. Ironically, it also sets up many of the major themes running throughout the play.

Front 4

Cordelia -'Nothing my Lord.' Lear - 'Nothing can come of nothing, speak again'

Back 4

Lear, finding his vain-glorious set-piece of flattery falling flat, tries to obtain some more fitting compliments from Cordelia. Cordelia's uttering of "nothing" is echoed at the end of the play when she is dead, and "nothing" remains of her. When Gloucester sees "nothing," he is finally able to see the truth.

Front 5

"I would not be mad.

Keep me in temper. I would not be mad."

Back 5

King Lear is full of short lines, the greatest number of short lines in any Shakespeare play. Such variations give to the verse flexibility and power, Shakespeare makes persons whose state of mind is abnormal speak in prose. Lear uses "I" not "we" no longer part of the 'royal we'. repetition shows deterioration of his mind.

Front 6

'Thou shouldst not have been old before thou hadst been wise' (Act,1, Scene 5) - The Fool

Back 6

The fool's role in King Lear, like much of the play itself, is one of pointing up Lear's tragic lack of wisdom. In his brief fantasy, the fool switches roles with Lear, making Lear the fool. the fool calls into question the role of King and fool as he leads the audience to believe Lear is more, "foolish" than his court jester.
This is one of the principle properties of the fool that marks him as a father figure to Lear- he guides Lear + points out his fatal flaws.

Front 7

'Blow winds and crack your cheeks! Rage, blow, you cataracts and hurricanoes' (Act 3,Scene 2) -Lear

Back 7

The elongated sound of the vowel in 'blow' and the onomatopaeic sound of 'crack' bring to life the brutal force of nature that lear is now facing.

Front 8

'I am a man more sinn'd against than sinning' (Act 3, Scene 2) - Lear

Back 8

These words of Lear point out his self-obsessed pity. He considers himself a victim of cruel circumstances, pitted alone against fate. 'I am a man'-He's no longer part of the divine entity/royal entity. Lear wants sympathy. He creates this image of himself as a helpless victim because he does not want to be seen as responsible for what is happening to him. Lear's wrong doings are seen as sin not crime because they don't go against the laws of Britain but go against the Elizabethan world view.

Front 9

'As flies to wanton boys are we to th' gods, they kill us for their sport'(Act 4, Scene 1) - Gloucester

Back 9

He likens the gods to immature, uncaring, unjust children, and likens man to insignificant flies, creatures subject to sportful cruelty. Gloucester's speech culminates scene after scene of abject cruelty and senseless brutality.

Front 10

Lear - 'When we are born, we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools' (Act 4, Scene 5)

Front 11

We two alone will sing like birds i' th' cage.

Front 12

'Never, never, never, never, never'

Back 12

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Front 13

I am a weak, firm, old despised man'

(Lear)

Back 13

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Front 14

My father, poorly led (Edgar)

Back 14

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Front 15

'Tigers not daughters' (Albany on G&R)

Back 15

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Front 16

'I am bound upon a wheel of fire' (Lear Act 4/5?)

Back 16

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Front 17

'Come not between the Dragon and his wrath'

Back 17

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Front 18

'Cordelia, mend your speech alittle'

Back 18

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Front 19

"See better Lear"

Back 19

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