King Lear

Description Earlier in this unit, you explored the literary ideas of motifs and juxtaposition. If you do not remember those terms, now might be a good time to go back and review them because you will be creating a PowerPoint presentation dealing with the juxtaposition of the motifs in King Lear. Don’t worry, you get to choose which one you will investigate. Remember, you may go to the OpenOffice.org website to download a free version of PowerPoint. Your presentation should be 8 slides long and include: 1. Title Slide – 5 points 2. Introduction – 10 points 3 – 4. Body Slide (one aspect of the juxtaposition) – 15 points 5 – 6. Body Slide (the other aspect of the juxtaposition) – 15 points 7. Context of Order vs. Chaos – 15 points 8. Conclusion – 10 points Each “body slide” will be worth 15 points: 5 points for your idea, 5 points for the explanation of your idea, and 5 points for the support from the text for that idea. The introduction and conclusion slides will be worth 10 points each: 5 points for your idea and 5 points for the clarity of your argument.

Your teacher may have you present your presentation for additional points. All of the following motifs can be found in King Lear and represent the larger contradiction of order and chaos. Pick one of the following juxtapositions to examine: 1. sanity / madness (wise / foolish) 2. loyalty / betrayal 3. natural / unnatural (legitimate / illegitimate) 4. justice / injustice 5. sight / blindness 6. reality / appearance 7. stability / instability (authority / anarchy) Really think it through and connect the dots before you choose a topic. Try to catch all instances of the motif and what they tell you. If you decide to investigate sanity/madness, for example, you should consider the following: Many people would claim Lear was sane before he decided to divide his kingdom. Dividing it, though, especially rejecting his most-loved daughter is the beginning of his insanity. You should discuss the role of the fool and how he says things that are wise and full of insight. You should analyze Edgar pretending to be the mad Poor Tom. You should definitely break down Lear’s descent into madness during the storm, and his arguable rehabilitation toward the end. All the events of the play can be cast in the duality of order and chaos with the madness of the events, suffering, torture and killings. As you read, keep your eyes open for these recurring motifs