Topic Ten (1.10): Wider Reading – Critical Perspectives 2

Introduction Icon.png Introduction

In this final topic, you will read further in the introduction to your copy of the play and explore some additional critical articles about King Lear in preparation for completing Assignment One. The focus of the critical articles is the female characters in the play so some supporting contextual material from Mastering English Literature which you originally read at AS, is revisited here.

Research Icon.png Wider Reading

  • You should now read the following sections in the introduction to your copy of the play and add to your notes and Critical Viewpoints Grid as appropriate:
    • ‘Thou wouldst make a good fool’ (pages 50 to 59)
    • ‘’Tis the time’s plague where madmen lead the blind’ (pages 59 to 64)
    • ‘Then kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!’ (pages 64 to 72)
    • ’Is this the promised end?’ (pages 72 to 80)
  • The following two resources can be used as sources of critical quotations for your first assignment on the play, so read through each of them with your Critical Viewpoints Grid to hand.

EXPLORE – Daughters in Shakespeare: Dream, Duty and Defiance by Kim Ballard (The British Library) – N.B. You only need to read the parts that relate to King Lear. Links to an external site.

  • The following article considers the roles of Goneril and Regan in the play.

EXPLORE – More Than Word Can Wield the Matter by Cheryl Hogue Smit (Utah Shakespeare Festival) Links to an external site.

Reflect Icon.png Review

  • You read this at AS, but now is a good time to re-read Chapter Forty, ‘External Interpretation: Feminism’ on pages 389 to 406 in Mastering English Literature, this time bearing in mind the female characters in King Lear and adding any helpful detail to your notes as you go.
  • Pay particular attention to the material included on ideals of womanhood.
  • If you did not study AS with Wolsey Hall, make sure you read this chapter carefully now.

Bridge Icon.png Support for the Assignment

  • You are now ready to tackle your first AL assignment, a passage-based question on King Lear.
  • Remember: you will need to be comfortable with using a wide range of literary terminology as Shakespeare uses many devices in his work, so make sure you have your copy of the Guide to Shakespeare’s Language to hand as you break down the passage.
  • Don’t forget to plan your essay carefully according to the tips provided in Module Zero and to make sure it addresses all five AL assessment criteria, including critical perspectives.

REVIEW - Module Zero: Introductory Skills

  • In your essay, you should make reference to three or four critical perspectives, as appropriate to the task. Try to spread these through the essay and integrate them into your argument.
  • Remember to include context. You learnt about Jacobean England and some of the key social and historical contexts surrounding the play in this module earlier in this module, so you should draw on some of these in your response. The material you covered on women in the ‘Review’ task above will be helpful to you.
  • As you did at AS, aim for around three different references to context, spread across the essay. These can be brief, but they must be properly embedded into the discussion.

Worksheet Icon.png Assignment

When you have completed all the activities and are fully prepared and feel confident with the material, you should complete Assignment One and submit it to your tutor via Canvas for marking and feedback.