Thursday, February 10, 2011

Scene Structure in KING LEAR and Preparing for the Storm Scene

As you read King Lear, notice the structure of the scenes, how they start, swell and end.  Just as Shakespeare's sonnets contoured by quatrains written in alternating rhyme, resound at their end in rhymed couplets, so do the entrances and exits of characters on the stage, and their external and internal soliloquies, provide special dimensions, of depth, tension, and irony, to the dialogue and to the dramatic action of individual scenes. Notice how masterful Shakespeare is both in giving dimension to his characters and in moving his narrative forward.


6 comments:

  1. I'll continue reading up to that scene.

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  2. Balgley, is it ok if I send it to you as an e-mail?

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  3. I really did enjoy reading the storm scene Mr. Balgley. It was heart breaking to know that someone's own daughters (in this case King Lear's daughters) could really be so heartless to leave their father out in the storm, regardless of the kind of person he is.

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  4. Thank you Malthin! I mean, if you were talking about my performance for it! <3

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  5. Reading the storm scene in class was enjoyable! I love acting out the scene, it gives me a better understanding of the play. I also agree with stefanie, it is really sad how his daughter's just disowned him. However, King Lear shouldn't have made foolish decision to divide his kingdom to his two heartless daughters.

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