Act 1, Scene 1

• The Earl of Gloucester has two sons. Edgar is older and legitimate and Edmund is a year younger and is illegitimate.

• King Lear gives up his political power and lands, with his sons-in-law ruling as regents, but he keeps the title of ‘king’.

• Lear gives his older daughters Goneril and Regan half his kingdom each to rule with their husbands and surprises everyone by disinheriting and disowning his youngest daughter Cordelia.

• The Earl of Kent is banished from the kingdom for publicly questioning Lear.

Act 1, Scene 2

• Edmund believes he should have the same rights and inheritance as his legitimate and older half-brother Edgar.

• Gloucester believes Edmund’s story that his older son Edgar is plotting against him.

• Edgar believes that his father is angry with him and that his brother Edmund is trying to help him.

Act 1, Scene 3

• As he announced he would, Lear and his hundred knights are staying with Goneril before moving on to stay with Regan.

• Goneril is unhappy with her father’s behaviour and instructs her servants not to obey Lear’s orders.

Act 1, Scene 4

• Kent has defied his banishment to return in disguise and serve King Lear.

• Goneril has insulted her father, telling him that she will not put up with his riotous knights in her household.

• Lear has cursed his oldest daughter and set off with his followers to stay with Regan.

Act 1, Scene 5

• Kent has been sent to tell Regan that Lear is on his way.

• Lear is beginning to question his actions and his sanity.

Act 2, Scene 1

• Edmund has convinced his father, his brother and the Duke of Cornwall that he is trustworthy.

• Regan and Cornwall have left their own home to stay at Gloucester’s house after receiving the news from Goneril and from Lear about their fall out.

Act 2, Scene 2

• Lear has followed Regan to Gloucester’s house after leaving Goneril.

• Lear expects Regan to be sympathetic to his complaints about Goneril.

• Regan and Goneril are united against allowing their father to continue with the conditions he set up for them to inherit the kingdom.

Act 3, Scene 1

• Lear is alone on the heath in the middle of a storm with only the Fool for company.

• Kent has told the gentleman that Cordelia is receiving news in France from spies about her sisters and events in Britain.

Act 3, Scene 2

• Except for the Fool, Lear’s followers all let him walk out into the storm.

• Kent has persuaded Lear to follow him to shelter.

Act 3, Scene 3

• Regan and Cornwall have taken over Gloucester’s house and forbidden him from helping Lear.

• Gloucester has told Edmund he has letters about French troops landing in England and that he will help the king despite the threat to his life.

• Edmund plans to sabotage any plan Gloucester has to help the king and the French army who are on their way.

Act 3, Scene 4

• Lear begins to consider how the poor subjects in his kingdom might feel, not having the luxuries of life that he has had.

• Edgar has taken on the life of a ‘Bedlam beggar’ as he said he would.

• Lear has agreed to trust Gloucester and go with him to a place of safety.

Act 3, Scene 5

• Edmund has betrayed his father’s confidence by stealing his letters from France and showing them to Cornwall.

• Cornwall has declared Gloucester a traitor for conspiring with France and not telling Regan or Goneril of their plans.

Act 3, Scene 6

• Lear has become exhausted and confused.

• Kent and Gloucester remain loyal to their king and help him despite the threats to their own lives.

• Lear’s life is in danger if he does not go immediately to join Cordelia and the French forces at Dover.

Act 3, Scene 7

• Goneril, accompanied by Edmund, has gone back to her husband Albany to organise their armies against the French invasion.

• Cornwall, encouraged by Regan, has gouged out both of Gloucester’s eyes as punishment for his treason.

• One of Cornwall’s servants tried to stop Cornwall hurting Gloucester. Cornwall has killed the servant but is mortally injured himself.

Act 4, Scene 1

• Gloucester has realised that he did not always see clearly when he had his eyes. He now knows he was wrong to mistrust Edgar and shows more compassion for 'Poor Tom' and others like him.

• Edgar, disguised as 'Poor Tom', has taken on the job of leading the blinded Gloucester to the cliffs of Dover.

Act 4, Scene 2

• Edmund is on his way back to Regan, who is now a widow.

• Albany is horrified at how his wife and her sister have treated King Lear and the Earl of Gloucester.

Act 4, Scene 3

• The King of France has returned home and left Cordelia and his army under the leadership of a general.

• Cordelia has been told all that has happened to her father since she left.

• Lear feels very guilty for how he treated Cordelia.

• The ‘British powers’ are now also marching towards Dover and war is imminent.

Act 4, Scene 4

• Cordelia has brought an army from France to support her father, against her sisters.

• Lear is somewhere in Dover, still acting erratically.

Act 4, Scene 5

• Regan believes it was a mistake to let Gloucester live and thinks Edmund has set out to find and kill his father.

• Regan hopes to marry Edmund and suspects her sister wants Edmund herself.

• Oswald is loyal to Goneril and is now carrying messages from both sisters to Edmund.

Act 4, Scene 6

• Gloucester wants to die by falling from the cliff top.

• Edgar hopes to cure his father of his despair by pretending he has been saved from certain death by the will of the gods.

• Lear is still behaving strangely.

• Goneril wants her husband dead so that she can marry Edmund.

Act 4, Scene 7

• Kent has been reunited with Cordelia.

• Lear is safely in Cordelia’s court and is beginning to recover.

Act 5, Scene 1

• Regan and Goneril both love Edmund but suspect that there might also be something going on between Edmund and the other sister.

• Albany has a letter from Edgar revealing the truth about Edmund.

• Edmund intends to stop Albany pardoning Lear and Cordelia if the British win the battle.

Act 5, Scene 2

• The French forces have been defeated.

• Lear and Cordelia have been taken prisoner.

Act 5, Scene 3

• Goneril poisons Regan to stop her marrying Edmund.

• Edgar kills Edmund in a duel.

• Gloucester dies during the final battle, after Edgar reveals who he is and what has happened.

• Goneril dies from a stab wound to her heart, self-inflicted because she poisoned her own sister.

• Cordelia hangs on Edmund’s orders, although he tried to reverse the order at the last minute.

• Lear carries in the body of Cordelia, his dead daughter. He then dies himself.

Source (with more detailed summary): https://www.rsc.org.uk/shakespeare-learning-zone/king-lear/story/scene-by-scene 

2-mark and 3-mark questions

It is important that you read the questions carefully to identify the two or three pieces of information required. You will be awarded one mark per correct information. 

You should not write more than is needed as you do not want to waste any time on these questions, typically the first two questions of Section A. 

5-mark questions

The approach to answering the question is different. You are not awarded marks per correct information. Instead, the quality of discussion and inclusion of practical details with references will determine the number of marks allocated. 

If you simply provide a brief answer relevant to the question without developing any details, you will obtain 1 mark. 

If you develop your answer with some details and include 1 or 2 references with practical details, you will obtain 2 or 3 marks. 

In order to obtain 4 or 5 marks, the answer must consist of a detailed discussion with at least 3 references with practical details. 

10-mark questions

You do not need to provide any introduction or conclusion. You will have 2-3 main or key ideas, each idea developed in one paragraph. 

Marks are allocated based on the quality of your answer and not the quantity of the answer. It makes sense to have 2 strong ideas rather than not fully develop 3 ideas. Furthermore if you know you are generally pressed for time in the Written Examination, it would be smarter to stick to 2 main ideas. 

Each paragraph is developed in a manner similar to the 5-mark questions. 

Geographical location

The play takes place in the house of Gardner and Fanny Church in Beacon Hills, a popular neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts. This historic neighbourhood is one of the oldest in the United States. 

It is known for its brick houses and sidewalks, gas lamps, and classical (Federal, Greek Revival, and Victorian) architecture. Since the area has been declared “historic,” the period architecture has been preserved. It is the traditional, historic nature of Beacon Hill that separates it from other Boston neighbourhoods. 

Time period

The year is not specified and there is a choice to be made pertaining whether it should be in an identifiable time period or not. This directing choice will determine costume design. 

The Solace

It's all in your head...

Not for Sale