教材试题 Unit 2 King Lear Part 1 Comprehending

Unit 2 King LearComprehending1 Part 1 of King Lear gives the audience information to help them understand the rest of the play. Answer these questions about the play.1 Why does King Lear want to give away his kingdom?2 How is he going to decide who to give the best part of his kingdom to?3 At the beginning of the play, of which daughter is King Lear most fond?4 Which daughters are already married and which is not?5 What are the names of the men who want to marry King Lears youngest daughter?6 Who tries to defend Cordelia? What happens to him when he speaks out?2 Part 1 also introduces the main characters and tells the audience something about them. Choose words from the box to complete the table below. Some words belong to more than one character.honest loyal hot-headed truthful deceitful hard-hearted respectfulcorrupt greedy innocent foolish cunning bad-tempered lovingCharactersRelationship to King LearWords to describe personalityKing LearGonerildaughterReganCordeliaDuke of Albanyson-in-lawDuke of CornwallDuke of Kent3 In fours prepare a role-play. One plays the king, one plays Regan, and another one plays Cordelia. The fourth person plays the Duke of Kent and will interview the three characters to find out what they really think. Here are some questions to consider.To King Lear:1 Why did you decide to divide your kingdom according to how much your daughters saidthey loved you?2 How can you be sure how much your daughters love you?3 What could you have done instead?To Regan:1 Were you honest in your answer to the king?2 How did you feel when you saw what happened to Cordelia?3 Do you think the king behaved fairly?To Cordelia:1 Why did you not answer your fathers question the same way as your sisters?2 Do you think what happened to you is fair?3 What will you do now?After the role-play discuss these questions in your group.1 Do you think these characters are true to life? Do you know anyone in the real world who would behave in a similar way to any of these characters?2 If you were King Lear, what would you do to divide up your kingdom among your children? Why do you think King Lear did this while he was still alive and not after his death?Answer key for Exercise 1：1 Because Lear is old and tired and wants to retire. 2 He is going to ask his three daughters to tell him how much they love him and divide up the kingdom according to their answers. 3 Cordelia. 4 Regan and Goneril are married and Cordelia is not. 5 The Duke of Burgundy and the King of France. 6 Kent tries to defend Cordelia but Lear sends him away from the kingdom (He banishes him). Suggested answers to Exercise 2：CharactersRelationship to King LearWords to describe personalityKing Learhot-headed, hard-hearted, foolish, bad-temperedGonerildaughterdeceitful, corrupt, greedy, cunningRegandaughterdeceitful, corrupt, greedy, cunningCordeliadaughterhonest, truthful, loving, innocentDuke of Albanyson-in-law(not known yet)Duke of Cornwallson-in-law(not known yet)Duke of Kentfriendloyal, respectful, honest, truthfulSuggested answers to Exercise 3：Students have their own understanding of all these questions. However, you may tell your students to understand them from the following aspects. To King Lear：1. Students answers may vary. (The decision of dividing the kingdom is not sensible, because three small kingdoms are not as strong as one large kingdom. However, it could be sensible because if he gives the kingdom to only one of them, the other two could get angry and start a war to gain the kingdom for themselves. ) 2. Students answers may vary. (The daughters probably arent being honest because they say such extravagant things to him, for example they love him more than life itself.) 3. Students answers may vary. (The decision is not very sensible because the daughters could lie if they wanted the kingdom. Also it would be better to choose the person who will make the best ruler rather than the one who is the best flatterer. Lear could have tested their ability to rule and decide which one was most fit. ) To Regan：1. No2. I felt sorry for her. 3. Students have their own answers. (It isnt fair because Kent only wants to prevent the King from making a bad mistake. He speaks out even though he is told to be quiet because he loves the king and is afraid that the kingdom will suffer as a result of the kings actions. ) To Cordelia：1. Students have their own answers. (If she wants part of the kingdom she should have probably answered as her sisters did, but if she values honesty more than the kingdom, she had to answer as she thought. ) 2. Students have their own answers. (No, its not fair. Perhaps the king at that time was going a bit mad in his old age and could no longer make sensible judgments or maybe he was always this foolish and liked to be f