专业英语-李尔王小说介绍-英语课件King-Lear.ppt

KingLear,ByWilliamShakespeare,CONTENTS,ABriefIntroductiontoWilliamShakespeareKingLearBackgroundCordelia,theyoungestdaughter,whotrulylovesLear,refusestomakeaninsincerespeechtoproveherloveandisdisinherited.,ThetwooldersistersmockLearandrenegeontheirpromisetosupporthim.Castout,thekingslipsintomadnessandwandersaboutaccompaniedbyhisfaithfulFool.HeisaidedbytheEarlofKent,who,thoughbanishedfromthekingdomforhavingsupportedCordelia,hasremainedinBritaindisguisedasapeasant.KenteventuallybringsLeartoCordelia,whocaresforhimandhelpshimregainhisreason.,Subplot,ThesubplotconcernstheEarlofGloucester,wholikewisespurnshishonestson,Edgar,andbelieveshisconnivingillegitimateson,Edmund.EdmundallieshimselfwithReganandGoneriltodefendBritainagainsttheFrencharmymobilizedbyCordelia.HeturnshisfatherovertoCornwallwhogougesoutGloucesterseyesthenimprisonsCordeliaandLear,butheisdefeatedinbattlebyEdgar.JealousofEdmundsromanticattentionstoRegan,Gonerilpoisonsherandcommitssuicide.Cordeliaishanged.Lear,broken,dieswithherbodyinhisarms.,KingLearandtheFoolintheStorm,KingLearmournsCordeliasdeath,RoleAnalysis,LearsspiritualprogressEarlofGloucesterEdgarandAlbany,Learsspiritualprogress,ThevariousstagesofLearsspiritualprogress(akindof“conversion”)arecarefullymarked.Helearnsthevalueofpatienceandtheworthof“unaccommodatedman.”Hebeginstorealizehisownfaultsasakingandalmostunderstandshisfailureasafather.Hebeginstofeelforthe“poornakedwretches”andconfesses,“O,Ihavetaen/Toolittlecareofthis.”,Hisinstabilityofmind,almostapredispositiontomadness,isshownfromthebeginning.Histerribleragesandcurses,firstuponCordeliaandlateruponGonerilandRegan,andhisrantingandtyrannicallanguageallforeshadowhisbreakdown.Hisfaithfulcounselorisplainwithhim:“BeKentunmannerly/WhenLearismad”;andhisdaughtersshrewdlyjudgehim:“hehatheverbutslenderlyknownhimself.”,Heispainfullyconsciousofapproachingmadness,butgraduallythebombastofhissanitygivesplacetoaremarkablekindofeloquence,flowingeasilyandneverincoherent.His“ravings”areintelligibletotheaudience,howeverperturbingtheymayseemtotheothercharactersonthestage.Theyexpressapointofviewthat,hadheunderstooditearlier,wouldhavesavedhimfrommanyerrorsofjudgment.ThemodeofspeechofthemadkingcontrastsstronglywiththecongenitalinconsequentialityofhisFoolandtheassumedmadnessofEdgaras“PoorTom.”,EarlofGloucester,KingLearssubplotfocusesonthefortunesofGloucesteranotherfathersufferingfrom“filialingratitude”andfromhisfalsejudgmentofthecharactersofhischildren.Thissubplotisintroducedintheopeningscene,insomedetail,asifitwereofasmuchimportanceasthemainplot.ThestagesbywhichGloucestersimilarlylearnsbysufferingareclearlyindicated.,Hebeginsbybeingthecheerfulsinner,butgraduallyhissenseofpityanddutybecomestronger,andherevealshimselftoEdmund:“IfIdiefort,asnolessisthreatenedme,/theKingmyoldmastermustberelieved.”ThisrevelationofhisgoodintentionstothetreacherousEdmundleadsdirectlytohisdownfallandtohisbeingblinded.,EdgarandAlbany,Twoofthe“good”characters,EdgarandAlbany(Gonerilshusband),alsogrowinmoralstatureandstrengthinthecourseoftheplay.Atfirst,Edgarseemsratherineffectual,quiteunabletocopewiththevillainyofhishalfbrotherEdmund;buteventuallyheemergesasastrongcharacter,confirmedbysufferingandbycompassion,abletofightandovercomeEdmundintheordealatarms;andeventually,asoneofthesurvivors,heisentrusted,alongwithAlbany,withthefutureofthekingdom.Albany,too,isgraduallybuiltup,frombeingtheweakerpartnerinhismarriagetobeingthespokesmanofvirtueandjustice,withanauthorityabletocopewiththeforceofEdmundsmalignantenergy.,Theme,KingLearisatruereflectionoftheturbulentlandscapeofBritishsocietyduringtheperiodofprimitiveaccumulationofcapitalinthecapitalistworld,anditisalsotheauthorscriticismtoautocraticmonarchyandpraisetohumannature.Lear,whowasabusedbyhiscunningcrueldaughterandbrutalson-in-law,changedfromaself-willedrulertoavagrantkingallofasudden.ThisprocessreflectsthehistoryofthedecliningoffeudalclassinlateRenaissance.Itals