Appearance versus Reality
Justice Compassion and Reconciliation The Natural Order Nature Blindness Parent / Child Relationships Clothing and Nakedness Betrayal Madness |
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King Lear
• Medieval/Renaissance court: absolute power of monarch • Family context; sibling rivalry brought to its extreme: no mother, no h e i r . . . • Political intrigue, treachery and betrayal; desire for power excludes most other values • Aristocratic context . . . However, the ordinary people play a small but significant role, usually positive. • Few details of the texture of the world are given, e.g. food, clothes, rituals of the day. |