1. At the beginning of the play, of which daughter is King Lear most fond of?

2. What does he change his attitude towards this daughter? What does he do towards her?

3. How is he treated by his oldest daughter after he gives away his kingdom?

4. What causes him mad? And what makes him come out of his madness?

5. Later what causes him mad again and even die?

6. Why does Albony change sides and try to save Cordelia?

7. What is going to happen to Lear’s kingdom now that his family is dead? Do you think this will be a good thing? why/?

Reading comprehension

Reading One• One day, King Lear told his three

daughters that he had decided to retire and _____ _____ the _______ of government to them three. He divided the kingdom into three parts, and ______ one part to each of them. He wondered which of them loved him the most. For ________ of them had for him the most ________ he would give to her the best part of everything he owned.

hand over burden

allocated

whichever

devotion

• His oldest daughter, Goneril, told him that she did not have the word to express the _______ of her devotion and that she loved him more than all the ______ in the world. So the king showed her a map with all the ________ ______ on it and said, “You and your husband _____ have this part of my kingdom with all its rivers and forests and mountains. And your children ______ own it ______ (after/behind) you. His second oldest daughter claimed that she _______ him more than anything else in the whole world, and that her greatest happiness was in loving him. So the king gave her the part of his kingdom that was _______ in value to what he had given to Goneril.

depthriches

boundariesdrawnshall

shall after

adored

equal

• Then King Lear asked Cordelia what she had to say to _______ him and _____ the best part of his kingdom. To his great surprise, she said nothing . The king ________ her, but Cordelia insisted that she could not describe her feelings with such _____ words. When the old king warned that she might lose her ______ of the kingdom unless she tried harder, she still stuck to her opinion, saying that her father had _______ her into the world, and that he _____ for her and loved her. In ______ she loved, honoured and obeyed him. She loved him as it is right and proper for a daughter to love her father, neither less nor more. As a result, the king gave her nothing as her r______ although she was t__________.

delight earn

prayed

fancyshare

brought caredreturn

ewardruthful

• Being very angry, King Lear ordered the Duke of Kent, a ______ friend of the king, find the two noblemen to see if either wanted to be a ___________ when Codelia had no riches to bring to the marriage. He would ___________ his kingdom between Goneril and Regan. When Kent tried to persuade him, he told him not to __________ him. But Kent still attempted to convince him that Cordelia’s devotion to him was _______ _________. When King Lear refused to listen to him, Kent would rather ______ his life than _____ him make such a mistake. “You do ______ to cause ________ between yourself and your daughter. I _______ that such actions will cause great _________ throughout your kingdom.” Thinking Kent _________ him, King Lear ordered him to ______ up his things and be gone from his kingdom, or he would have him ________ if Kent had not passed beyond his __________ within five days.

• (ended)

loyalbridegroom

distribute

contradict

beyond questionlose seewrong

friction forecastconflict

opposedpack

killedfrontiers

Warming up

• 1. show love and respect _______

• 2. succeed for

• Come next after sb / sth and take his / its place or position

• Who will succeed Bush as President?

• Their early success was succeeded by a period of miserable failure.

• She succeeded to the throne in 1588.