Preferably before students enter the room,
write the opening two lines on the board/flip chart, slashed as above
for a read-through.
As students enter, hand out randomly the small cards or badges marked A or C.
Now, at random, pick three lots of five readers to read the slashed text
one group after the other. Don’t forget
to give everyone time to ask about anything they don’t understand after the
first read-through. "affected" is
usually the word here; get them to think of "affection" and they will soon get "liked".
Who
Underline them in the text written on the board.
- Kent (speaker, present on stage)
- The King
- Duke of Albany
- Duke of Cornwall
- Gloucester (speaker, present on stage)
What
- Kent and Gloucester are discussing how the king will divide the kingdom.
- Apparently it is to be divided between the Dukes of Albany and Cornwall.
- Up until now they thought the king liked Albany better but now the kingdom is to be divided he has not
giving any clear indication of his preferences.
Where
- Lear’s palace. Given in the stage directions in some versions. This becomes clear soon when Lear enters
with his family and retinue.
How could you convey this with simple props/scenery?
- All you really need is a throne placed centre stage.
When
- Some time in Ancient Britain. An Elizabethan audience would have known the story.
- Time and day not indicated.
- On the Elizabethan stage, historical time sometimes indicated by additions to contemporary costume. On
stage today, a director will choose his historical period.
How, why
What sort of people are Kent and Gloucester?
- Up until now, they thought they knew the King’s mind so they are probably close to him. Advisers? Nobles
at court? (Again, an audience would be made aware of their important position at court by their costume.
Their age would also be apparent from their appearance. Gloucester is usually played as similar in age to
Lear to point up the parallel. Kent is often somewhat younger).
How do they feel about the king’s behaviour?
- Puzzled? Uneasy? Uncertain? Worried? "I thought"; "It did always seem so";
"but now"; "appears".
They don’t know what the king is going to do, he is not consulting them or keeping them informed.
Why use the word "kingdom" rather than, say "country"? What does it help to emphasise?
- It belongs to the king.
- The king is at the centre.
- All the rest are subjects in one way or another.
- Everything rests on Lear making the right decisions for his people.
The centrally-placed throne would symbolise this. (If appropriate, give a definition of symbol as some sort of
sign or image which stands for or represents something. E.g. the central throne shows, or represents, the
power of the king at the centre of his kingdom).
What do we learn about the king?
- He is being secretive and may be changing his mind.
- Not as responsible as you would expect? Shouldn’t he consult his trusted advisers when making such an
important move as dividing the kingdom?
- He seems to work on personal feelings and have favourites (the Duke of Albany up until now); not a good
idea in a king.
What sort of feelings does favouritism provoke?
2. Pull together the ideas and discuss the implications of dividing a kingdom.
A kingdom has subjects and they are all going to be affected
by the consequences of the division so the
situation being discussed by Kent and Gloucester is of vital importance to the country.
It is clearly worrying
them that the king is telling no-one his plans and is acting without consulting others; he is unpredictable and
seems to have favourites.
What are the dangers of dividing a kingdom between two powerful and ambitious men?
- Neither will be satisfied with his share and both will want the whole kingdom.
- Each will be looking for an excuse to take the other’s share by force and that could mean the chaos of civil
war.
- If the king is not seen to be scrupulously fair nor strong or respected enough to have his wishes obeyed once
he has gone, there will be more of an excuse to cause trouble. Civil war possible again.
Would the problem be solved if the king gave everything to one of them?
- Not necessarily; the one who was left out might feel resentful and hard-done-by.
What safeguard might the king think there is in dividing the kingdom between them?
- Maintain a balance of power.
ESTABLISH CLEARLY
- The decision the king has to make in any circumstances is very difficult so all the more reason to listen to
wise and trusted counsellors and be open to all opinions. His subjects need to see him as strong and fair. He
represents Justice.
- Being seen to act on his personal feelings rather than sound judgement will make matters worse.
- The possible rivalry between Albany and Cornwall will be much more likely to break out if it is not a fair
division of the kingdom.
THEREFORE
MUCH RESTS ON HOW WISELY THE KING MAKES HIS DECISION BUT THESE FIRST SIGNS ARE
NOT GOOD.
3. Expressing the implications visually
-
Simple props:
- a crown (doesn’t matter how rudimentary, cardboard is fine);
badges/cards labelled "Gloucester", "Kent", "Albany" and "Cornwall";
- a map of Britain
- a long tape or ribbon to divide the kingdom
Choose five people to play the King, Kent, Gloucester, Albany and Cornwall;
they are not going to speak at
this stage so do not worry about fluent readers. Take back their A or C badges/cards, give the king a crown and
hand the others badges/cards with the names of the characters on.
This activity is to be a visual metaphor for the division of the kingdom and the
possible consequences for the
country. If you can, find a large space to work in.
However, it can be acted out in a smaller space in the classroom with only the five chosen students. In this
case, the rest of the class remains seated and becomes "the people" later.
Keep your five characters by you, place a chair in the centre of your space and ask everyone else, still
holding their A or C cards, to form a large outer circle, taking no notice of the letter on their cards.
This symbolises how everything in the kingdom revolves around the king at the centre and is held together by
him.
Tell your Kent and Gloucester to move into the circle and discuss where they would stand in relation to
the throne. Together behind the throne to symbolise their relationship with Lear as his friends and advisers? Uncertain
where to stand now they haven’t been consulted, no longer sure of their role? Let your students decide; any
ideas supported by the text are valid.
Bring in Albany and Cornwall.
They will be aware that the kingdom is to be divided - presumably between them. What might they be feeling
towards each other? Might each be afraid that the other will get a bigger share? Will this affect where they
stand? The two dukes may decide to stand apart but the same distance from the throne to indicate that they feel
equal. They may decide that they wouldn’t want to show their suspicions at this stage so they could stand side-
by-side, perhaps not too close and not looking at each other, or perhaps pretending more friendship than they
felt. Again, they must explain their choice; any ideas supported by the text are valid.
The king enters and everyone must bow.
Prime him beforehand about what he has to do. He has a large sheet of paper, rolled up at this stage, to
represent the kingdom (it doesn’t need to be elaborate, just have "Britain" written across it). He sits on the
throne and while everyone watches; he unrolls the map and tears it in two; he gestures to Albany and Cornwall
to approach the throne and hands a piece to each; he rises, puts his crown on the throne and leaves the circle.
Give the length of tape to Kent and Gloucester.
Ask them to divide the kingdom in half with it so the tape splits the throne and crown.
Look at the situation.
The kingdom is in two halves, the throne is empty, there is no one in overall control. What will the
characters do? Ask them.
Some ideas
Cornwall and Albany
- Move to stand on either side of the throne to show each has a half?
- Move closer to the throne to show they already have their eyes on it and the crown?
- Stay close together so they can keep an eye on each other?
How might they be looking at the throne?
How might they be behaving towards each other?
- Suspiciously sizing each other up?
- Trying to find out if one has a bigger share?
- Trying to work out who would be stronger if it came to a fight?
Kent and Gloucester
- Their loyalty still lies with the king. They are "piggies in the middle".
- They are concerned about what is going to happen to the kingdom but have no power to affect events,
especially now the king is gone because they are his loyal men.
- Do they feel left out? Irrelevant now the king has gone?
The king?
- He has given away his power.
- He is now wandering outside the circle without a role. Where can he go, who
will look after him - especially if it comes to war?
Now ask all those in the outer circle to look at their cards; they will no doubt have guessed that they are either
supporters of Albany or Cornwall. But where are they standing? Are they standing in the "right" half
belonging to the duke they support or are they now in the "wrong" half of the country?
If you have remained in the classroom, you will have enacted the above in a cleared space at the front and the
rest of your class will have remain seated. Now, simply split your class down the middle.
Ask all the "subjects" of this divided kingdom to listen quietly as you read.
We have found that some sort of commentary helps lay the foundations for students to create their own
personal situations and backgrounds. Once encouraged, they go on to use their imaginations to the full. Also, a
commentary can help to hold the activity together and move it on in an ordered way. You may prefer to write
your own or choose questions and answers to establish the consequences and not to use a mime or commentary
at all.
COMMENTARY
LISTEN CAREFULLY
You are going to become subjects in Lear’s kingdom and you will have to make choices according to
your circumstances. So first of all each one of you must decide who you are - man, woman, or child?
Are you old or young? Are you rich or poor? Do you have a family and precious long-standing
friendships? Are your friends and family divided already because some of them support Albany and
others Cornwall?
If you have a small class, let them take their time to develop their characters and circumstances in discussion
with a partner and/or with you. Then give them the opportunity to describe who they are.
With a larger group, break each half of your circle into acting companies of between four and six and give
them a few minutes to work out their situation and what sort of a group they are, consisting of family, friends,
neighbours, or whatever. Go round and help out where necessary. Each group should outline quickly their
characters and situation. This can also be done with your two halves in the classroom.
LISTEN CAREFULLY AGAIN - THERE IS A LOT TO THINK ABOUT.
The kingdom is divided and civil war has broken out so now your country is at war with itself.
According to your character and situation, those of you in the "wrong" half of the kingdom must
decide whether to leave or to stay.
Are you going to join the duke you support even though it means travelling to a part of the kingdom
you probably don’t know? If you are old, have you the strength to make such a journey? If you have a
young family, how would they survive? Or is it better to make the agonising decision to leave them
behind and find a safe place before sending for them? Are you young and single with no
responsibilities? Perhaps you can’t wait to leave and fight for your duke.
On the other hand, maybe you can’t bear the thought of leaving at all. But if you stay, how much
suspicion will there be between friends, neighbours and even families who now have divided
loyalties?
You have a lot to think over.
Give students a few minutes to talk over what they are going to do according to their chosen characters, with a
partner or in their acting companies. Then settle them down again.
So what next? What have you decided?
Those of you in the "right" half of the kingdom will stay where you are and watch what happens - but
how will you feel as the decisions made by friends, neighbours and possibly even members of your
family become clear? How will you respond? Will you feel sad? Embarrassed? Guilty? Will you be
glad to see them go? Can’t you wait to get hold of their property? If they have decided to stay, will
you do your best to remain friendly or will you be suspicious of their every move?
And how about those of you who have decided to stay even though you support the other side? How
nervous will you be?
The rest of you are going to make the long, hard journey to the "safe" half of the kingdom. You have
become refugees.
If you are in the classroom, use the commentary below to help students imagine what happens. Students can
relax with their heads on their desks/tables, making sure they don’t touch their neighbours. Get them to close
their eyes and concentrate as you read.
If you are in a space where students are going to mime the exodus, the commentary can help their own
imaginations and guide them through their actions.
If you want a blissfully quiet life, at this stage, even if you are in a large space suitable for enactment, you
could get your students to lie down with at least a foot between them and all their neighbours, close their eyes
and let their imaginations work as you read them the commentary. Although this may sound like a bit of a cop
out, it can be just as effective and with some students it concentrates their minds far better than the mime.
According to who you are and the decisions you have come to, think about your actions and your
feelings.
Those who are leaving, pack up your belongings. Get your families ready. Secure your homes.
Those who are staying, watch them. What are your feelings?
Refugees, you are ready to leave.
Before you set off, turn to the centre. What do you see? An empty throne and a crown, but no king to
help you. Albany and Cornwall are facing each other threateningly from their halves of the kingdom.
Kent and Gloucester are worried but can do nothing, their king is gone And where is the king?
Outside the circle with nothing he can do and nowhere he can go.
Now turn from the centre and say goodbye to your friends, family and neighbours. And how will you
be feeling as you watch them go?
Now, refugees, pick up your bundles; assemble your families - if you are taking them; get ready to
drag your carts - if you are lucky enough to have them. Say your final farewells and set off.
As you slowly circle, in character, think about who you are. You may be carrying small children or
babies, or helping old folk make the journey. You may be dragging carts piled with as many
belongings as possible, or shouldering bundles bulging with all your dearest possessions.
If you have stayed at home, how will you feel about the refugees from both sides who are trudging
past you? How will you treat them? Does it matter which duke they support? Those passing on their
way to foreign parts used to be your countrymen, now they are "the enemy". Those arriving are
complete strangers who are now supposed to be your "friends".
Refugees, you have to decide where to stop once you have reached the "safe" half.
What about those of you who have remained in your homes? Will you welcome the exhausted
travellers from foreign parts? Or will you be suspicious and see them as a threat?
Everyone, think about your feelings.
Stop at a moment you judge appropriate and pick one or two to describe what they have done and what they
feel about it.
Hopefully, this activity will have made students aware of the enormity of civil war and the terrible implications
if Lear does not act wisely and responsibly. In today’s world, unhappily, none of this will be unfamiliar.
What do you think Lear should do now you are aware of the importance to a country of making a wise
decision?
They will find there is no easy solution. Refer back to the points made earlier.
- Giving the whole kingdom to one could make the other jealous and resentful and ready for rebellion.
- Dividing it fairly between the two equally powerful men could mean both will want the other’s portion OR
it could maintain a balance of power.
Why do you think the king is being so secretive?
- Wants to show that he is the king and has the real power?
- Wants to make it clear that the decision is his alone? If he consulted others, people might think he had been
unfairly influenced and consider his decision biased.
- Likes the idea of keeping everyone in suspense?
- Can’t actually make up his mind?
- Isn’t sure people will like what he’s decided?
In the light of the indications about his character gathered so far, what do you think Lear might do?
(He has already shown favouritism to Albany and is now being secretive).
- Give it to Albany as he’s seemed to favour him so far?
- Change his mind and give it to Cornwall?
- Give it to neither?
- Give it to both?
3. What is the play about?
Introduce the idea of theme being different from the story-line.
A theme is an underlying idea which the story illustrates. There can be several themes (and usually are) within
one play. Really, it is what a play is about rather than just what happens.
The STORY SO FAR seems to be about a king who is going to give up his crown and divide his kingdom
between two equally powerful dukes without consulting anyone.
The THEME SO FAR is the heavy responsibilities of kingship and the frightening implications both personal
and political, of misusing power and/or making the wrong decision.
4. Now what really happens?
EITHER:
