Exercises

 

      Choose the right item:

1.  Regan was married to …

a) the Duke of Albany;

b)  the Earl of Gloucester;

c) the Duke old Cornwall.

2.  Lear was King of …..

a) England;

b)  Britain;

c) Scotland.

3.  King Lear decided to stay with each of his daughters in turn for …..

a) a week;

b)  a month;

c) a year.

4.  King Lear always loved …. most.

a) Cordelia;

b)  Goneril;

c) Regan.

5.  ….. was Gloucester’s true son.

a) Edmund;

b)  Edgar;

c) Egmont.

6.  Goneril sent ….. of her father’s knights away.

a) 15;

b)  50;

c) 75.

 

II. Put the sentences in the right order:

1.    Lear and Edgar went to Dover to find help there.

2.    Lear and Cordelia were taken to a secret place under guard.

3.    Goneril and Regan refused to receive King Lear and his knights in their houses.

4.    King Lear divided his Kingdom into three parts.

5.    Cordelia was hanged according to Edmund’s secret orders.

6.    Lear, Gloucester and Edgar got safety to the French camp.

7.    Goneril and Regan got the whole kingdom because of their cleverness.

8.    Goneril poisoned Regan and killed herself.

9.    Cordelia married the king of France.

10.  The British army defeated the French army.

 

III.    Say “true” or “false”:

1.  Goneril was king Lear’s second daughter.

2.  Cordelia loved the king of Spain.

3.  Goneril asked her steward to be kind to king Lear and take care of him.

4.  The French army came to Britain to conquer the country.

5.  Near the French camp Edgar saw Lear dressed in wild flowers.

6.  Lear wanted to see Goneril and Regan after he and Cordelia had been made prisoners.

7.  Edmund managed to do one good deed before he died.

 

IV.  Answer the questions:

1.    Why did King Lear wish to take no further part in the government of Britain?

2.    Why did he call his three daughters to him?

3.    What are the two chief conflicting forces in the story?

4.    Why did Goneril and Regan each gain a half of Lear’s kingdom and not a third part?

5.    Point out the traits in Cordelia’s character that made Lear angry with her.

6.    How did Regan and Goneril show their true characters?

7.    What did Kent do in order not to leave Britain?

8.    Where did Lear go when he left Goneril’s palace? What was the first thing he saw on his arrival?

9.    What was it that changed Lear’s foolishness to real madness?

10.   Describe the scene in the storm.

11.   Why did Kent go to France?

12.   How did Regan and Goneril die?

13.   What is the moral of the story?

 

V. Guess the meaning of the following words and phrases:

              daughter-like words; to put to death; unwisely done; thankless child; bad-tempered; half-mad brain; a better fortune; ill-treatment; unnatural creatures; ever-faithful; wicked deeds

 

VI.  Choose a synonymous expression:

1. The old king was worn out.

a) he became old

b) his clothes became threadbare

2. He would go over to France.

to cross the channel

to (go) move

3. Ever-faithful servant

always reliable

once faithful

1.    bad-tempered

angry

mad

 

Discussing the text

I. Prove that:

1.  Goneril and Regan were hard and unkind daughters.

2.  Edmund was a wicked man.

3.  King Lear suffered from his foolishness in trusting his older daughters.

4.  Gloucester remained faithful to his king.

5.  Both Goneril and Regan loved Edmund.

6.  Edmund was punished for his being disloyal to his brother and father.

7.  Cordelia was very devoted to her father.

 

II. Say what you like/dislike in the story:

Example: I liked Albany because he was a just and honest man.

                I didn’t like the way Cornwall treated Gloucester.

 

III. Act out the talks between:

a)    Goneril and Regan;

b)    King Lear and Goneril;

c)    Edgar and Gloucester;

d)    Lear and Cordelia.