Amanda's Assignment 3: Art of the Word

Art of the Word in Shakespeare's King Lear:

• Shakespeare used a lot of alliteration and repeated sounds. I will list just a few of the many examples that I found:
• line 41: less loving
  
• line 57: rich or rare
• lines 113-114: paternal care, propinquity, and property of blood
• Line 279: "And well are worth the want that you have wanted."
  
• Lines 147-150:
  
• Think’st thou that duty shall have dread to speak
  When power to flattery bows? To plainness honor’s bound,
  When majesty falls to folly. Reserve thy state,
  And in thy best consideration check

• Related to the one above, Watkins also talks about vertical sound correspondences, where sounds are repeated down vertical lines. Here are some examples that I found:
• Lines 180-187: Each pair of lines ends with the same sound.
• Lines 202-204: The lines have an ABAB pattern, where each pair starts with the same sound (owes and oath; hate and her)

• In class, we talked about the repetition of synonyms or words that have to do with the same thing. Starting in line 294, Goneril repeats many words that have to do with sickness, implying that her father has some sort of sickness that is making him act the way that he is: soundest, rash, condition, and choleric (note that Regan, above, also uses the word infirmity. There is also a type of this in the lines before line 65, which follow an ABAB pattern. In the A patterns, Shakespeare uses the words forests and rivers, things that have to do with nature. In the B patterns, Shakespeare uses the words champains and meads, both of which are alcoholic drinks.
  
• Shakespeare also uses antonyms close together to make a point. In line 250, France says: "that are most rich being poor, most choice forsaken, and most lov'd despis'd. In line 62, Cordelia says "What shall Cordelia speak? Love, and be silent."
• I noticed the rhyming pattern that happens off an on throughout the scene. The pattern is usually AABBCCDD, etc. For example, the end of France's speech that starts on line 250:

Gods, gods! ’tis strange that from their cold’st neglect
My love should kindle to inflam’d respect. {255}
Thy dow’rless daughter, King, thrown to my chance,
Is queen of us, of ours, and our fair France.
Not all the dukes of wat’rish Burgundy
Can buy this unpriz’d precious maid of me.
Bid them farewell, Cordelia, though unkind, {260}
Thou losest here, a better where to find.
I think Shakespeare does this when he wants to add emphasis to a certain speech.

• The Irish art of the word included syllable count. I noticed that in Lear's lines 168-172, all of the lines have 10 syllables in them.
  
• IE ring composition: Goneril's speech starting on line 54 begins with "I love you" and ends with "I love you."
• IE dragon theme: line 121 Lear says "Come not between the dragon and his wrath." The story of the play is about Lear overcoming himself (unless I am mistaken, it's been a while since I have read it). With the help of Cordelia, he is able to do it.