Questions

Ques1. Who are the two nobles and what are they talking about?
The two nobles are Kent and Gloucester. They are talking about the division of the kings kingdom and who the king favors more weather it be the duke of albany or the duke of cornwall. Edmund (Gloucester bastard son) is also introduced.

Ques2. How do you think Edmund is feeling at this moment?
I believe that is somewhat angry and possible hurt at the way in which his father addresses him in front of Kent.

Ques3. What does Old King Lear plan to do with his kingdom? What is the test that he proposes to the daughters?
Lear plans to divide his kingdom among his daughters. The test was that they had to tell him how much they loved him and a larger portion of the kingdom would be given to the one who loved him more.

Ques4. How do each of the first two daughters answer the old man?
The first two daughter answered Lear with false, eloquent words in order to flatter him.

Ques5. What is Cordelia's answer and why does she answer as she does?
Cordelia's answer was nothing.

Ques6. Do you think that Cordelia is being cruel in refusing to play her father's game? Why?
No, i do not think Cordelia was cruel for not playing her father's game because something as serious as love for someone should not be showed in a game for possession especially in the case of father and daughter.

Ques7. How does Lear react to Cordelia's response? How does Lord Kent react to Lear's response?
Lear is engulfed in rage and Kent tries to open the king's eye to the truth (which is Cordelia's true love and her sisters flattery).

Ques8. How might the references to sight and blindness become important for the rest of the play?
The reference to sight and blindness is important because it reveals one of the theme blindness which is seen within two of the main male characters (Lear and Gloucester).

Ques9. How do France and Burgundy each react to the news that Cordelia will not receive any dower and what does their reaction tell us about their characters?
Burgundy refuses to marry Cordelia since she had no inheritance where as France accepted inspite of her situation. These reactions tells us that France truly loved Cordelia where as Burgundy was only marrying her because of her inheritance.

Ques10. What does Cordelia mean when she says to her sisters, "I know you what you are." What do the sisters say about their father near the end of the scene?
Cordelia meant that she knew what type of person her sisters were and their character. the sister near the end stated that their fathers judgment were clouded by his age.

Ques11. What are the two views of nature contrasted in the action and dialogue of this scene?
The two views are that nature cannot be controlled by man and that


Ques12. What are the two views of nature contrasted in the action and dialogue of this scene?



Ques 13..A couple of months have now passed; what is bothering Goneril at this point and what does she instruct her servant Oswald to do about it?
Goneril is bothered by her fathers rage and his riotous troupes so she orders Oswald to be rude to her father.

Ques14. .Why does Kent wish to serve Lear? What does he discern in Lear's countenance and how is this ironic?
Kent wishes to serve Lear because he loves him and wants to continue being loyal and protecting the king. he discerns wisdom and power in the kings counternance.

Ques15. What is Kent's reaction to what Oswald's servant does to Lear?
Kent reacts to the servant by tripping him.

Ques16. Why is what the knight says about the Fool's pining away "since my young lady's going into France" important?
Its is important because it states that a fool could see what the could not in reference to his daughter's love for him.

Ques17. The fools role is to reveal truth to the king and provide comic relief

Ques 18. How does Edmund trick his brother Edgar into fleeing?
he convinces him that his father is aware of his hiding place.

Ques19. How might Kent's line "Nothing almost seems miracles/But misery" serve as a motto for the play?
This may serve as a motto being that nothing miraculous happens within in the play only sadness and misery.

Ques20. Why is Lear so angry that his servant Kent has been put in the stocks by Regan and Cornwall?
Lear is upset because he truly cares for his loyal servant Kent and found it extreemly wrong for them to mistreat his (the king's) servant.

Ques21. What is Regan's first response when Lear complains of his treatment at the hands of her sister?
Her response was that she was only doing her job and put the blame on the king instead

King Lear

In the Shakespearean play King Lear, Lear is seen as a tragic hero who struggle with tragic flaws. Lear is tragic hero because he is unable to discern truth and is blinded by his pride and misjudgments which will lead to his demise.
We see that Lear banishes his youngest daughter (Cordellia) who truly loves him because she could not eloquently state her love for him like her two deceitful sisters Goneril and Regan. He also rids a loyal soldier and friend of his (Kent) because he defended Cordellia.
From this we can see what some of his flaws are;
1. He his unable to disern the truth

2. He is quickly angered

3. He is stubborn

His pride also serves as one of his tragic flaws.

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, in England in 1564. While his exact birth date is unknown, it is most often celebrated on April 23, the feast of St. George. He was the third of seven children born to John and Mary Arden Shakespeare.
Shakespeare's father was a tanner and glove maker. He was also a fairly prominent political figure, being an alderman of Stratford for years, and serving a term as "high bailiff" (mayor). He died in 1601, leaving little land to William. Not much is known of Mary Shakespeare, except that she had a wealthier family than John.
William Shakespeare attended a very good grammar school in Stratford-upon- Avon, though the
time period during which he attended school is not known. His instructors were all Oxford graduates, and his studies were primarily in Latin. Little else is known of his boyhood.
In 1582 at 18 years of age, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, a lady eight years older than himself from Shottery, a village a mile from Stratford. Their first daughter, Susanna, was born in 1583, followed by twins in 1585, Hamnet and Judith. By 1592, Shakespeare was an established playwright in London. The plague kept the theaters closed most of the time, and it was during this time that Shakespeare wrote his earliest sonnets and poems.
Shakespeare did most of his theater work in a district northeast of London, in two theaters owned by James Burbage, called the Theatre and the Curtain. In 1598, Burbage moved to Bankside and built the famous Globe Theatre, in which Shakespeare owned stock. Around this time, Shakespeare applied for and got a coat of arms, with the motto: Non sanz droict (not without right). This gave him the standing of a gentleman, something that was not generally associated with actors, who were considered to be in the same class with vagrants and criminals.
In 1603, Shakespeare's theatrical company was taken under the patronage of King James I, and
became known as the King's Company. In 1608, the company acquired the Blackfriars Theatre. Shakespeare soon joined the group of the now famous writers who gathered at Mermaid Tavern, located on Bread Street in Cheapside. Among others, some of the writers who frequented the Tavern were Sir Walter Raleigh (the founder), and Ben Jonson.
Shakespeare retired from theatre in 1610 and returned to Stratford. In 1613 the Globe Theatre burned down, but Shakespeare remained quite wealthy and contributed to the building of the new Globe Theatre . Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616 and was buried in the chancel of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Stratford. A monument to Shakespeare was set up on the north wall of the chancel, with a bust of Shakespeare. The bust and the engraving by Droeshout that prefixed the First Folio are the only renderings of Shakespeare that are considered to be accurate. In Shakespeare's will, he left most of his property to Susanna and her daughter, except for his "second-best bed," which he left to his wife.

The significance of Baba

Baba as the novel states was born mentally disabled and verbally uncommunicative. Bearing the fact he was unintelligible, Baba's role was what made him significant. Unlike his siblings, he (Baba) represented a figure non-changing just like Old Delhi. This is seen in the first chapter of the book when Tara returns home in the first chapter and sees him playing with his pebbles and listening to his gramophone. He is also Bim's excuse for not changing.

Aunt Mira's role in upbringing of the Das children

In the novel Clear Light of Day, aunt Mira Masi's role in the upbringing of the Das children was crucial and significant. Aunt Mira Masi was originally asked (by Mrs. Das) to take care of Baba since he was mentally challenged. We learned from reading the novel that aunt Mira helped Baba bring out some of his potentials that no one else could have helped to brought out. She (aunt Mira) not only brought out some of Baba's potential but she also formed a relationship with the other Das children. This relationship that aunt Mira forms with the children is what makes her role one of great significance within the novel. This relationship with the children would have helped to mold the children as they grow. This being so because she would have spent quality time with the children that both Mr. and Mrs. Das (the parents) never did. As a result one could say that the role she plays the in the upbringing of the Das children was one of a mother or one of a parent in general. She gives the children something that was not given to them by her parents and she in turn gains since she never experienced the relationship pf a mother and a child.