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Act 2: the motif of identity
Identity is a motif that runs throughout the play. Many of the characters are invited to undergo a re-evaluation of themselves, and of course this is particularly true of King lear. The opening two acts...
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Act 1, Scene 4
Act 1, scene 4 is a long scene and contains much to explore. The scene marks Lear's meeting with Kent in disguise, our introduction to the Fool and increasing tension within Goneril's household, which...
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Act 1, Scene 2
The introduction of Edmund as a fully-fleshed out character (after his perfunctory introduction as the mere bastard son of Gloucester in the opening lines of the play) is important for many reasons, not...
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Act 1, Scene 1
The first scene of the play is one that contains a great deal of material to dissect. The scene in fact works almost like a short play in its own right; almost everything that happens subsequently finds...
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King Lear Study Guide
Along with Hamlet, King Lear is perhaps about as big as they get. The range of experience the play explores and the depth and complexity into which it goes are pretty breathtaking, which of course makes...
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Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf? Study guide
If you find yourself studying this play, you're in luck. It is a rich, rewarding work full of things to say about character, relationships, and theme, and it weaves together humour and seriousness in...
Teaching and Learning resources
Literary Works
Linked from this page you will find study guides and resources for a selection of literary works that are frequently studied as part of the programme. It goes without saying that this list of texts could...
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Imitation
Imitation is a story about Nkem, a Nigerian woman living in an affluent Philadelphia suburb, whose husband remains in Nigeria most of the year, visiting only occasionally. Nkem's life is defined by material...
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The Headstrong Historian
'The Headstrong Historian' is the final story in the collection, The Thing Around Your Neck, and it deals with many of the issues and themes that have been important in the preceding stories. It is not...
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A Private Experience
'A Private Experience' depicts an encounter between two women—a Christian Igbo woman and a Muslim Hausa woman—who seek refuge in an abandoned shop during a violent riot in Kano, Nigeria. The story is...