Help on Lear - How to prepare? (1 Viewer)

[Dumsum]

How do you prepare for an exam, where you'll know there'll be a question on King Lear, but you have no idea what the question will be? How do you prepare, and remember, everything you need to know, to be able to answer any question given to you?

I'm finding this particularly difficult, and my exam is 3 weeks from tomorrow, hence I'm starting to worry. We're going over different interpretations in class, so that should be ok, but as for everything else - characters, themes, techniques - there just seems to be too much to possibly remember!

Help

 

[mishka]

i found it easier to set up comparisons in tables so it's easier to read... have a column for themes, characters, or a separate table all together if it makes it easier.

just make sure you have the right dates, producers' names etc. we got severely marked down for that in our assessment

 

[Eagles]

Understand what the module is about.. its intrepretation of text in different contexts.

You don't have to know alot about the characters at all!

Just some examples of what the character did, and how its intrepreted throughout the times!

look, example is.. older sister(forgot her name) kicked lear out of her house.
old view: empowering women leads to disaster.
new view: e.g in brooks, her action is JUSTIFIED by what lear and his men did to her house.

hence, new intrepretations of what the text are trying to say are appearing everyday! Know examples of intrepretations.

You only need to know what a character did to clarify the always CHANGING interpretion of King Lear!

relieved?

 

[pirotess4]

Themes

I don't know if this will help but i thought i'd post it up here anyway.

I'd study the themes of the play alot because no matter what the question is usually themes can be used in there somewhere. You don't need to concentrate on specifics just things like justice, religion, madness etc.

Our teacher told us to concentrate particually on the lack of natural order that is present throughout the play.

There is an excel HSC study guide book that covers King Lear. It's only 12.95 from any good book store (i suggest Angus And Robertson). It's very cheap and it contains information on characters, themes, an analysis of the important scenes in king lear and even has introductions into elizabethan times and shakespeares life.

This book really helped me to pick up on my study for King Lear and it makes everything much easier. Hope I've been helpful!!