ENG4U – King Lear Seminar Topics
1) “Nothing comes of Nothing.” Reflect on the role of “nothingness” as a reoccurring
motif in the play.
2) Machiavellian ambition in the plots and schemes in King Lear (reference
Machiavelli’s The Prince).
3) Pre-Christian values in the pagan King Lear (Fortuna and Fate, and other notions of
Gods).
4) How the two narratives (Lear and Gloucester) mirror, complement and contrast each
other.
5) The two levels of human nature. Contrast the “base” with the “honorable”; what role
do madness (low nature) and loyalty (high nature) have in the outcome of the play? What
effect do they have on the characters?
6) The role of women in the play; is Cordelia a true representation of a “good” woman?
To what extent are ambition and drive stereotypically male qualities.