KING LEAR EULOGY
1.
2.
3.
Choose a character you feel emotionally attached to or interested in. (He or
she must be dead at the end of the play)
Think about what you intend to bring out concerning his/her life and
character. What is your overall message? What vocabulary is appropriate
considering the position of the deceased?
Structure:
a. Purpose: My friends, we are here today to mourn the loss of our dear friend and
_______________________ (name),
b. Identify your relationship to the deceased: “ As his beloved butler…”
c. Plot the events of his/her life: “My lord was born to the manor in 1564…”
d. Plot the events near his death “I was shocked at the news of his death by
poisoning last Saturday”
e. Plot the course of our grief/character’s struggles in life: “His life was never easy.
From the time of his birth he was poor and fought against the social structures
which …”
f. Praise of his/her best traits: “Although he is gone, his plays are a tribute to his
talents and his many children a testament of the power of his love.” If he/she had
some negative traits, try to put a positive spin on them or refer to them in a lighthearted manner. Don’t rail against the dead.
g. Bid farewell: “And so we bid him farewell, and wish him well in the next life
where he may also enrich the lives of those he will meet.”
Make sure you’ve included a measure of his/her worth, the present situation without
him/her, how he/she affected us all, significance of his/her death within the
community, his/her place in history.
Do not invent events from the play. Merely use those we already know.
4.
Devices – word choice, metaphor, rhetorical questions and repetition are
desireable.
5.
Rehearse – you require a script complete with pauses and gestures, and any
props you feel necessary. Try rehearsing at various paces. Know your lines
even though you can have your script with you.
Helpful hints:
a.
Write about memories you would have of the character.
b.
Get the audience involved by addressing them.
c.
Think positively of the deceased as much as possible.
d.
Insert some humour ( jokes, quotes, etc.)
e.
Read your eulogy as if you were talking to a friend.