King Lear
~ Shakespeare
“It is often tragic to see how blatantly a man bungles his own life and the lives of others yet remains
totally incapable of seeing how much the whole tragedy originates in himself, and how he
continually feeds it and keeps it going.”
~Carl Gustav Jung
King Lear is renowned as Shakespeare’s finest and most complex achievement. The play is based
upon the common legend of a king who wishes to divide his kingdom into three equal parts to his
three daughters, but things go terribly wrong. Thus we begin a journey into the heart of madness vs.
reason, revenge, blindness vs. vision, appearance vs. reality, despair, redemption, and so much
more.
Essential Questions for this unit
1. What is the difference between who we appear to be and who we are?
2. What is the relationship between material success and spiritual growth?
3. What is the connection between suffering and growth as a human being?
4. What does it mean to be human?
5. To what extent is the essence of manhood and womanhood similar and different?
6. Who are the truth tellers in our lives, the people who see us for who we really are?
7. What is madness?
Major Formative and Summative Assessments for this unit
1. Various close readings/ analysis
2. Literary term practice, focusing on tragedy, the tragic hero, plot/sub-plot, irony, imagery, etc.
3. A Socratic Seminar
4. AP Lit style multiple choice practice
5. Open Question timed write exam
6. Class and group discussions
(Turn Over)
Reading and Assignment Schedule
Assignment
Date Due
-Read the Lear Legend and take notes
-Finish your senior thesis. Turn in the senior thesis to turnitin.com, turn in the annotated
bibliography to www.turnitin.com, bring the final draft, official digital receipts, rough draft with
edits, and the peer editing handout to class to turn in.
Monday, 3/17
-Read King Lear Act I.i and complete an analysis square
Tuesday, 3/18
-Read Act I.ii-iii and complete an analysis square
Block Day, 3/20
- Read Act I.iv and complete an analysis square
Friday, 3/21
- Read Act I.v and complete an analysis square
Monday, 3/24
-Review Act I for a written quiz
Tuesday, 3/25
-Read Act II.i-ii and complete an analysis square
Block Day, 3/27
- Read Act II.iii-iv and complete an analysis square
Friday, 3/28
-Finish the Act II.iv review questions
Monday, 3/31
- Review for the Act II written quiz
Tuesday, 4/1
- Read Act III.i-iv and complete an analysis square
Block Day, 4/3
-Read Act III.v-vii and complete an analysis square
Friday, 4/4
- Review for the Act III written quiz
Monday, 4/14
-Read Act IV.i-v and complete an analysis square
- Read Act IV.vi-vii and complete an analysis square (Finish Act IV)
Tuesday, 4/15
-Read Act V and complete an analysis square
Block Day, 4/17
-Review Acts IV and V for a written quiz
- Complete the Socratic Seminar Prep
Monday, 4/21
-Prepare for the King Lear Timed Write
Block Day, 4/24
- Complete your three-part Socratic Seminar evaluation
Friday, 4/ 25
(Turn Over)