King Lear  
Britain in Print
Act 4, scene 7 - lines 44-84

2. Consider what makes this scene especially effective on the stage. In many productions it is especially poignant and has a powerful emotional impact. Emrys Jones is convinced, 'It is of course the most emotionally charged and the most firmly shaped of the entire act; it resolves tension, provides relief, and fittingly closes the sequence.'

Assess the importance of the following factors in creating the scene’s powerful effect:
 
Button for choice A
 The hopefulness of Lear and Cordelia’s reconciliation.  
Lear and Cordelia reunited. From a photograph of the 2002 production of Lear by the Theatre South Carolina.
Button for choice B
 The contrast that this scene presents with earlier scenes.
Button for choice C
 The pathos of Lear’s humbling himself in attempting to kneel.
Button for choice D
 Lear’s admitting the tears he had, earlier, strenuously tried to keep back.
Button for choice E
 Lear’s own language: the vivid description of his suffering, contrasted with the humility and simplicity of his recognition of Cordelia.
 
Image courtesy of the Theatre South Carolina
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