King Lear Curriculum Unit

Students explore the complexities of Shakespeare’s language, examine Elizabethan concepts and dramatic conventions relevant to Shakespeare’s plays, and define unfamiliar terms. Lessons address imagery, rhetorical devices, figurative language, and major themes.

Supplementary materials include a glossary, essay topics, research projects, and a quiz and test with answer keys.

Literary Form

• British Drama

21st-Century Skills

• Collaboration
• Critical thinking
• Social and cross-cultural skills
• Productivity and accountability

Overview

King Lear depicts the tragedy of an aging king’s descent into madness and deals with the interrelatedness of family members and breakdowns in communication. The themes are universal, and the story is of timeless appeal. Many parallels exist between King Lear and other characters in literature, such as Oedipus, the Ancient Mariner, Job, and Dante. Parallels can also be drawn to our own experiences with the treatment of the elderly, greed, jealousy, good, and evil.

Includes 14 Lesson Plans and 29 Handouts.

Grades 9–12. High school. Reproducible. 104 pages.

Book Download: PDF. Adobe® Reader® required to view PDF.

Print Book: Spiral-bound. 8 x 11 inches.