Story

1. Complete the crossword with words from Act III, Scenes ii–iv. Use the clues to help you.

Across

1. A person who studies and thinks about the meaning of life. philosopher

2. To stop being angry with someone who has done something wrong. forgive

3. A light you can carry to help you see. torch

4. An adjective to describe someone who is unkind. hardhearted

Down

5. Bright light that comes from the sky in a storm. lightning

6. A small building, usually with just one room. hut

7. Dry yellow wheat used to feed animals. straw

2. Complete the sentences with the words from Exercise 1.

1. My grandmother is scared of thunder and lightning. She hides under the stairs.
2. In the past, people used to light a torch with fire. Today, we use batteries.
3. Hania’s finding it hard to forgive Hazem for what he said in that online post.
4. I asked my brother but he won't help me. He is very hardhearted.
5. Hatem should be a philosopher because he likes to think about important questions.
6. My horse loves to sleep on a bed of fresh straw.
7. We got lost in the mountains and spent the night in a wooden hut.

4. Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)? Correct the false sentences.

1. King Lear is scared of the storm. F, King Lear is not scared of the storm. He welcomes it.
2. King Lear is happy to sleep anywhere that is dry. T
3. Gloucester tells Edmund everything that is happening. F, He doesn’t tell him what’s in the letter.
4. Edmund plans to betray his father to get his power. T
5. King Lear thinks it is good to see things from a different perspective. T
6. The King recognises Edgar and is happy to see him. F, He doesn’t recognise him. He believes he is a poor, perhaps mad, philosopher.
7. Edgar says that he has always been poor. F, He says he once had six shirt and horse.
8. Gloucester can understand why the King has gone mad. T

5. Answer the questions in your own words.

1. Think about the weather in this section of the story. What are the similarities between the weather and what is happening in King Lear’s life?

Both are turbulent and unstable.

2. What does Edmund mean when he says, ‘The younger man rises as the old man falls!’?

Those in power now are losing it and he sees the opportunity to take it.

3. Why does King Lear say he won’t think any more about how his daughters have treated him?

Because if he thinks about it any more, he believes he will go mad.

4. Why do you think King Lear calls Poor Tom a philosopher?

Possibly because he sees Poor Tom as someone who is trying to make sense of the world just like King Lear is.