Here is the paragraph we worked on together in class.
It is a close analytical paragraph.
Remember that in the exam paragraphs in an essay need to include statements about historical context, critical analysis and literary perspective.
Despite the fact that Lear is no longer King, he still expects to be treated with respect and honour, not only does he expect to be treated well as a King but also as a father. In Act 1 Scene 4 Lear is staying at Goneril’s house. She has ordered her servants to treat Lear with disrespect. In this scene Oswald refers to Lear as the father of his lady; Lear is very offended and exclaims “My ladies father! My lords naive: You whore dog! You slave! You cur” These monosyllabic phrases convey Lear’s outrage. Lear uses three exclamative statements, these are used to emphasise his anger, and we know by these that he is really shouting at Oswald. He directly addresses Oswald and uses animalistic nouns to insult him. These techniques are all used to make an audience feel sympathetic towards Oswald and at the same time present Lear as a really cruel, harsh and tyrannical man, making him therefore unsympathetic in the audiences eyes.
This paragraph presents a topic paragraph, expands on this in more detail, introduces a quotation, quotes and refers to a range of language features - literary terms.
