Aspects of tragedy: example student response

Here's an example student response to a Section A question in the sample assessment materials, followed by an examiner commentary on the response.

Paper 1A, Section A

Read the extract below and then answer the question.

Explore the significance of this extract in relation to the tragedy of the play as a whole.

Remember to include in your answer relevant analysis of Shakespeare's dramatic methods.    

Band 5 response

If Kent is seen as being dramatically central to Lear's tragic fall, then this passage is charged with meaning. Kent is visually present through the whole scene wearing 'cruel garters', an image that is especially repugnant to Lear and disturbing to the audience as a sign that the world has turned upside down. It is important to note though that Kent's being stocked carries rather different significances for Lear and for the audience. For Lear it is a sign that he personally has been disrespected ('tis worse than murder/ To do upon respect such violent outrage), a sign that he no longer has credibility or power. Kent – or more accurately Lear's disguised servant Caius – is Lear's representative and any snub to Kent is a snub to Lear. For the audience though there is further significance. What we see visually is a truth teller in shackles, a nobleman – an earl- treated with no greater dignity than a common thief. This is the world of the new order overseen by Goneril, Regan, Cornwall and Edmund. Justice has lost meaning – just as it will later in the trial of Gloucester in which he is blinded (Out vile jelly! Where is thy lustre now) and in the mock trial on the heath when Lear positions the mad Poor Tom (also a nobleman in disguise) as the 'robed man of justice'. The world is indeed topsy turvy.

The setting for this scene is itself interesting in terms of its significance to the tragedy. The stocks are set 'before Gloucester's castle' so power and punishment are foregrounded. In this scene Lear realises all too painfully that he no longer has any power and it could be argued that this painful realisation is his punishment for the banishment of Cordelia.

Before Lear sees Kent, he is only vaguely troubled. He thinks it is just 'strange' that the messenger that he sent to Regan after his argument with Goneril has not been returned to him. However, as the truth begins to enter his mind, as his pride suffers, his anger grows and his tragic fall quickens: 'They durst not do't;/ They could not, would not do'it'; the repetition and heavy use of modal verbs draw attention to Lear's confusion, passion and need to believe that an ordered world still exists. Although Lear's final words in the extract suggest he regains some composure and restraint (he instructs Kent to explain how he might have deserved to be stocked perhaps showing that he hopes a rational explanation might exist), the audience can sense that Lear knows that his world and values are fracturing.

And Kent is of course the catalyst for the acceleration of Lear's tragic decline. His first words in the passage, 'Hail to thee, noble master' remind the audience and Lear of the respect and loyalty that Lear once commanded as a king. Indeed contextual factors of what kings and princes in Shakespeare's time could expect in terms of tradition and decorum are central to the discussion between Lear, Kent and the fool. A master could expect that his servant would have what might be called diplomatic immunity. Hence Lear's incredulity that Kent has been stocked. Lear asks Kent first why he makes his 'shame' a 'pastime' as if Kent has deliberately stocked himself as a joke. When Lear realises that Kent has been set in the stocks by Regan and Cornwall, the social expectations on which he depends for his sanity are shaken. His refusal to believe it is dramatised by his monosyllabic language and the mirrored staccato replies of Kent:

LEAR     No.

KENT     Yes.

LEAR     No, I say.

KENT     I say yea.

The tension rises here and is only calmed, albeit temporarily, when Kent gives his frank and measured account of what led to his 'shame'. His speech is interesting in that the first sixteen lines are all one sentence, building through a succession of clauses, the story of the parts played by Goneril, Oswald, Regan and Cornwall in his present position, why Lear's 'son and daughter' found the 'trespass worth/The shame which here it suffers'. Although Kent speaks at some length here the audience's attention is surely on Lear, watching the reaction of the old man confronted with the starkness of truth. Seeing Lear becoming increasingly agitated might be particularly painful to some modern audiences who are perhaps more aware of the onslaught of dementia than they were in previous times. Lear's mental instability is certainly exacerbated by his confrontation with truth. In this sense, Kent has the tragic role as truth teller. He campaigns for truth at key points in the play, trying to help Lear to 'see better', for example when Cordelia is banished and he refuses to be silent -Reserve thy state;/And, in thy best consideration, check/ This hideous rashness.

In this extract it is also important to consider how Shakespeare uses the fool in the tragedy. While Kent tells the truth bluntly, the fool tells his truth with cryptic words and jokes. Both in a sense assume the role of the all licensed fool. Here the fool  senses Lear's growing anger and disbelief at seeing Kent in the stocks and perhaps picking up on Lear's asking if Kent considers this shame his pastime, the fool tries to lighten the atmosphere by laughing and suggesting that Kent has been gartered for being 'over-lusty at legs'.  But even jokes in this play have tragic implications. The sexual innuendoes and animal imagery connect to Gloucester, who was over lusty at the legs and punished for it by his blinding, and human behaviour is so degraded in this play that men and women are frequently and unfavourably compared to animals to emphasise their unnaturalness. The fool's jokes and humour far from being at a tangent to the tragic content point it up. The final words of this extract are those of the fool who says that 'Winter's not gone yet if the wild geese fly that way', suggesting ominously that further troubles are inevitable, a key aspect of tragedy.

The focus on Kent and the fool in this extract could suggest that they are tragic figures in their own right. Both remain loyal even though the great wheel is running down hill and for both their fate is determined. It is possible to admire their loyalty and love for Lear, but it is also possible to question their sense.  If the focus is more on Kent as an emblem then what we see is the contempt the new orders have for loyalty and their lack of reverence for the old. Kent remains in the stocks throughout this passage, representing the key tragic aspect of the chaining of truth. His presence in the stocks is a visual representation of Lear's fallen greatness. Lear's fortunes have been reversed and he is at the bottom of fortune's wheel.

Examiner commentary

This is a very assured response and shows the student's excellent knowledge of the play. There is a perceptive argument here where the student sees the extract in terms of the wider play and wider tragic genre. The writing is busy with ideas and the student seems to enjoy formulating ideas and finding connections. There is a lot of thinking going on here.

AO1

The argument is very well shaped and tightly focused on the task. This is a sophisticated response which shows some originality. Ideas are very well sequenced and the expression is mature and at times impressive.

AO2

There is a perceptive understanding of Shakespeare's dramatic methods and the candidate is always aware of the stage implications.  There is very good discussion of structure and some language features and these are always relevant and linked to the task and the tragic genre. The candidate also shows with some confidence how meanings arise from the choices made by Shakespeare.

AO3

There is some perceptive understanding of contextual issues and these are built into the argument in a seamless way. The candidate is particularly strong in discussing social and political contexts. Sensible comments are also made about contexts of production and reception.  All contexts are connected to the generic context of tragedy.

AO4

The candidate perceptively explores different aspects of tragedy, thereby connecting with the wider tragic genre. Some good work is done here on Lear's tragic fall, his tragic flaws, his growing anagnorisis and especially the role of Kent as a catalyst for tragedy.

AO5

The candidate engages with significance in a perceptive way and is able to write about a number of different meanings. The candidate is not afraid to offer a personal take on the tragic impact of the extract; the voice here is confident and assured.

This response seems consistent with the Band 5 descriptors: perceptive and assured.

This resource is part of the Aspects of tragedy resource package.