Why is KING LEAR so EFFINN HARDDDD!!! (2 Viewers)

[live.fast]

its gotta be the hardest module / text out of all the english ones out there. seriously. i mean W T F !! why did they make it like thaaatttt arghhhhhh !!! who actually gets it??? like really??? the whole moduel???

 

[Harvey321]

I love lear It has life, charisma and character. It is daunting at first, but once you overcome this initial anxiety, its enjoyable and easy to talk about.

NOTE: DONT FUKN TALK ABOUT READINGS OR PLAYS!!! THIS IS DESTRUCTIVE TO UR MARK, THE BOS IS TRYING TO STAMP THIS OUT!

 

[Cookie182]

What if the question (as it was i think a few years back) asks you about specific productions and plays you have seen?

 

[Cookie182]

its gotta be the hardest module / text out of all the english ones out there. seriously. i mean W T F !! why did they make it like thaaatttt arghhhhhh !!! who actually gets it??? like really??? the whole moduel???

Specifically, what do you find is the most challenging part of the play to understand? As the above response said, i think it is probably the best out of all Shakespeare's plays. It is full of antithesis, questioning regarding humanity...whilst the deaths in it are fucking corny i actually find it fairly easy to right about and quote.

 

[123erykb]

Hang on, who told you not to talk about the plays and the readings? , the module is "critical study of texts" so to say that you shouldn't talk about different critical interpretations e.g. marxist, is somewhat crazy. This is the only module in which you are allowed to do this, further, the idea that we shouldn't talk about the various productions is ludicrous. The different productions demonstrate the reception of the text in different contexts. If this is true then the BOS has gone senile.

 

[Harvey321]

a) a few years ago, it did not ask about readings!!! IT NEVER HAS it draws a response regarding context!!!

B) MY TEACHER IS THE SENOIR MARKER FOR BOTH JOURNEY AND LEAR, HE HAS TOLD US REPEATEDLY THAT THE BOS HATES SUPERFICIAL REFERENCES TO PRODUCTIONS ETC, AND THAT, THE STUDY ITSELF IS A STUDY OF THE PLAY, NOT ITS INTERPRETATIONS...

This may be horrible to understand asit was for me post-trials, but base ur entire ANSWER ON THE PLAY ITSELF! no readings, or productions....

textual integrity is why the play is valued.... this is merely because of its timeless reception i.e. poignant images such as lear carrying cordelia in 5.3, the play's beautuful construction and its exhibition of compelling moral codas etc etc

 

[Harvey321]

still, in saying this

IF U USE READINGS AND PRODUCTIONS WELL, THAT IS ADMISSIBLE!!

so do it well or not at all, which im sure u all woud

 

[tanjin]

I absolutely hated studying Lear but i've done well in my trials and assessments with this module and others - so i guess i cant complain. They should really stop with this Shakespeare crap. Im really quite over it.

B) MY TEACHER IS THE SENOIR MARKER FOR BOTH JOURNEY AND LEAR, HE HAS TOLD US REPEATEDLY THAT THE BOS HATES SUPERFICIAL REFERENCES TO PRODUCTIONS ETC, AND THAT, THE STUDY ITSELF IS A STUDY OF THE PLAY, NOT ITS INTERPRETATIONS...

This may be horrible to understand asit was for me post-trials, but base ur entire ANSWER ON THE PLAY ITSELF! no readings, or productions....

The rubric for Module B says to also consider Lear in other contexts - that would be referring to the interpretations, would it not? In my trials - the Lear question did not state that you had to discuss any other interpretations but the rubric said other contexts - those that discussed the play along with other interpretations did well and those that didn't - didn't do so well.

 

[tehsky]

uhh the 01 Q was "how might different productions dramatise the struggle between chaos and order in king lear?"

why wud the bos ask a question regrading productions and then mark u down..?
thats just stupid

sooo many ppl tell us differnet things its not funny
ive heard so much bs on what to write in exams for king lear im shit confused

basically, u gotta write what u question tells u to

oh and btw;
http://www.boredofstudies.org/mirror/Standards/2002/ENG/ADV/files/samples/q2-10/q2-10_b56_s1.pdf
http://www.boredofstudies.org/mirror/Standards/2002/ENG/ADV/files/samples/q2-10/q2-10_b45_s1.pdf

bos hsc exams 2002 standards
02 question: "Two people who value your prescribed text in different ways and for different reasons are
having a conversation. Compose their conversation which should include consideration of the structure, staging,
language and ideas of the text."

first standard is band 5/6 response and he/she used productions/interpretations
second one is band 4/5 and once again productions were used

im pretty sure if i can find standards for 03-06 they would have band 5/6 responses with productions/interpretations used in them

so obviously the bos dont mark u down for including interpretations as...duhh the person did get a band 5/6 =]

 

[japonesque]

I like King Lear, To me there was more female characters in this shakespear play so i enjoyed it more^^ normally if theres more males in one play i find it boring, i found Hamlet boring, Romio and juilet boring, Othello boring,

I personally liked King Lear because of the powerful female characters such as Goneril and regan but also Cordelia - the honest one, and King Lear reminds me of someone's grandpa/ or father whos narcotic... haha which is kinda hilarious to me and i love the scene where he's gone crazy in the storm "blow wind blow!"

Oh well i also felt kinda sad in the end where everyone dies... cept for edgar of course who says that famous quote of that "we ought to say things" i would even personally go watch a play at the theatre too.

King Lear is Not effin hard if you pay attention and ask the teacher questions. Also the boredofstudies community is willing to help posting up the FAQS ^^

 

[Hallatia]

I loved studying King Lear and I love the text, but I have noticed a trend in the last few lear questions is they ask for a "personal response" my personal response is in no way shaped by Marxist/feminist/Aristotilian/Freudan/nihilist etc readings, it is not shaped by productions of the text, it is shaped by the actual thing with all its initial integrity and the beauty of it, is that I a 17 year old can still appreciate it in its true form some 400 years after it was written without the aid of twisted productions orwhatever lens somebody else can place on the text
rant over

 

[haitch.ess.see]

I loved studying King Lear and I love the text, but I have noticed a trend in the last few lear questions is they ask for a "personal response" my personal response is in no way shaped by Marxist/feminist/Aristotilian/Freudan/nihilist etc readings, it is not shaped by productions of the text, it is shaped by the actual thing with all its initial integrity and the beauty of it, is that I a 17 year old can still appreciate it in its true form some 400 years after it was written without the aid of twisted productions orwhatever lens somebody else can place on the text
rant over

well i'm screwed then.

 

[Harvey321]

I loved studying King Lear and I love the text, but I have noticed a trend in the last few lear questions is they ask for a "personal response" my personal response is in no way shaped by Marxist/feminist/Aristotilian/Freudan/nihilist etc readings, it is not shaped by productions of the text, it is shaped by the actual thing with all its initial integrity and the beauty of it, is that I a 17 year old can still appreciate it in its true form some 400 years after it was written without the aid of twisted productions orwhatever lens somebody else can place on the text
rant over

Hallatia is exaclty right!! they want our response, grounded on the text itself. Do u really think lear was composed by shakespeare saying:- 'Oh yes, this next play, Leir will be composed as a nihilist portrayal of humanity :S'

 

[pinkcandy]

Ok they don't always say to refer to interpretations but you MUST! some schools only teach productions so they question has to be able to relate to the productions aswell.... in your response you must always convey the themes, various productions and you own personal response.... how were you not told this? we've been told ever since we started lear. if you look in the past hsc response booklets all the lear responses (in those books) for the past 5 years have had interpretations throughout them.... the board of studies made be trying to eliminate various productions as harvey321 said but it hasnt been done yet... the syllabus hasnt been amended...

 

[will-pj-doyle]

i reckon harvey's got the right idea...we've been taught at school to use productions and readings, but the question is most probably going to ask for a "personal response".

have a look at the questions over the past couple of years. they've changed ridiculously (and yes i'm aware that they actually change the question each year) but the questions of "productions" and "readings" are long gone...last years question about the characterisation of Lear and this is your closest indication of what this years question will be like. it was a PERSONAL response. the 2002 paper asks for "staging" but 2005 and 2006 ask for PERSONAL responses.

that means you answer the question with what YOU have PERSONALLY drawn from king lear. this can blend readings, such as a marxist and christian humanist, into one reading (your personal reading), but you don't actually discuss these readings, only how they have shaped your personal reading.

don't mention productions unless the question specifies it!!! my entire year group got HAMMERED in the trial (marked by hsc markers externally) with an average of 10/20, not because we're all dumb, but because we were taught to use productions and readings and the question didn't specify it.

sorry if i've confused people (that's if you could be bothered to read it all) but i can't see them asking questions like the 2001, 2002 papers.

good luck anyways, just write from your heart and you'll be fine...

 

[tessery]

I agree - king lear is the most stupid and confusing module! I actually liked reading the play until we actually had to write the essay and all of sudden we were being told a million different things to do! I mean, if teachers can;t even agree, how are we supposed to get it right?? lol

Anyway, my understanding of it now is that there has been a shift in the focus of this module. Like those earlier questions with the conversation and different production were back when it was all about different readings, but now the foucs is on our personal response to the play. So, in mine, I focus on my personal reading, but also refer to a marxist one, always linking it back to my own personal reading...does that sound right to you guys?

Good luck to all of you! xox

 

[morganforrest]

a) a few years ago, it did not ask about readings!!! IT NEVER HAS it draws a response regarding context!!!

B) MY TEACHER IS THE SENOIR MARKER FOR BOTH JOURNEY AND LEAR, HE HAS TOLD US REPEATEDLY THAT THE BOS HATES SUPERFICIAL REFERENCES TO PRODUCTIONS ETC, AND THAT, THE STUDY ITSELF IS A STUDY OF THE PLAY, NOT ITS INTERPRETATIONS...

This may be horrible to understand asit was for me post-trials, but base ur entire ANSWER ON THE PLAY ITSELF! no readings, or productions....

textual integrity is why the play is valued.... this is merely because of its timeless reception i.e. poignant images such as lear carrying cordelia in 5.3, the play's beautuful construction and its exhibition of compelling moral codas etc etc

That's all very well....but to say not to refer to critical interpretations at all is somewhat misleading. It's only when the readings become a barrier to what you're trying to say that there is a problem. They have said this in the markers comments for the last few HSC's. Argument should be grounded in the text, but not to refer to ANY schools of critical thought is to limit your argument.

 

[morganforrest]

I agree - king lear is the most stupid and confusing module! I actually liked reading the play until we actually had to write the essay and all of sudden we were being told a million different things to do! I mean, if teachers can;t even agree, how are we supposed to get it right?? lol

Anyway, my understanding of it now is that there has been a shift in the focus of this module. Like those earlier questions with the conversation and different production were back when it was all about different readings, but now the foucs is on our personal response to the play. So, in mine, I focus on my personal reading, but also refer to a marxist one, always linking it back to my own personal reading...does that sound right to you guys?

Good luck to all of you! xox

Yeah that sounds ok.

And you're right. The 2001 (?) question on productions was back when they liked to focus on the play in production. They've moved right away from that now and in fact will be removing productions from the 2009 syllabus. Having said that you should still try to refer to 2 productions.

 

[patchy20]

I love lear It has life, charisma and character. It is daunting at first, but once you overcome this initial anxiety, its enjoyable and easy to talk about.

NOTE: DONT FUKN TALK ABOUT READINGS OR PLAYS!!! THIS IS DESTRUCTIVE TO UR MARK, THE BOS IS TRYING TO STAMP THIS OUT!

in my trial the question did not refer to productions but it was something about the enduring nature of lear and my response consistantly referred to productions and critical interpretations and i got 20/20, so how can you say you will get a bad mark if you refer to readings?

 

[Fish Sauce]

I regret clicking on this thread.

so bloody confusing.

I don't mind Lear itself, just the absolute crap we have to do with it.

Aaaaaaaargh.

I even saw the play and enjoyed it.

Oh well, not much I can do but try and get a decent response going.