Question

King Lear has divided his kingdom among his daughters. Two of his daughters, Regan and Goneril, are greedy and superficial and soon betray their father. They convince members of the court to turn against the king and manage to completely undermine his authority. King Lear has asked his daughters to come speak with him. In this excerpt, King Lear speaks to Regan who has finally come to see him. Goneril has still not arrived.,end italics,



from ,begin bold,King Lear,end bold,



LEAR

Beloved Regan,

Thy sister's naught. O Regan, ,begin underline,she hath tied,end underline,

,begin underline,Sharp-tooth'd unkindness, like a vulture, here!,end underline,



,begin italics,[Lays his hand on his heart.],end italics,



I can scarce speak to thee. Thou'lt not believe

With how deprav'd a quality- O Regan!



(from ,begin underline,King Lear,end underline, by William Shakespeare)

Question
What does King Lear mean when he says, "she hath tied sharp-tooth'd unkindness, like a vulture, here!"?

Answer options with 4 options
1.
Goneril's actions angered him so greatly that he wants to seek revenge.

2.
Goneril has preyed upon his sincere generosity by viciously attacking him.

3.
Goneril has driven him mad with her outrageous and disrespectful behavior.

4.
Goneril's cruel behavior has caused such distress that he is having sharp chest pains.

Answer 1

Answer: 4.

Lear uses the vulture image and lays his hand on his heart to show that Goneril’s cruelty has wounded him emotionally — it “feeds” on him like a vulture and causes sharp, heart‑felt pain.