KING LEAR & MKGIII: 28 April

LEAR

Transient Ischemic Attacks (TIAs)--Lear's mental momentary lapses/slip-ups. A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is an episode in which a person has stroke -like symptoms for less than 24 hours, usually less than 1-2 hours.

A TIA is often considered a warning sign that a true stroke may happen in the future if something is not done to prevent it.

Symptoms begin suddenly, last only a short time (from a few minutes to 24 hours), and disappear completely. They may occur again at a later time. Symptoms usually occur on the same side of the body if more than one body part is involved.

A TIA is different than a small stroke. However, the symptoms of TIA are the same as a stroke and include the sudden development of:

• Muscle weakness of the face, arm, or leg (usually only on one side of the body)
• Numbness or tingling on one side of the body
• Trouble speaking or understanding others who are speaking
• Problems with eyesight (double vision, loss of all or part of vision)
• Changes in sensation, involving touch, pain, temperature, pressure, hearing, and taste
• Change in alertness (sleepiness, less responsive, unconscious, or coma)
• Personality, mood, or emotional changes
• Confusion or loss of memory
• Difficulty swallowing
• Difficulty writing or reading
• Lack of coordination and balance, clumsiness, or trouble walking
• Abnormal sensation of movement (vertigo) or dizziness
• Lack of control over the bladder or bowels
• Inability to recognize or identify sensory stimuli (agnosia)

LEAR'S KNIGHTS:

They are such scruffy rabble of men. Think a gang of military guys. A useful cognate would be the group of gents in Dogfight. Their manner, behavior, and recreational habits are straight online with what we're looking for with Lear's knights. A bit of the mob mentality and the following of the intense aggressive energy. Mainly what was discussed today and keeps re-surfacing is the casual attitude toward violence which underpins the play. (start at 9:26--youtube)

Specificity with Lear's Knights and their responses to Goneril are key. We learn by the end of the scene at Goneril's that 50 of the followers have left the fold and no one's mentioned it. The knights would not have left if they didn't feel Lear was losing it. He begins to be disrespected, disregarded and disobeyed by all of Goneril's people, including the princess herself.

CURAN AND GLOUCESTER'S MEN:

Establishing these guys as just having been out of a meeting with Gloucester, they know of the supposed threat Edgar poses and the dueling Dukes of A and C. Curan willingly lets more info on to Edmund than he needs or has to.

MKGIII

The best website ever with historically accurate images of bloodletting/BLISTERING instruments etc.: CLICK HERE. Select images below.

Blistering bulbs/cups and "burners".

Also: scarificators--devices with spring-loaded blades used to cut patients to bleed them.

18th cent. back-rest.

There was that brief but highly topical tangent into the classics/strange deaths...

LULLY died when he put his conductor's staff through his foot, it became gangrenous, and he refused to have it amputated.

AESCHYLUS was killed by a tortoise falling from the talon's of an eagle flying overhead.

SOCRATES was poisoned, it was not, in fact, a tortoise.

DIOGENES lived in a barrel.