Compare and contrast the character of Edmund and the character of Satan. You may consider their personal qualities, their motivations, their arguments, their emotions, their self-opinions, etc. Use relevant supporting quotations from anywhere in the readings, but pay particular attention to Edmunds soliloquies in King Lear 1.2.122 and 1.2.128144 and Satans monologues in Paradise Lost 84124, 1.157191, and 1.242270 and his soliloquy in 4.32113. You may also want to contrast changes to Edmunds character in Act 5 of Lear with Satans resolution not to change in PL 4.79113). Be sure to use a range of quotations from both literary works.
Option 2:
Compare and contrast how forgiveness, redemption, and/or second chances are depicted in Act 4 of King Lear and how these concepts are presented in Book 3 of Paradise Lost. Be sure to use a range of quotations from both literary works, but limit your analysis to the sections mentioned above.
Option 3:
Compare and contrast how King Lear and Paradise Lost reflect upon the theme of gratitude/ingratitude. You may want to use the search and find functions in online texts of the play and poem to look for the words gratitude, ingratitude, grateful, ungrateful, ingrate, thank, thankless, etc., but be sure to double check that the line numbers you cite correctly correspond to the printed editions of the texts required for this course. Be sure to use a range of quotations from both literary works.
