King Lear Act 2 Scene 3 Close Reading Worksheet

Help high school students go beyond basic plot recall and develop close reading analysis skills with this set of high-order questions covering Act 2, scene 3, of William Shakespeare’s King Lear. Delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats, this worksheet saves English Language Arts teachers valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. An answer key is provided.

This resource may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.

By engaging with this close reading activity, students will:

• Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
• Define words/phrases as they are used in the text
• Determine which part of speech is represented in a given word
• Demonstrate general awareness of the characteristics of an Elizabethan audience
• Discern the function of the scene
• Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
• Compare and contrast two characters (Edgar and Lear)
• Apply knowledge of literary devices including personification, hyperbole, metaphor, onomatopoeia, inversion, and more
• Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
• Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision