King LearRandom House Publishing Group, 2009 M08 4 - 272 pages A king foolishly divides his kingdom between his scheming two oldest daughters and estranges himself from the daughter who loves him. So begins this profoundly moving and disturbing tragedy that, perhaps more than any other work in literature, challenges the notion of a coherent and just universe. The king and others pay dearly for their shortcomings–as madness, murder, and the anguish of insight and forgiveness that arrive too late combine to make this an all-embracing tragedy of evil and suffering. Each Edition Includes: • Comprehensive explanatory notes • Vivid introductions and the most up-to-date scholarship • Clear, modernized spelling and punctuation, enabling contemporary readers to understand the Elizabethan English • Completely updated, detailed bibliographies and performance histories • An interpretive essay on film adaptations of the play, along with an extensive filmography |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 40
Page ix
... Lear reveals the dire consequences of dividing a united kingdom . In princi- ple , the aged Lear's decision to take voluntary retirement does not seem a bad thing : he is losing his grip on matters of state , his daugh- ters and sons ...
... Lear reveals the dire consequences of dividing a united kingdom . In princi- ple , the aged Lear's decision to take voluntary retirement does not seem a bad thing : he is losing his grip on matters of state , his daugh- ters and sons ...
Page xii
... Lear's feeling with and for the poor , which makes him the character better prepared to voice this sentiment . THIS GREAT STAGE OF FOOLS The Stoic philosopher tries to be ruled by reason rather than passion . But for the great sixteenth ...
... Lear's feeling with and for the poor , which makes him the character better prepared to voice this sentiment . THIS GREAT STAGE OF FOOLS The Stoic philosopher tries to be ruled by reason rather than passion . But for the great sixteenth ...
Page xiii
... Lear's discovery . Erasmus ' Folly tells us that there are two kinds of madness one is the thirst for gold , lust , and power . That is the madness of Regan , Cornwall , Edmund , and the rest . Their madness is what Lear rejects . The ...
... Lear's discovery . Erasmus ' Folly tells us that there are two kinds of madness one is the thirst for gold , lust , and power . That is the madness of Regan , Cornwall , Edmund , and the rest . Their madness is what Lear rejects . The ...
Page xv
... Lear is a play full of questions . The big ones go unanswered . The biggest of all is Lear's " Why should a dog , a horse , a rat have life , / And thou no breath at all ? " In this world , there is no rhyme or reason , no pattern of ...
... Lear is a play full of questions . The big ones go unanswered . The biggest of all is Lear's " Why should a dog , a horse , a rat have life , / And thou no breath at all ? " In this world , there is no rhyme or reason , no pattern of ...
Page xvii
William Shakespeare Jonathan Bate, Eric Rasmussen. LEAR FOOL Who is it that can tell me who I am ? Lear's shadow . 1. Robert Armin took over as company clown after Will Kempe left the Chamberlain's Men in 1599. A playwright as well as ...
William Shakespeare Jonathan Bate, Eric Rasmussen. LEAR FOOL Who is it that can tell me who I am ? Lear's shadow . 1. Robert Armin took over as company clown after Will Kempe left the Chamberlain's Men in 1599. A playwright as well as ...
Contents
Textual Notes | 122 |
ScenebyScene Analysis | 142 |
The RSC and Beyond | 156 |
Shakespeares Career in the Theater | 203 |
A Chronology | 218 |
References | 226 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Act 4 Scene actor Adrian Noble Alack Albany Albany's Antony Antony Sher audience bastard beggar blind Brian Cox Burgundy Cordelia Corin Redgrave CORNWALL daughters death disguised dost Dover Duke Duke of Cornwall Edgar editors Edmund Enter Lear Exeunt Exit eyes father feel Following fortune France GENTLEMAN give gods Goneril Goneril and Regan grace hath heart human Ian McKellen Jonathan Bate KENT KENT LEAR King Lear kingdom knave LEAR FOOL LEAR KENT Lear's letter Lines look lord madam messenger Michael Gambon nature night nuncle performance Peter Brook pity played Lear poor Pray production Q corrected Q uncorrected Quarto text Regan role Royal Shakespeare Company running scene sense servant Shake Shakespeare sister speak speech stage storm tell theater thee there's thine things Tragedy traitor Trevor Nunn trumpet villain