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 6-10 of 55
Page xiv
... things - lilies , mustard seed , sparrows , a language analogous to that of Lear in his madness . The fundamental folly of Christianity is its demand that you throw away your possessions . Lear pretends to do this in Act 1 , but ...
... things - lilies , mustard seed , sparrows , a language analogous to that of Lear in his madness . The fundamental folly of Christianity is its demand that you throw away your possessions . Lear pretends to do this in Act 1 , but ...
Page xv
... thing itself . Gloucester doesn't really jump off the cliff : it's all an elaborate game , designed by Edgar to teach him a lesson . In uncertain times , we need images , games , and experiments as ways of trying to make sense of our ...
... thing itself . Gloucester doesn't really jump off the cliff : it's all an elaborate game , designed by Edgar to teach him a lesson . In uncertain times , we need images , games , and experiments as ways of trying to make sense of our ...
Page xvi
... things , but seen in extremity . It is a play that has more time for a language of ordinary things garden waterpots , wrens , and toasted cheese - than for the " glib and oily art " of courtly speech . So is the whole play , like the ...
... things , but seen in extremity . It is a play that has more time for a language of ordinary things garden waterpots , wrens , and toasted cheese - than for the " glib and oily art " of courtly speech . So is the whole play , like the ...
Page xx
... thing , tested it in the theater , and then wrote another . It was assumed that there was a single King Lear and that the editorial task was to reconstruct it . Generations of editors adopted a " pick and mix " approach to the text ...
... thing , tested it in the theater , and then wrote another . It was assumed that there was a single King Lear and that the editorial task was to reconstruct it . Generations of editors adopted a " pick and mix " approach to the text ...
Page xxii
... things that are mentioned : by drawing attention to the king's absence , the dramatist in a curious way establishes his presence . Better just to keep quiet about him , which is what happens in Folio - since he's not mentioned , the ...
... things that are mentioned : by drawing attention to the king's absence , the dramatist in a curious way establishes his presence . Better just to keep quiet about him , which is what happens in Folio - since he's not mentioned , the ...
Contents
Textual Notes | 122 |
ScenebyScene Analysis | 142 |
The RSC and Beyond | 156 |
Shakespeares Career in the Theater | 203 |
A Chronology | 218 |
References | 226 |
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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