King Lear Part 1: ‘How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth it is to Have a Thankless Child!’
Episode 217:
‘King Lear’, the play that is now often regarded as Shakespeare’s finest and deepest work is most often compared to the other two great tragedies of this period in Shakespeare’s writing, ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Othello’, and of course there are thematic comparisons that can be made with those plays, but it has to be pointed out that ‘King Lear’ is also a very different play in tone and structure. Whether we rate ‘King Lear’ as Shakespeare’s best play or not it is a play that has deeply affected audiences and critics through the centuries and I can only imagine the mark it leaves on actors who take on the main roles. Sadly, what we lack is much detail about initial reactions to the play.
The early performance and publishing history of the play
The influences and sources for the play
The opening scene of the play and the abandonment of the natural order
The questions of judgement and miscommunication in the play
The character of Goneril
Edmund as one of Shakespeare’s truly evil characters
Kent as the voice of reason and loyalty
Lear and the Fool in the storm
Lear’s moral awakening
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