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King Lear (Folger Ed.)
  
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King Lear (Folger Ed.) (Library Binding)

by William Shakespeare (Author), Paul Werstine (Editor), Barbara A. Mowat (Editor) "KENT I thought the King had more affected the Duke of Albany than Cornwall ..." (more)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)

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Product Description

From Amazon.co.uk

King Lear stands alongside Hamlet as one of the most profound expressions of tragic drama in literature. Written between 1604 and 1605, it represents Shakespeare at the height of his dramatic power. Drawing on ancient British history, Shakespeare constructs a plot that reads like a fable in its clear-sighted but terrifying simplicity. The ageing King Lear calls his daughters, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia, to witness that he wishes "to shake all cares and business from our age" and divide his kingdom between his three children. When Cordelia refuses to flatter her father with sycophantic words of love, her banishment leads to chaos and civil war as Lear's disastrous "division of the kingdom" gives free reign to the greed and ambition of his two remaining daughters.

As Lear sinks into rage and madness he is deserted by everyone except his "bitter" Fool, the loyal Kent and the exiled Cordelia. The play descends into a nighmarish theatre of cruelty and absurdity as Lear realises he has "ta'en/Too little care" of the poverty and corruption of his kingdom, and his loyal but foolish friend Gloucester has his eyes gouged out. Metaphors of monstrosity and perversions of nature structure the dramatic action, and the play's ending remains one of the most harrowing in all of Shakespeare. Many see a profound despair and nihilism in King Lear, and would agree with Kent's conclusion that "All's cheerless, dark, and deadly". Other writers have identified a radical but pessimistic critique of contemporary conceptions of kingship and absolutist authority, yet it remains a remarkable tragedy of public misjudgement and intensely private grief and anguish. --Jerry Brotton

From AudioFile

The Modern Library brings the BBC's radio production of King Lear to audio cassette. Alec Guiness is a splendid Lear, expert in his transition from a demanding and majestic father/king to a solitary, lunatic soul on a stormy mountain. Sarah Badel's Cordelia is astute and reflective. The combination of talents makes this tragedy one of the most poignant in all of Shakespeare's works. R.A.P. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
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KENT I thought the King had more affected the Duke of Albany than Cornwall. Read the first page
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4.2 out of 5 stars (35 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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1.0 out of 5 stars Not as represented in 'Click to look inside', July 14 2009
By Michael from Montreal (Montreal Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: King Lear (Paperback)
Can't complain about the price, but the cover illustration is wrong (wrong publisher), there are no 'notes' or 'further reading' etc. and the book is 120 pages, not 300 something (as according to 'Click to look...' nor 144 as stated in the product description section).
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5.0 out of 5 stars A father's folly and a daugther's devotion, Nov 18 2003
This review is from: King Lear (Mass Market Paperback)
After you begin to read a few of Shakespeare's plays in their original language you begin to develop an understanding of the structure of the language and the expressions used in that time. The trick I believe is to persevere; like any good thing, once you have mastered it, you begin to feel a sense of accomplishment. This greatly enhances your enjoyment of the plays.

King Lear is a play about honoring one's parents, a very relevant lesson for those of us in the modern world. As with many of Shakespeare's other plays, the language may be old but the lessons are still as relevant as ever. Lear, the King of England gives his blessing and lands to two of his daughters based on their outward show of affection for him, while neglecting his third; Cordelia, because she would rather show her love than make an outward display " my love's more richer than my tongue". It turns out that her two daughters deeds are contrary to their words and the rest of the play deals with Lear almost going mad at the ingratitude and lack of respect shown to him by his two daughters.

There is another subplot with the earl of Gloucester being deceived by his illegitimate son into wanting to kill his other son, Edgar. The story unfolds with two of these men, Lear and Gloucester being mistreated by their children who outwardly show love but inwardly have cold and calculating hearts. As with other tragedies, there must be deaths and disappointment, and King Lear is full of them. Unlike Othello however, King Lear does not have a very depressing ending and there is a feeling that everything will be alright, life goes on in other words.

I have tried to outline very briefly what this play is about and hopefully have shown a little of what is inside this very rich play. I would recommend King Lear to anyone wanting to read Shakespeare, I would also recommend you read it in the original language because even though it may be more difficult to comprehend, the language is richer and you will be reading Shakespeare and not some modern editor's idea of him.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Top Writing, July 27 2003
By Robert Beattie (Wichita, Kansas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Pelican Shakespeare King Lear Original Play (Paperback)
Shakespeare historian A.L. Rowse, authors of the Readers Companion to World Literature, and others explain that the author of King Lear combined two already existing stories and created something greater than the sum of its parts. Apparently, at the time it was written King Lear was perceived as a tale might be perceived today if a writer combined the old fable about George Washington cutting down a cherry tree with the story of the sinking of the Titanic and wove a familiar but new and surprising tragedy.

Most critics agree that Shakespeare's King Lear is great writing; Isaac Asimov said that King Lear was the best thing ever written. I am glad that more than twenty years ago I was required to read it in college. It took time to capture me but I have revisited King Lear several times since. Although written for actors on the stage it is top reading that is well worth working through language difficulties for the value of the emotional experience and intellectual contemplation.

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 		 Most recent customer reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Another Macbeth
Average, mediocre play. Boring, tedious, and grim plot, with an unoriginal cast of characters. I don't really recommed it.
Published on Feb 13 2004 by Kyle Nayman

4.0 out of 5 stars King Lear:
When rating Shakespeare, I always rate his works as compared to other Shakespearean works; otherwise, the consistently high marks wouldn't be very informative. Read more
Published on Jun 4 2003 by James Yanni

5.0 out of 5 stars moving
this is the tragedy of a king who grows old before he grows wise. it's a tragedy because old men don't have the time or the energy to right their wrongs; what's done is done. Read more
Published on Feb 23 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Great edition
This edition is REALLY Helpful. While assisting to understand the unusual language, it still leaves room for the intelligent reader to figure out the plot without reading a... Read more
Published on Feb 16 2003 by Jason Breen

4.0 out of 5 stars Not at All Lacking in Blood and Gore
It's a shame Shakespeare has such a bad rap among young adults. The same people who play violent video games and listen to violent music would love this play(I know, I know, I'm... Read more
Published on Dec 30 2002 by miezee

4.0 out of 5 stars A Tragedy with Modern Implications
With many people living much longer than they did in Shakespeare's time
and their children putting them in ratty nursing homes
where they are usually or even generally... Read more
Published on Dec 10 2002 by R. Bagula

4.0 out of 5 stars A king brings tragedy unto himself
This star-rating system has one important flaw: you have to rank books only in relation to its peers, its genre. Read more
Published on Oct 24 2002 by Guillermo Maynez

5.0 out of 5 stars Shakespeare's finest tragedy
King Lear is perhaps Shakespeare's most psychologically dark tragedy, though many may argue for Macbeth. Read more
Published on Feb 28 2002 by ilmk

3.0 out of 5 stars King Lear was an annoying character
Quite frankly, I can't understand why many people today consider 'King Lear' to be Shakespeare's greatest Tragedy. Read more
Published on Jan 18 2002 by kenamat

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Abridged! 3-CD Set.
With John Gielgud, Kenneth Brannaugh and Bob Hoskins my hopes were high for this. But somehow Gielgud lacks the anger and power of Olivier's 1983 version. Read more
Published on Sep 10 2001

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