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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
medium-paced
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods.
They kill us for their sport.
I found the play incredibly bleak, so I hesitated and it remained so when I returned. I found no justice in the subsequent suffering of the monarch--only a world governed by bark and bite.
They kill us for their sport.
I found the play incredibly bleak, so I hesitated and it remained so when I returned. I found no justice in the subsequent suffering of the monarch--only a world governed by bark and bite.
dark
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First Shakespeare I've read in full since high school. Worried about the difficulty of the text, maybe I shouldn't have picked one with so much difficult madness and insane babbling lines from a mad King, but it was much easier to read than expected. The final cataclysm and a certain scene in the middle were shocking and the plot was very tight, no wasted scenes or moments. Amazing how even when you don't understand exactly what you are reading right away, the emotion of the text comes across immediately.
I read this at school. Not my fav and not my first choice. Don't attempt this if it's your first dip into Bill Shakespeare.
After the umpteenth reading, and another viewing, one can still find more in Lear. This time, for some reason, the cross links in the play (character, imagery, action) seemed to stand out a little more than usual. The whole play came over even more as a seamless, flowing whole - cross linking itself but also doing it to life, society, humanity. Lear's anger is constant until he finds a short lived final peace but the subject of his anger turns more and more outward. Edgar's growing clarity echoes this as he grows from naivety throught idiocy to wisdom. And so much more.
Harrowing, heart-wrenching exploration of the price of pride and human folly. The ultimate tragedy.
King Lear is going to divide up his land amongst his 3 daughters. So he randomly asks them to each give a speech saying how much they love him. This is just plain childish on the part of this elderly king. But in many respects Lear behaves like a child throughout the entire play. My favorite interpretation is that he's actually suffering from a sort of dementia, and that makes the rest of this play very sad indeed.
Lear's youngest daughter Cordelia refuses to flatter her dad in this competition of sycophancy, so he disinherits her and curses her. He's clearly gone absolutely bonkers—his adviser Kent certainly thinks so. But Cordelia's actions are inexplicable; why not just humor Lear? Cordelia is my favorite character in the rest of this play, but her actions here don't make sense.
The rest of the play is spent with Lear's deterioration. His two daughters eventually kick him out of their houses and he basically ends up homeless. There are some clear points being made about life in general. Parents pour a ton of effort and symbolically give their children all they have; Lear literally divides his kingdom and gives it up to his daughters. By their old age, parents are relatively powerless, retaining only their prestige. Lear literally gives up his power and retains only his title as King. His children basically respond by taking away his retirement savings and throwing him in a nursing home.
I like the play's dysfunctional parent-child relationships. Edmund, whose dad goes around making bastard jokes about him, has never liked his dad, whereas Edgar's relationship with their father is obviously much closer. Yet Gloucester very quickly believes Edmund against his brother. Cordelia was clearly her father's favorite, yet he disowns her in an instant. The fathers here are really terrible judges of character, and it ultimately leads to their demise.
I really enjoyed that point of emphasis: that elderly parents can become difficult and sometimes unreasonable. And yet we must stand by them in spite of all that, and show them proper care and respect, the way Edgar and Cordelia do with their fathers. It's a nice lesson.
There are several really likable characters in this play: Gloucester, Kent, Edgar, Cornwall's unnamed servant. And there are a few great villains: Edmund, Cornwall, the two older daughters Regan and Goneril. The Fool is a really great character, but he has too much dialogue; from what I've seen, most adaptations tend to cut this down dramatically.
All things considered, this is a solid play and it leaves a lot of leeway and potential for adaptations.
In terms of film, wouldn't say there's one definitive adaptation. The 1999 film with Brian Blessed as King Lear is pretty good, though Lear himself is weird at times. I did like the choice of casting the Fool as female.
The 2018 BBC adaptation with Anthony Hopkins as Lear is a bit better in my opinion, but it cuts large portions. I have not seen the 2008 Ian McKellen adaptation, but I'll update this review when I have.
Lear's youngest daughter Cordelia refuses to flatter her dad in this competition of sycophancy, so he disinherits her and curses her. He's clearly gone absolutely bonkers—his adviser Kent certainly thinks so. But Cordelia's actions are inexplicable; why not just humor Lear? Cordelia is my favorite character in the rest of this play, but her actions here don't make sense.
The rest of the play is spent with Lear's deterioration. His two daughters eventually kick him out of their houses and he basically ends up homeless. There are some clear points being made about life in general. Parents pour a ton of effort and symbolically give their children all they have; Lear literally divides his kingdom and gives it up to his daughters. By their old age, parents are relatively powerless, retaining only their prestige. Lear literally gives up his power and retains only his title as King. His children basically respond by taking away his retirement savings and throwing him in a nursing home.
I like the play's dysfunctional parent-child relationships. Edmund, whose dad goes around making bastard jokes about him, has never liked his dad, whereas Edgar's relationship with their father is obviously much closer. Yet Gloucester very quickly believes Edmund against his brother. Cordelia was clearly her father's favorite, yet he disowns her in an instant. The fathers here are really terrible judges of character, and it ultimately leads to their demise.
I really enjoyed that point of emphasis: that elderly parents can become difficult and sometimes unreasonable. And yet we must stand by them in spite of all that, and show them proper care and respect, the way Edgar and Cordelia do with their fathers. It's a nice lesson.
There are several really likable characters in this play: Gloucester, Kent, Edgar, Cornwall's unnamed servant. And there are a few great villains: Edmund, Cornwall, the two older daughters Regan and Goneril. The Fool is a really great character, but he has too much dialogue; from what I've seen, most adaptations tend to cut this down dramatically.
All things considered, this is a solid play and it leaves a lot of leeway and potential for adaptations.
In terms of film, wouldn't say there's one definitive adaptation. The 1999 film with Brian Blessed as King Lear is pretty good, though Lear himself is weird at times. I did like the choice of casting the Fool as female.
The 2018 BBC adaptation with Anthony Hopkins as Lear is a bit better in my opinion, but it cuts large portions. I have not seen the 2008 Ian McKellen adaptation, but I'll update this review when I have.