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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
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.
this play is a masterfully crafted exploration of age, fate, and the intricacies of loyalty; however, i don’t think i’ll ever rest easy not knowing where the icon of the play, the fool, ended up.
Absolutely tremendous! I read this play really quite slowly, being fairly new to Shakespeare it take me a little while to completely understand the language. Sometimes I had to reread sections a few times and out loud before the meaning revealed itself. The same with the whole story really…after I had finished reading it I just kept thinking about it all and had so many thoughts, questions and light bulb moments. The themes ( aging, what we see or choose to see, self examination, madness and our often tenuous grip on sanity..so much more) are so relevant today. I think this really matures in the mind after reading it, what seems like a slightly bonkers story becomes a deep mirror on the soul of humanity.
Some of the sections are so beautifully poetic and sound gorgeous when read aloud.
Some of the sections are so beautifully poetic and sound gorgeous when read aloud.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
this is probably my favorite shakespeare play i've read, even though it was very sad and dark. it's probably because it's the one i understood the most, and also, it had a few likable characters, unlike some of the others i've read. i will say, there's a lot of times when reading this when i just think about like how evil a lot of these people are, and it's somehow lowkey to the point where it's palpably dark, which is not my vibe. that being said, i did like the conversation about familial loyalty and fate, and i loved the characters' growths. still, it was like a 4.25 stars for me. 4.25 ⭐️.
Marjorie Garber's Thoughts
- The tempest of Act 3 externalizes the inner emotional turmoil of the play.
- Recurring theme of the ineffability of raw human experience.
- Possibly redemptive reading of the play: Lear is greater on his knees than on his throne.
- The tempest of Act 3 externalizes the inner emotional turmoil of the play.
- Recurring theme of the ineffability of raw human experience.
- Possibly redemptive reading of the play: Lear is greater on his knees than on his throne.
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes