King Lear : a guide to the play / Jay L. Halio.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Halio, Jay L.

Series:

Greenwood guides to Shakespeare.

Greenwood guides to Shakespeare

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. King Lear.

Shakespeare, William.

Lear, King (Legendary character), in literature.

Fathers and daughters in literature.

Kings and rulers in literature.

Tragedy.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (151 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Distribution:

London : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024

Place of Publication:

Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2001.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In its timeless exploration of familial and political dissolution, and in its relentless questioning of the apparent moral indifference of the universe, King Lear is Shakespeare's darkest tragedy. It is also one of his most timely, for many of the issues it raises resonate loudly within our own era. Perhaps because of its contemporary relevance, it is one of Shakespeare's most frequently produced, taught, and studied works. And the amount of scholarship on King Lear is exceeded only be the complexity which that scholarship reveals. This book is a lucid and thorough guide to the play's roots and legacy.The volume begins with a discussion of the play's textual history, which is complicated by the different quarto and folio versions. It also addresses the merits of several recent editions. The book then looks at the literary, historical, and cultural contexts that inform the play. This is followed by an examination of Shakespeare's dramatic art, an analysis of the play's themes, and a summary of the different approaches critics have used to elucidate its meaning. A final chapter explores the play's rich production history, and a selected bibliography concludes the volume. As a guide, this reference successfully navigates the tremendous body of available scholarship and is a ready aid for a wide range of readers.

Contents:

Cover

KING LEAR

CONTENTS

PREFACE

NOTES

1 TEXTUAL HISTORY

THE TWO TEXTS OF "KING LEAR"

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN QUARTO AND FOLIO KING LEAR

THE TRANSMISSION OF THE TEXTS

2 CONTEXTS AND SOURCES

THE PLACE OF KING LEAR IN THE SHAKESPEARE CANON

THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT

SOURCES AND ANALOGUES

3 DRAMATIC STRUCTURE

4 THEMES

THE DIVISION OF THE KINGDOMS

BONDS BETWEEN PARENT AND CHILD, CHILD AND PARENT

THE BONDS BETWEEN MASTER AND SERVANT

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

NATURE

REASON AND MADNESS

5 CRITICAL APPROACHES

PSYCHOANALYTICAL CRITICISM

GENDER CRITICISM

NEW HISTORICISM AND CULTURAL MATERIALISM

LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS

MYTH AND ARCHETYPAL CRITICISM

CHRISTIAN INTERPRETATIONS

6 THE PLAY IN PERFORMANCE

PETER BROOK AND THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY, 1962

GRIGORI KOZINTSEV'S RUSSIAN LANGUAGE FILM (1970)

ADRIAN NOBLE AND THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY (1982)

RICHARD EYRE AND THE ROYAL NATIONAL THEATRE (BBC-TV, 1999)

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

EDITIONS

TEXTUAL STUDIES

SOURCES AND CONTEXTS

GENERAL CRITICISM

PSYCHOANALYTICAL, GENDER, AND OTHER CRITICAL APPROACHES

KING LEAR IN PERFORMANCE

Index

About the Author.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [117]-124) and index.

ISBN:

9798400675843

9786610908684

9781280908682

1280908688

9780313016844

0313016844

OCLC:

567850659