Reviews for King Lear

The average rating for King Lear based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-06-07 00:00:00 Joseph McHugh UPDATE REVIEW! I have just read every Shakespeare play from this edition and than some. This has been a goal of mine for some time. Some plays I've read previously for various classes in high school and college, but there was a bit of his stuff I never read before and some stuff I didn't even realize that existed until picking up this book for a second time. I got this book n college and this was a pain in the ass to carry around campus, but in the long run, this book was worth getting. This is something won't ever get rid of and will use constantly. Some Rereading Thoughts: 1. I still don't think Shakespeare is the best writer of all time. I feel like too many of his plays were written for higher people rather than what he possibly wanted to write instead. He possibly didn't have an education and sometimes I question what plays he even wrote or if they were written by someone else. His history plays I really don't care for and sometimes felt like they were for propaganda reasons. HOWEVER, regardless of my opinions, I still think Shakespeare is very important to read at least once in your life. Nearly every writer after him has quoted him, referenced him, or was inspired by him in some way. To read Shakespeare is to fully understand literature in someway. 2. I noticed there is a difference in tone with the Elizabethan plays and the Jacobean plays. The plays during Elizabeth's time felt like he was still trying everything out for the first time. There are a few favorites I have during this time, but I admit I like his plays during James better. During James, we see more strangeness and magic. I remember being taught James liked this and asked Shakespeare for more ghost and magic in the plays. 3. Is it possible every Shakespeare play is connected and in the same universe? There are several characters that appear in other plays and mentions of previous characters. His universe isn't our own though. Unlike our's, his is filled with ghost, magic, and the gods. Some of the history has been changed, but maybe for his universe it was meant for that change. I noticed too most of his plays mention the word "tempest" and what happens to be his last play? Okay, maybe I'm sounding like a crazy person right now, but this is what happened when I entered Shakespeare's world again. My Top Ten Favorites:* 1. The Tempest 2. A Midsummer Night's Dream 3. Othello 4. Titus Andronicus 5. Macbeth 6. Twelfth Night 7. As You Like It 8. King Lear 9. Cymbeline 10. The Winter's Tale Final Thoughts: I plan on coming back to these plays and rereading them again. Going to reread Tempest to finish off my Shakespeare with a cherry on top, but I'm taking a long break afterwords. I enjoyed this a lot more without having to study these plays and writing an essay after every read. I could read them for fun instead. I did skip the a lot of the intros and footnotes and other material in this edition, but I might read those another time too. I've read every play, but I'm not sure it's possible for anyone to be completely done with Shakespeare. It's like he's Prospero and has magic powers...whoops, sounding like a crazy person again. *If you want to know why I like those plays, most of them I wrote reviews for, but none of them are as long as this review though.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-07-02 00:00:00 Martin J�nes Greenblatt does a freaking amazing job of putting this together. The intros provide a fantastic historical perspective going into reading each play, especially for the histories. You'll know the families of the play and why they're beefing on each other before you go in. You'll know the real conversation Prince Hal and Bolingbroke had that formed the basis of Bolingbroke's death scene in 2 Henry IV. You'll know what Queen Elizabeth thought of Richard II ("I am Richard, know you not that?"), and you'll read Macbeth anew in the context of the failed Guy Fox terrorist attack. As an actor when you deliver the line "Two households both alike in dignity," you'll be grounded in real perspective. This is the perfect companion for the University student who wants to know his or her Shakespeare better, and for the actor who wants to know what the audience already knew when they first saw these plays performed. In terms of studying the texts, Norton is the way to go. Arden is better for performing the text though, because of its concise footnotes, proper ellisions, and adherence to the folios. If you're serious about Shakespeare, get both. Norton and Arden are the way(s) to go.