I love all of Shakespeare’s work, but the play I find
myself returning to most often is King
Lear. It is, in my opinion, his greatest play, and perhaps the greatest
literary and artistic work in the history of humanity. And no, I’m not
exaggerating. Reading it again, I found myself in tears more than once.
King Lear by William Shakespeare –
The first edition I read this time around was The Arden Shakespeare edition,
edited by Kenneth Muir. The introduction gets into the different early editions
of the play, and the dating of the play, and its likely sources, going into
some detail regarding
The True Chronicle
History Of King Leir. Regarding the parallels, Muir writes: “It might even
be suggested that there is a possibility that Shakespeare acted in
King Leir; and as Perillus is on the
stage when all save one of the above parallel passages are spoken, that may
have been Shakespeare’s role” (p. xxix). Muir also draws some parallels between
King Lear and Shakespeare’s
Titus Andronicus, and addresses some of
the criticism of the play. Muir writes: “In the scene in which he is being led
off to prison he has apparently overcome the desire for vengeance: he has left
behind him all those attributes of kingship which had prevented him from
attaining his full stature as a man; he has even passed beyond his own pride”
(pages xlix-l). Ample notes are located at the bottom of each page of the text.
Regarding Kent’s line “Nor tripp’d either, you base foot-ball player,” the note
reads: “Football, perhaps suggested by ‘bandy’ (82), was regarded as a low game
in Shakespeare’s day. It was played by idle boys in the streets to the great
annoyance of the citizens” (p. 38). Regarding Kent’s line “thou unnecessary
letter,” the note reads: “This title is given to the letter Z because it was
generally ignored in the dictionaries of the time. Baret omits it altogether in
his
Alvearie, and Rider in his
Dictionary, ed. 1640, says it is not
used in Latin” (p. 68). Regarding the word “politician” in Lear’s line “And,
like a scurvy politician,” the note reads: “trickster, one who follows
Machiavelli’s ‘policy’, not a politician in the modern sense of the word” (p.
169). Regarding Albany’s line “Great thing of us forgot,” the note reads: “Kittredge
remarks that ‘this amnesia on everybody’s part is necessary for the climax that
follows.’ But, after all, there is no reason why Albany should suspect that
Lear and Cordelia were in danger; and he had had plenty to occupy his mind
during the wasted ten minutes” (p. 200). And then regarding his use of the word
“object” in the line “Seest thou this object, Kent,” the note reads: “sight.
Kirschbaum, defending the Folio through thick and thin, takes this to refer to
Edmund, lying wounded. It is more natural for it to refer to the bodies of
Goneril and Regan, especially when one takes Edmund’s next speech into
consideration. He is really answering Kent’s question. The bodies are brought
on the stage so that Lear can be confronted with his three daughters, as in the
first scene of the play” (p. 201). Regarding the final two lines of the play,
the note reads: “These lines are given to Albany by Q; and critics have argued
that the last speech should be given to the person of highest rank who
survives. But Edgar has to reply to Albany’s speech, and the words ‘We that are
young’ come somewhat more naturally from his mouth than from that of Albany”
(p. 206). The book contains appendices, including scenes from
King Leir and passages from relevant
works. This book was first published in 1964. The copy I read was the reprint
from 1975.
King Lear by William Shakespeare –
The next edition I decided to read is the RSC edition, edited by Jonathan Bate
and Eric Rasmussen. In the introduction Jonathan Bate writes: “Written soon
after King James united the thrones of England and Scotland, and performed in
his royal presence at Whitehall,
King
Lear reveals the dire consequences of dividing a united kingdom. In
principle, the aged Lear’s decision to take voluntary retirement does not seem
a bad thing: he is losing his grip on matters of state, his daughters and
sons-in-law are ‘younger strengths’ with more energy for government, and, most
important, the division is intended to prevent a future civil war between rival
claimants, which would have been a definite possibility in the absence of a son
who would automatically inherit the whole kingdom” (p. ix). Regarding Cordelia
in that scene, Bate writes: “Lear knows that she loves him best, but we may
assume that until this moment her love has always been expressed privately. As
youngest and unmarried daughter, Cordelia has probably never spoken publicly
before the court. Lear’s intention for the opening scene is that it will be
Cordelia’s coming out: she is supposed to give public expression to her great
love and in return she will be rewarded with the richest portion of the kingdom
and the most prized husband” (pages ix-x). And regarding the ending, in the
introduction Bate writes: “Then when Lear enters with his beloved daughter dead
in his arms, loyal Kent asks, ‘Is this the promised end?’ He is thinking of
Doomsday, but the line is also a sly allusion on Shakespeare’s part: in all
previous versions of the Lear story, several of which would have been familiar
to members of the audience, Cordelia survives and Lear is restored to the throne.
The death of Cordelia is all the more painful because it is not the end ‘promised’
by previous literary and theatrical tradition” (p. xv). The text follows the
Folio version of the play. Notes are included at the bottom of each page.
Regarding Gloucester’s line “Do you smell a fault?” in the first scene, the
note on the word “fault” reads “transgression/loss of scent during a
hunt/vagina” (p. 4). Regarding Kent’s line “and to eat no fish” in the fourth
scene, the note reads: “i.e. only to eat a hearty diet of meat/not to eat fish
on Fridays like a Roman Catholic/not to have sex with prostitutes” (p. 23). And
regarding Kent’s line “Revenge, affirm, and turn their halcyon beaks,” the note
reads: “the kingfisher (halcyon) was thought to act as a weather vane if dried
and hung up” (p. 44). Regarding Lear’s “hewgh!” in Act 4 Scene 5, the note
reads “perhaps Lear imitates the sound of the arrow as it flies through the air
or hits the target” (p. 95). On that same page, the note regarding Edgar’s “Sweet
marjoram” reads: “Edgar invents a password that relates to Lear’s headgear and
to the plant’s alleged medicinal properties in treating brain disorders” (p.
95). Though the text follows the Folio version, the book does include the
Quarto passages that don’t appear in the Folio, presenting them in their own
section after the play. The book also includes a scene-by-scene analysis. In
that section, regarding Act 2 Scene 2, the editors write, “The encounter of
king and beggar, the question of ‘superfluity,’ and the stripping down from
courtly accoutrements to raw nature are at the core of the play” (p. 147).
There is also a history of performances of the play, focusing on RSC
productions. In that section, the editors write: “The political dimensions of
King Lear are most clearly evidenced in
the king’s interaction with the mad beggar. Edgar, the abused son, and Poor
Tom, the forgotten citizen of Lear’s England, embody both familial and national
neglect” (p. 176). Also regarding Edgar, they write: “Our opinion of Edgar will
determine how we consider the end of the play. His spiritual journey, which
echoes Lear’s, provides him with a unique understanding of humanity and the
preciousness of life. But he is also a very human avenger who has to set the
world right and provide hope for the future” (p. 180). This book also contains
interviews with directors who have tackled the play. This version, with the
footnotes, was originally published in 2007 in
William Shakespeare’s Complete Works. The Modern Library Paperback
Edition was published in 2009.
King Lear by William Shakespeare –
The next edition I read was one I’d read before, but was tricked into
purchasing a second time because of a different cover. It was The New Penguin
Shakespeare edition, edited by G.K. Hunter. I included notes on this edition in
an earlier post, but here is one note I did not mention the first time. In the
introduction, G.K. Hunter writes: “The old
King
Leir play gives an adequate motive for the love-contest, an unsubtle
motive, but one that fits perfectly well into the nature of the play. Leir
wishes to trick Cordella (Cordelia) into a profession of love so binding that
he will be able to demand that she marry the Irish king – which he desires for
political as well as personal reasons. Shakespeare removes this (understandably
enough), but substitutes nothing else; in his play, there is no motive at all”
(p. 27). This book was first published in 1972. I’m not sure what year this
copy was published, though there is some indication online that it might have
been 1999.
King Lear by William Shakespeare; illustrated
by Ian Pollock – This wonderfully illustrated edition begins with a drawing
of each character. There is then a bit about the themes of the play and on the
arc of Lear’s character, written by David Gibson. Gibson writes: “As Lear falls
into the terrible truth beneath appearances, he becomes, himself, the Fool. And
so devastating is his experience of the cruel world that he longs to see it
destroyed. When he was surrounded by lies, he believed everything: now,
surrounded by the truth, he can believe in nothing.” That is followed by a
brief synopsis of the story. This edition follows the Folio reading of Kent’s
line, “Reserve thy state.” Kent’s lines about banishment are presented in
thought bubbles, so not spoken aloud. Cordelia’s asides are likewise presented
in thought bubbles. When Edmund talks about his shape, he poses before a
mirror. Kent, when disguised, wears a fake beard, which is interesting because
some editors assume Kent has actually shaved his beard; thus his use of the
word “razed.” The Fool is a strange little character as depicted in this
volume. When Edgar first appears as Poor Tom before Lear, he reminds me of
Gollum from
Lord Of The Rings. Not
all asides are presented in thought bubbles, for Edgar’s line “My tears begin
to take his part so much, they mar my counterfeiting” is spoken aloud. The book’s
final page has an image of the Fool, hanged, so apparently taking Lear’s line literally
to mean the Fool was hanged, and not Cordelia. This book was published in 1984.
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