Staff Pick
Does it truly matter, if it doesn't last? King Lear is a story of loyalty, love, and loss, following the aging Lear as he grapples with the fleetingness of power and praise. A must read for any Shakespeare fan and my personal favorite out of all the Bard's tragedies; this one is the most harrowing... and graphic (careful if you're squeamish about eyes). Recommended By Nickolas J., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
[Lear] is the most awesome of all the poet's originals. No one else in Shakespeare is so legitimate a representation of supreme authority.
@HiLEARious What, my ungrateful girls are kicking me out? I’ll be cold and homeless. This sucketh. Very unexpected. Am I right?
Seriously. They SAID THEY LOVED ME. I really do not get it. Who lies just because they know it will win them land and power??
From Twitterature: The World's Greatest Books in Twenty Tweets or Less
Synopsis
The Signet Classics edition of one of William Shakespeare's bleakest tragedies.
Full of cruelty and betrayal, King Lear is the story of an aging monarch whose blindness to the true nature of those around him ultimately leads to madness and despair.
This revised Signet Classics edition includes unique features such as:
- An overview of Shakespeare's life, world, and theater
- A special introduction to the play by the editor, Russell Fraser
- Selections from Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia, and The True Chronicle History of King Lear, the sources from which Shakespeare derived King Lear
- Dramatic criticism from Samuel Johnson, A. C. Bradley, John Russell Brown, and others
- A comprehensive stage and screen history of notable actors, directors, and productions
- Text, notes, and commentaries printed in the clearest, most readable text
- And more...
Synopsis
The Signet Classics edition of one of William Shakespeare's greatest tragedies. Full of cruelty and betrayal, King Lear is the timeless and timely story of a kingdom held in the thrall of an aging ruler's descent into madness. Desperate for praise, he banishes those who would guide him with honesty and surrounds himself with sycophants--an action which leads to his ultimately tragic downfall...
This revised Signet Classics edition includes unique features such as:
- An overview of Shakespeare's life, world, and theater
- A special introduction to the play by the editor, Russell Fraser
- Selections from Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia, and The True Chronicle History of King Lear, the sources from which Shakespeare derived King Lear
- Dramatic criticism from Samuel Johnson, A. C. Bradley, John Russell Brown, and others
- A comprehensive stage and screen history of notable actors, directors, and productions
- Text, notes, and commentaries printed in the clearest, most readable text
- And more...
Synopsis
[Lear] is the most awesome of all the poet's originals. No one else in Shakespeare is so legitimate a representation of supreme authority.
Table of Contents
Samuel Johnson:
From ?Preface to Shakespeare? and ?King Lear?
A. C. Bradley: From Shakespearean Tragedy
Harley Granville-Barker: From Prefaces to Shakespeare
Maynard Mack: From ?King Lear? in Our Time
Linda Bamber: The Woman Reader in ?King Lear?
Sylvan Barnet: ?King Lear? on the Stage and Screen
NEWLY ADDED ESSAYS:
John Russell Brown: Staging Violence in ?King Lear?