King Lear

King Lear

Author: William Shakespeare
Desc: Shakespeare’s King Lear challenges us with the magnitude intensity and sheer duration of the pain that it represents. Its figures harden their hearts engage in violence or try to alleviate the suffering of others. Lear himself rages until his sanity cracks. What then keeps bringing us back to King Lear? For all the force of its language King Lear is almost equally powerful when translated suggesting that it is the story in large part that draws us to the play. The play tells us about families struggling between greed and cruelty on the one hand and support and consolation on the other. Emotions are extreme magnified to gigantic proportions. We also see old age portrayed in all its vulnerability pride and perhaps wisdom—one reason this most devastating of Shakespeare’s tragedies is also perhaps his most moving. The authoritative edition of King Lear from The Folger Shakespeare Library the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers includes: -Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play -Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play -Scene-by-scene plot summaries -A key to the play’s famous lines and phrases -An introduction to reading Shakespeare’s language -An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play -Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books -An annotated guide to further reading Essay by Susan Snyder The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC is home to the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare’s printed works and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information visit Folger.edu.