Analysis of Shakespeares King Lear - 684 Words

When Lee Soroko decided to produce a version of Shakespeares tragedy King Lear, the University of Miami Theater departments director set out to make a modern version but one that remains relatively true to the original. It is a version of which Shakespeare himself would be proud. Soroko sets King Lear in the contemporary world. The base problem is the same: King Lear is old and needs to determine who will succeed him. He has three daughters from which to choose. Instead of choosing the best one, he chooses to divide his estate among the two daughters who betray him the most and who are the worst possible leaders. King Lear is about leadership, politics, and family dynamics. It is also a play about human nature. The actors do a good job in bringing the Shakespeare dialogue to life using rhythm in their voices. There are ample props used on stage, and the settings are designed so that the audience can keep track of what is going on. The costumes were the most surprising thing. If I had walked into the Ring Theatre in the middle of the play not knowing what it was, I would not have known that it was a Shakespeare production. The costumes are too modern. However, King Lears military uniform is fitting and even if he wears no crown, we know exactly who he is. The most powerful use of costumes come toward the end of the play, as the blood baths ensue. King Lear is depicted in one scene appearing like a Christ figure. He wears a wreath like the crown of thorns. Earlier in theShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s Othello And Timon Of Athens1259 Words   |  6 Pages Of the many people to have critiqued King Lear, A.C. Bradley arguably does the most through job as seen in Lecture VII and VIII of h is work Shakespearean Tragedy. In Lecture VII, Bradley begins by discussing the similarities King Lear has to Shakespeare’s other works including Othello and Timon of Athens (245-246). For instance, in Othello, Iago reminds of Edmund and Othello’s trickery reminds us of the deceitfulness of Gloucester. Additionally, the scene where Othello watched Iago and CassioRead MoreKing Lear and the Genre of Tragedy Essay960 Words   |  4 Pagesof the hero. Written between 1604 and 1606, ‘King Lear’ falls into the genre of tragedy, depicting the destruction and downfall of the main character (Abrams). The play centres on Lear, an aging king who, in his retirement, decides to divide his kingdom between his three daughters while retaining the title and privileges of being king. However, King Lear’s actions lead to the destruction of his family, tearing up his kingdom and creating a war. ‘King Lear’ is a tragedy as it follows the codes and conv entionsRead MoreA Comparison Between the Plots of King Lear and Much Ado about Nothing910 Words   |  4 Pagestaking a closer look at the plots of King Lear and Much Ado about Nothing. There are both similarities and differences in King Lear’s and Much Ado about Nothing’s plots in the rising action, climax, and resolution. Initially, There are both similarities and differences in King Lear’s and Much Ado about Nothing’s plots in the rising action. In both cases, you aren’t given much time upon beginning until situations start to escalate. Now, before I say anything about King Lear’s plot, I’d like to point outRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s A Midsummer Night s Dream And Fool1401 Words   |  6 Pagesfool suggests that fools serve as an important institution of the Shakespearean stage. But what is the role of the Shakespeare’s fools in his works? And how do particular characteristics about these fools help them achieve this purpose? Through an in-depth analysis of Shakespeare’s arguably two most famous fools, Puck (Robin Goodfellow) from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Fool in King Lear; an argument can be made that the scope of the fool goes far beyond being solely a comedic figure. Using a ShakespeareanRead MoreWhat Is Love, a Comparison of Love i n Othello and King Lear1488 Words   |  6 PagesOthello and King Lear. Three different kinds of loves explored in both Othello and King Lear, sharing both similarities and differences are a love for a significant other, the love a father holds to his children, and the love a daughter holds for her father. By looking at the outcomes of these loves one may draw a sense of loves negative and positive effects, and how the different traits of loves play into the outcomes in the fate of Shakespeares characters. Through the analysis of love in theseRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s King Lear3086 Words   |  13 Pages4 March 2015 King Lear William Shakespeare uses several literary elements in his writing, elements which are especially apparent in his play, King Lear. Shakespeare uses excellent creativity and description when writing this tragedy. â€Å"Neither has Shakespeare placed in the mouth of any other character in this play such fatalistic expressions as may be found in King Lear and occasionally elsewhere†(A.C. 2003). The way King Lear talks in this play is very evil compared to shakespeare’s other works.Read MoreWilliam Shakespeare s King Lear1480 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction William Shakespeare wrote the play of â€Å"King Lear† in 1986. This is a typical play of human coarseness and vengeance. The play challenges the audience through the contradiction of the goodness and primordial evil of a man. Many characters in this play demonstrate the tendencies of virtuous or vicious throughout the play. There are many themes in the play, but the most prevailing relates to the subject of justice. Shakespeare demonstrates this thematic deception of themes through instancesRead MoreEssay on Lears Character in William Shakespeares Play1216 Words   |  5 PagesLears Character in William Shakespeares Play The view of Lear being bent on his own destruction from the beginning of the play is an acceptable claim. The way he begins in the play, dividing up his country for his daughters, in essence, this spelt disaster. Unlike other renaissance dramatists, who used ‘mad scenes’ for comic use, Shakespeare seems intent onRead MoreReligion in Shakespeare1024 Words   |  4 Pageshis own religious beliefs, however, through further analysis of [insert names of plays], once can begin to understand the socioeconomic issues he sought to raise through his biblical allusions. Sandra Hole’s The Background of Divine Action in King Lear comments on how the play â€Å"is a religious rather than a secular play in the sense that its real focus is not on the hero but on the background of divine action.† (Hole, 217) A lot of Shakespeare’s plays are set in religious environments were allusionsRead MoreA Comparative Analysis of the Characters of King Lear and Hidetora526 Words   |  2 Pagesin human history dont just resurface in critical analysis but are also given new life when channeled through modern media. This is well-exemplified by legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawas 1985 epic, Ran. The highly regarded and high-budgeted film, based on William Shakespeares 1606 play King Lear, demonstrates the power retained by the original play even when dramatically recontextualized. Indeed, in a comparative discussion of King Lear and Hidetora, his counterpart in the Kurosawa film