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He led the procession of courtiers, including Cornwall, Albany and Gloucester, leaving Goneril and Regan, staring after them. Edmund frowned. ‘I’ll offend you either to give it to you or withhold it. The contents, as far as I can follow them, are offensive.’ He half extracted the letter then stopped.
Kent arrives in Dover where he learns that Cordelia is now in charge of the French army, and that Lear has arrived safely, although still mentally unwell. Lear refuses to see Cordelia because he is ashamed of the way he treated her, and armies are on their way from both Regan and Goneril’s castles to fight the French.Is that all it is?’ said France. ‘A natural reticence that often stops one from speaking one’s thoughts? My Lord of Burgundy, what do you say to the lady? Love isn’t love when it’s confused with considerations that have nothing to do with it. Will you have her? She is a dowry in herself.’ I’ve never thought of my life as anything more than a poor pawn to be used against your enemies: nor do I fear to lose it in the interests of your safety.’ The 2009 novel Fool by Christopher Moore is a comedic retelling of King Lear from the perspective of the court jester. [172]
King Lear of Britain, elderly and wanting to retire from the duties of the monarchy, decides to divide his realm among his three daughters, and declares he will offer the largest share to the one who loves him most. The eldest, Goneril, speaks first, declaring her love for her father in fulsome terms. Moved by her flattery, Lear proceeds to grant to Goneril her share as soon as she has finished her declaration, before Regan and Cordelia have a chance to speak. He then awards to Regan her share as soon as she has spoken. When it is finally the turn of his youngest and favourite daughter, Cordelia, at first she refuses to say anything ("Nothing, my Lord") and then declares there is nothing to compare her love to, no words to express it properly; she says honestly but bluntly that she loves him according to her bond, no more and no less, and will reserve half of her love for her future husband. Infuriated, Lear disinherits Cordelia and divides her share between her elder sisters. Alas,’ said Gloucester. ‘It will be night eventually and the bleak winds are blustering harshly. There’s hardly a bush for miles around.’ The play offers an alternative to the feudal-Machiavellian polarity, an alternative foreshadowed in France's speech (I.1.245–256), in Lear and Gloucester's prayers (III.4. 28–36; IV.1.61–66), and in the figure of Cordelia. Until the decent society is achieved, we are meant to take as role-model (though qualified by Shakespearean ironies) Edgar, "the machiavel of goodness", [29] endurance, courage and "ripeness". [28] Three daughters of King Lear by Gustav Pope To you and yours forever,’ Lear was saying, ‘is this extensive third of our beautiful kingdom, no less in size, no less valuable, no less pleasant than that conferred on Goneril.’ He looked up, straight into Cordelia’s eyes. He smiled. ‘Now, our joy: although our last born, not our least: for whose young love the vineyards of France and the milk of Burgundy compete. What can you say to attract a third more valuable than your sisters? Speak.’ I beg of you, sir, excuse me. It’s a letter from my brother that I haven’t finished reading, and from what I’ve seen so far I don’t think it’s fit for your eyes.’Or alternatively why not try reading the original text of Shakespeare’s King Lear? Read modern English King Lear, or the original King Lear text: King Lear in modern English made you the guardians of my kingdom, and my trustees, but with the condition that I should keep a following of such a number. What? Do I have to come to you with twenty-five? Regan, is that what you said?’ I can’t imagine for a moment that my sister would fail in her duty. If she has indeed restrained the wildness of your followers it would be on such grounds and for such good reasons as to clear her from all blame.’ I was responsible for his conception,’ laughed Gloucester. ‘I’ve been embarrassed to admit it so many times that I’m brazened to it now.’ Logan, Michael (31 December 2014). "Lee Daniels Builds a Soapy New Hip-Hop Empire for Fox". TV Guide. CBS Interactive . Retrieved 3 January 2015.
Jane Smiley's 1991 novel A Thousand Acres, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, is based on King Lear, but set in a farm in Iowa in 1979 and told from the perspective of the oldest daughter. [171] Shut your doors, my lord,’ said Cornwall. ‘It’s a wild night. My Regan’s giving you good advice. Come out of the storm.’ Return to her? And fifty men dismissed? No, I’d rather reject all shelter and choose to fight the elements: be the companion of the wolf and the owl, feel the sharp pinch of deprivation. Return with her? I would rather kneel before the throne of the passionate France, who took our youngest-born without a dowry, and like a petty squire, beg a pension of him to keep the wolf from the door. Return with her! Persuade me instead to be the slave and underling to this detested servant!’ He pointed at Oswald.Then leave her, sir, because I’m telling you in the name of the God who made me, that’s all her wealth.’ Gloucester reveals to Edmund that he is appalled by the way that Regan, Goneril, and Cornwall treated Lear, and that he is secretly In communication with the French. Edmund delights in the fact that he can now reveal Gloucester’s plans to Cornwall and hopefully inherent Gloucester’s fortune after Gloucester is put to death. Brook's earlier vision of the play proved influential, and directors have gone further in presenting Lear as (in the words of R. A. Foakes) "a pathetic senior citizen trapped in a violent and hostile environment". When John Wood took the role in 1990, he played the later scenes in clothes that looked like cast-offs, inviting deliberate parallels with the uncared-for in modern Western societies. [103] Indeed, modern productions of Shakespeare's plays often reflect the world in which they are performed as much as the world for which they were written: and the Moscow theatre scene in 1994 provided an example, when two very different productions of the play (those by Sergei Zhonovach and Alexei Borodin), very different from one another in their style and outlook, were both reflections on the break-up of the Soviet Union. [104] 21st century [ edit ] Holinshed states that the story is set when Joash was King of Judah (c. 800 BC), while Shakespeare avoids dating the setting, only suggesting that it is sometime in the pre-Christian era. In the 2012 romantic comedy If I Were You, there is a reference to the play when the lead characters are cast in a female version of King Lear set in modern times, with Marcia Gay Harden cast in the Lear role and Leonor Watling as "the fool". Lear is an executive in a corporate empire instead of a literal one, being phased out of her position. The off-beat play (and its cast) is a major plot element of the movie. [ citation needed] The American musical drama television series Empire is partially inspired by King Lear. [159] [160] [161]
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