One of my favourite of Billie's, this 'un so much so that, mad as I am, I chose to do a scholarly edition of the last 60 lines for a 'Working with Early Modern Texts' essay last year. Not one of the easiest plays IMHO - so you can be proud of yourself, Janet :mrgreen: - but definitely one of the most rewarding.
I remember our Global/Local Shakespeares professor showed us the RSC version with Ian McKellen at the end of the term, it's funny 'cos she intended to demonstrate just how dogmatic the RSC is when compared to funky interpretations influenced by postcolonial theory... except, the postcolonial interpretations had been all funkily dire and we ended up almost crying with joy upon hearing McKellen's majestic voice speaking the lines properly .
Have a nice theatre trip, do let us know whether it was any good !

That sounds lovely Janet! I hope you enjoy it.

Not one of my favourites i'm afraid.

Sorry to hear that, Kidsmum :mrgreen: any particular reason you didn't like it?

I tried reading this one and couldn't get through it. It seems a lot of you enjoyed it, though, so I'm willing to give it another try. :mrgreen:

I found it tough as well. Now that I've read it I think I'd like to see it, to iron out those bits I didn't quite get. (It's always better to watch rather than read a play IMO)

I disliked it mainly because i despised Lear so much, his foolishness & vanity i found hard to stomach, his descent into madness tiresome. Although Goneril & Regan are almost like pantomime baddies i found them the most interesting characters in the whole play. Othello is one of my favourites because even though like Lear he is flawed you have sympathy for him , i'm sure most people have experienced jealously & insecurity at some point in their lives. So i guess what i'm saying is whereas i could sympathise with Othello I could find nothing in my heart but contempt for Lear.

BookJumper said:
ETA: Andrea, I heartily recommend the RSC DVD to you. Ian McKellen can bring the instructions for changing a flat tire to life (and here, from 2.10' onwards, is evidentiary support to back up this claim), so just imagine what he can do to Shakespeare!

Kidsmum - it's fascinating how the same words can arouse such different feelings in people :roll:! Although I'm both jealous and insecure, I've never sympathised with Othello (that saint of his wife never gave him a reason to doubt her, so it was his own fault he allowed Iago's words to get to him, IMHO), whereas I never fail to cry at Lear loss of daughters, status and sanity, selfishly obtuse though he can be.
Fruska - you love Shakespeare? Looks like we have something in common, then :irked:!
~Andrea~ said:Lol Giulia, that clip is brilliant! And thanks for the recommendation. I will definitely be looking for that DVD!

Kind of liked Shakespeare while at school, but totally fell in love with it when I went to see RSC's Histories Cycle, which was the most amazing thing I've ever seen on stage.
Recently seen Lear and that is now fighting Richard II to be my favourite Shakespeare!! Kent's very last line really brought a lump to my throat!