Textual Problems

Shakespeare: King Lear

In this course, we explore several aspects of King Lear. We begin by looking at some of the textual problems of the play, before looking at aspects of the play and its performance. In particular, we explore the play’s comedic structure, the staging of the play, the role of Lear himself, and the problem of the play’s bleakness.

Textual Problems

King Lear is one of four plays where the quarto text differs significantly from the folio text: there are scenes that appear, scenes that disappear, and speeches that are reassigned. In this module, we explore the textual problems associated with King Lear, and how these have been dealt with in the past and nowadays.