King Lear Hardcover – August 23, 2016

There's an amusing quote on the back from a member of some Shakespearean society about how this book is a vital tool for young readers who cannot appreciate Shakespeare. This just smacks of pretension, and is presumably a remnant of those pre-Sparknotes days when students cheated with comic books, rather than simply googling summaries as they do now. This is a fine, fine book, and a whole heck of a lot more than a mere learning tool. Shakespeare wrote play, and plays are meant to be performed, to be seen rather than read. This book reads like a unique Lear production, with Pollock's lovely art providing every element except the gorgeous prose; not a single word has been changed or omitted.Pollock has said that he took up this project for the chance to do a comic book, loving the Beano more than the Bard. I find this rather extraordinary, in that Pollock is able to capture the characters so well; his understanding of the cast suggests someone with a great passion for Lear. His talent for caricature is a beauty, his paintings capturing the broad, iconic look of the characters as well as the little subtle touches. He nails the players better than most actors have. He's also does a great job making the transition from illustrator/single-panel cartoonist to a full blown panelist. There can be a bit of a disconnect from panel to panel at times, but his compositions are always perfectly arranged; this extends from the panels to the pages as a whole, with each element carefully balanced and weighed together. Rather than the usual naturalistic flow of most comics, he treats each page as an illustration in it's entirety and avoids the usual painted comic pitfall of placing the focus upon pretty pictures that don't really tell a story.This is more than a dinky novelty; this is a superb play with virtuoso performances all around. This is some d*mn good s***, man. Buy it.

King Lear is bleak even amongst Shakespeare’s tragedies. Not only do the just and unjust both perish but there is a pervasive sense that man is the plaything of the gods, if they peer down at all.And yet, critics also note that undoubtedly, as a result of his sufferings, Lear grows in character. The king who bestows his kingdom on two daughters because of flattery and turns out the other based on honesty is not the same person who recognizes his weaknesses and failings and stands solemnly as the true king at the end of the play.If this is so, if character transformation and morality can be the product of human effort and not divine intervention, could we not call King Lear an exercise in secular humanism? That is, when we cast off mythologies we do not cast away all moralities but see the wisdom and goodness these tales sometimes brought?It’s only an interpretation, and it may be a stretch at that, but that is the only way I can conceive of the combination of theological darkness and the depth of humanity shown in Lear. it is a brutal vision of life, tempered only by the peculiar ability of the human animal to mature and grow. Or, in short, a pre-modern version of humanism appropriate to the oft dark world that was Shakespeare’s era.

King Lear is a complex tragedy of a dysfunctional man who retires from his throne and decides to leave his estate to his three daughters, Regan, Goneril, and Cordelia. Lear ask each daughter to pledge their absolute love for him, which Regan and Goneril do, and Cordelia refuses to do, saying that she loves her husband more. Lear rejects her and gives his full estate to his other daughters, who lied to him. Later, they plot to kill Lear because they are impatient to wait for him to die. This play has multiple themes, but the most important one is how Lear became homeless, because of poor life management. This is a play with a contemporary theme- homelessness. We live in a world where businesses lay people off and have they have trouble getting a new job and end up in a shelter or homeless. We assume that we will always have a job or get a new one. But older people are denied work because of their age, and businesses have cut retirement plans.Thus, if we don't plan for retirement, we could be homeless, like Lear. Richard Shaw is the author of King Lear- crisis of a dysfunctional​ man (Auidble.Com and Kindle.

If you have a child that's into drama chances are they can and will be reading king Lear at some point. This is a reprint of the classic Shakespeare play that's based little bit off of the mythological person that it's named after. It's a classic tragedy that's a bit heavy with politics. It's a good read for teens and you will most likely find yourself buying this if you have a child that's going through highschool. The text as far as I can tell is not modified and still appears to be in its original form. 10/10

Ok - it's Shakespeare: points awarded. But I found myself loving the word play immensely. I was scratching notes in the columns - started my own word count when I found patterns... and then (as this was read for school) went head-first into the analytical essay to be written. Oddly - the instructor now has us working on a research paper which asks, "Did Shakespeare write Shakespeare?"And a NOTE: I always wait to read any prologues or introductions AFTER I've read a text. I don't want the "authoritative voice" in the intro influencing my take on the book. But I do read them AFTER. This intro by Russell Fraser has to be the most inane blather I've found yet. It directly cops lines out of the play. And Fraser just makes himself giddy by musically rearranging words and paragraphs to no particular point - it is the sound of ones insides turning themselves out. As Goneril put it - "Good sir, to th' purpose."