02 June 2010

WEEK TWENTY-TWO - 'KING LEAR'

'King Lear' by William Shakespeare
May 24 - 27, 145 pages

Yes, another Shakespeare. I just can't get enough.

This play is intense. And complicated. At times I struggled to keep up with everything that was happening. But it's worth it. What I like about the Bard (well, one of the many things) is that, despite being written centuries ago, we can still take something from his plays and relate to them. 'We that are young / Shall never see so much, nor live so long.'

It was also exciting to read the line, 'I am a man / More sinned against than sinning.'

A real Shakespearean tragedy. Everyone dies.

I can't help but mention this brilliant exchange:
Oswald   What dost thou know me for?
Kent        A knave, a rascal, an eater of broken meats, a base proud, shallow, beggarly, three-suited, hundred-pound, filthy-worsted-stocking knave; a lily-livered, action-taking, whoreson glass-gazing super-serviceable finical rogue, one-trunk-inheriting slave; one that wouldst be a bawd in way of good service, and art nothing but the composition of a knave, beggar, coward, pander, and the son and heir of a mongrel bitch; one whom I will beat into clamorous whining if thou deniest the least syllable of thy addition.
Oh, how perfect.

Also:

'tis a naughty night to swim in'

'Was this a face / To be opposed against the warring winds?'

'if it be man's work, I'll do 't'

'The younger rises when the old doth fall'

I'm going to see this play in the theatre next week. I am ridiculously excited.

No comments:

Post a Comment