King Lear

King Lear is widely considered to be Shakespeare's greatest and most challenging play. This unique volume features: • a scene-by-scene commentary that traces the play's on-stage life and an audience's progressive experience of performance • a close reading of the text that leads to a re-assessment of the tragedy's achievement • discussion of the play's sources, and its cultural and political context • accounts of major performances on stage and screen, and of notable critical assessments. Inspiring and stimulating, this essential study of King Lear in both text and performance offers a path to a fuller knowledge of Shakespeare's verbal, theatrical and imaginative art.