<p>Episode 217:</p><br><p>‘King Lear’, the play that is now often regarded as Shakespeare’s finest and deepest work is most often compared to the other two great tragedies of this period in Shakespeare’s writing, ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Othello’, and of course there are thematic comparisons that can be made with those plays, but it has to be pointed out that ‘King Lear’ is also a very different play in tone and structure.&nbsp;&nbsp;Whether we rate ‘King Lear’ as Shakespeare’s best play or not it is a play that has deeply affected audiences and critics through the centuries and I can only imagine the mark it leaves on actors who take on the main roles.&nbsp;&nbsp;Sadly, what we lack is much detail about initial reactions to the play.</p><br><p>The early performance and publishing history of the play</p><p>The influences and sources for the play</p><p>The opening scene of the play and the abandonment of the natural order</p><p>The questions of judgement and miscommunication in the play</p><p>The character of Goneril</p><p>Edmund as one of Shakespeare’s truly evil characters</p><p>Kent as the voice of reason and loyalty</p><p>Lear and the Fool in the storm</p><p>Lear’s moral awakening</p><br><p><br></p><p>Support the podcast at:</p><p><a href="http://www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com</a></p><p><a href="http://www.patreon.com/thoetp" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.patreon.com/thoetp</a></p><p><a href="http://www.ko-fi.com/thoetp" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.ko-fi.com/thoetp</a></p><br><p>You can find an advertisement free version of the latest podcast episodes by joining on Patreon at the lowest paid tier level – that’s for just £1 per month.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p><p><br></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>