King Lear

the King Lear is a part considered as baroque of Shakespeare. Indicated like Tragedy, it is written by the Master in 1604 and is played in 1606.

One is then during the second time of writing of Shakespeare, saddest.

King Lear, decides to divide his kingdom into three equal shares which correspond to the number of his/her daughters, Régane, Goneril and Cordélia. But before bequeathing his ground, the old man asks his descent to express his love to him. Whereas the two first do not hesitate to play the chart of the hypocritical flattery, Cordélia is shown held although she loves her father deeply. This last, furious and full with pride vis-a-vis this refusal to express its feelings, hunting; it thus leaves for the France, to marry with the French king, to only appear to appreciate its honesty. Another close relation of the King is also banished, the count of Kent. But progressively the tragedy, the king realizes of the falseness of Régane and Goneril. In parallel draws up itself one second “always intrigues” on the same topic of the subsidiary love.

The subject and the main characters of the part are borrowed from the Historia regum Britanniae of Geoffroy de Monmouth, particularly Leir, legendary king of the island of Brittany.

Artistic fortune

One counts broad marks of the influence of the part in the imaginary artistic one, in particular in the musicians. One can quote:

- the opening of Hector Berlioz H.53 (April-May 1831);

- the project of opera of Giuseppe Verdi;

- the opening of Felix Weingartner;

- the opera König Lear of Aribert Reimann.

Random links: