The Tragedy of King Lear

Offers a completely new introduction, with a particular emphasis on the play's afterlife in global performance and adaptation.

William Shakespeare (Author), Lois Potter (Introduction by), Jay Halio (Edited by)

9781107195868, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 14 May 2020

312 pages, 19 b/w illus.
23.5 x 15.7 x 1.9 cm, 0.62 kg

'The updated New Cambridge critical edition of The Tragedy of King Lear provides a sensitive analysis of the afterlife of the play in a brand-new Introduction written by Lois Potter. There is … plenty in this Introduction to inspire new work on Lear … Potter's Introduction brings the edition and the play into the twenty-first century, and Gibbons' preface to Halio's 'Textual Analysis' helps to translate an edition ideal for graduate students and scholars of the play into an edition that will also appeal to readers approaching textual criticism for the first time.' Emma Depledge, Shakespeare Survey

For this updated critical edition of King Lear, Lois Potter has written a completely new introduction, taking account of recent productions and reinterpretations of the play, with particular emphasis on its afterlife in global performance and adaptation. The edition retains the Textual Analysis of the previous editor, Jay L. Halio, shortened and with a new preface by Brian Gibbons.  Professor Halio, accepting that we have two versions of equal authority, the one derived from Shakespeare's rough drafts, the other from a manuscript used in the playhouses during the seventeenth century, chooses the Folio as the text for this edition.  He explains the differences between the two versions and alerts the reader to the rival claims of the quarto by means of a sampling of parallel passages in the Introduction and by an appendix which contains annotated passages unique to the quarto.

Introduction
Textual Analysis
Preface by Brian Gibbons
Textual Analysis, Part 1
A Note on the Text
List of Characters
The Play
Textual Analysis, Part 2
Appendix: Passages Unique to the First Quarto
Reading List.

Subject Areas: Shakespeare studies & criticism [DSGS], Shakespeare plays [DDS], Literature & literary studies [D], Theatre studies [AN]