King Lear

CONTENTS

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

An Old Man Tottering About the Stage?

The Division of the Kingdom

Ripeness Is All?

This Great Stage of Fools

About the Text

Key Facts

The Tragedy of King Lear

Act 1

Scene 1

Scene 2

Scene 3

Scene 4

Scene 5

Act 2

Scene 1

Scene 2

Act 3

Scene 1

Scene 2

Scene 3

Scene 4

Scene 5

Scene 6

Scene 7

Act 4

Scene 1

Scene 2

Scene 3

Scene 4

Scene 5

Scene 6

Act 5

Scene 1

Scene 2

Scene 3

Textual Notes

Quarto Passages That Do Not Appear in the Folio

Scene-by-Scene Analysis

King Lear in Performance: The RSC and Beyond

Four Centuries of King Lear: An Overview

At the RSC

The Director’s Cut: Interviews with Adrian Noble, Deborah Warner, and Trevor Nunn

Shakespeare’s Career in the Theater

Beginnings

Playhouses

The Ensemble at Work

The King’s Man

Shakespeare’s Works: A Chronology

The History Behind the Tragedies: A Chronology

Further Reading and Viewing

References

Acknowledgments and Picture Credits