The Lear King

King Lear (original title in English: The Tragedy of King Lear, The Tragedy of King Lear >) is one of William Shakespeare's major tragedies. It was written in his third period, began its writing in the year 1603 and was represented for the first time at the end of the following year. Their main source is an earlier work, King Leir (performed in 1594 and printed in 1605), and both are indebted to the main source, the Historia Regum Britanniæ written around 1135. by Godfrey of Monmouth, of purely Celtic roots. Its main theme is filial ingratitude, although it also deals with old age and madness.

The text has suffered various vicissitudes. It has been criticized that the author is not constant in the use of the five-foot iamb. There are two editions that can be considered originals called in Quarto (published in 1608) and in Folio (1623); also two authorized or critical editions, that of New Arden Shakespeare and that of the New Penguin Shakespeare. After the Restoration it was almost outlawed due to its "terrible end". His last scenes were changed and the character of the Jester was deleted. It was not until the middle of the XX century that it was recovered in all its dimensions and without any censorship.

The original introduction reads like this:

William Shakespeare, the authentic historical chronicle composed by him about the life and death of King Lear and his three daughters.

The Legend of King Lear

Lear is a legendary ruler of Britain, yet it's obvious that his story is part of the heritage of many cultures. The historical Lear would have lived before the founding of Rome, that is, in the 8th century a. C. According to the Historia regum Britanniae , Lear upon reaching old age decided to divide his kingdom between his daughters and their respective husbands even though he would maintain his royal authority.

When he asks them to declare their affection for them, Cordelia, the youngest daughter, disgusted by the fawning impudence of the sisters Gonerilda and Regania, replies that her affection is the one that every daughter feels for her father. Lear angrily disinherits her while he gives Cordelia's share to her other daughters and their respective husbands, the Duke of Albania and the Duke of Cornwall.

Shortly after, the King of France, which at that time corresponded to a third of Gaul, upon learning of Cordelia's extraordinary beauty, marries her, renouncing the dowry and taking her with him. Much later the two dukes rise up against the king and depose him. Lear then moves in with his daughter Cordelia, where he is welcomed with filial affection.

The King of France assembles an army and conquers all of Britain, restoring Lear to the throne. Three years later, when Lear and the King of France die, Cordelia remains Queen of Britain. Another five years of peace pass, when the son of the Duke of Albany and the Duke of Cornwall rebel against Cordelia and declare war on her. After some battles, they make her a prisoner of her and take her kingdom from her. Finally, she Cordelia commits suicide in jail.

The tragedy

Text

The text of King Lear derives from three sources: two editions in quarto (Q) published in 1608 and 1619 and the first version in folio (F) of 1623. There are significant differences between the two versions: Q contains 285 lines of text that are not in F, while F has 100 lines that are not in Q.

Early editors, such as Alexander Pope, chose to combine both texts, which produced a fairly long work compared to others being produced at the time. In 1931, Madeleine Doran suggested that the two texts came from different sources and that the differences between them should not be underestimated. However, such an argument was not fully discussed until the 1970s, when Michael Warren and Gary Taylor argued that Q was derived from Shakespeare's original writings, while F was derived from a performance version prepared by Shakespeare or someone else. That is, Q would be the author's original and F would be a summary to represent in the theater.

Characters

• LearKing of Brittany.
  • GonerildaKing Lear's firstborn.
  • ReganiaKing Lear's second daughter.
  • Cordelia, little daughter of King Lear, and her favorite.
• Duke of AlbaniaGonerilda's husband.
• Duke of CornwallRegania's husband.
• King of France, suitor first and husband after Cordelia.
• Duke of BurgundyCordelia's suitor.
• Count of KentKing Lear's faithful servant.
• Count of Gloucester, vassal and servant of King Lear and Cornwall.
  • EdgarGloucester's legitimate son.
  • EdmundoGloucester's bastard son.
• OsvaldoGonerilda's servant.
• The buffer or Crazy.A clown who entertains Lear, but at the same time makes him see the stupidity of his acts.

Plot

King Lear, already very old, decides to leave the direction of his kingdom to his three daughters, in order to be able to live out his last days in peace; for this he puts them to the test. However, he will soon feel threatened by them, seeing himself completely abandoned. Only some faithful to the king will try to return the kingdom to its former owner.

The play describes the consequences of the irresponsibility and misjudgment of Lear, ruler of ancient Britain, and his adviser, the Duke of Gloucester. The tragic end comes as a result of giving power to his evil daughters in equal parts and not to Cordelia, who manifests a love capable of redeeming evil for good; however she dies at the end, providing the idea that evil does not destroy itself; However, the fate of Cordelia's sisters and the opportunistic bastard son of the Earl of Gloucester befalls them.

Summary

According to the 1623 edition, the work is divided into five acts.

Lear is the old king of Brittany who, due to his old age, decides to divide his kingdom among his daughters Gonerilda, Regania and Cordelia. He divides it into parts according to the love they profess for him, but Cordelia, who is sincere, tells him that she could not express her love with words, the king, enraged by the response of his most beloved daughter, disinherits her. The Duke of Burgundy abandons the company, but the King of France, although he does not win more than Cordelia unfairly treated by his father the King, marries her, defending Cordelia against the injustice committed by the King costs her exile. Kent.

Lear reserves for himself the title of king and a hundred men at his service. He alternates his stay between the houses of his two daughters every month.

Gonerilda is the first to host her father. She decides to get him out of the way by ordering her service not to take good care of him, firing 50 of the king's own men and treating him like a forgetful old man. Gonerilda's husband, the Duke of Albania, does not approve of his wife's attitude but he is a man without character.

King Lear abandons Gonerilda and goes in search of his second daughter, Regania and her husband the Duke of Cornwall who are staying at the Earl of Gloucester's castle. There the king is equally mistreated by her daughter Regania and her husband, being forced to wander homeless during a storm while madness grows in him for having lost the love of her three daughters. Finally, he manages to stay in a hut with his jester, the Duke of Kent, who after his previous banishment had disguised himself as the king's servant without being recognized by anyone. Next to them also slept a tramp named Tom, who is actually Edgar, legitimate son of the Earl of Gloucester whom his natural brother, Edmund, with the intention of being able to inherit his father's possessions, has set a trap and ordered to kill. For this reason, Edgar goes into hiding.

The Earl of Gloucester, for his part, did not like that his guests and lords, Cornwall and Regania, threw the king out of his house, for which he confesses to his son Edmund (whom he believes is already his only son after the alleged betrayal Edgar) who is going to help King Lear also tells him that he has received a letter informing him that the King of France has entered the lands of the kingdom with the intention of also helping the dispossessed Lear.

When Gloucester sets out to find King Lear to ask him to meet the King of France at Dover, his bastard son Edmund confesses everything to Cornwall and his wife Regania so he can take all of his father's possessions. On the return, Gloucester is subjected to questioning by Cornwall and Regania and has his eye gouged out. Immediately afterwards, a servant tries to defend Gloucester, but after wounding Cornwall he falls before Regania and dies. Finally, Gloucester, without eyes, is left to his fate, but he already knows about Edmund's bastard son's betrayal of him and that Edgar never betrayed him, since it was all Edmundo's deceit.

At the same time, the rumor spread that the dukes of Albania and Cornwall could not stand each other and that they were close to war. But the death of Cornwall after the wound produced by the servant who tried to save Gloucester from the mutilation of her eyes leaves Regania a widow, who will try to win the new Earl of Gloucester, Edmund, for himself.

Back in Dover, Gloucester, Kent and Edgar meet Cordelia and try to heal the king. At that moment, Edgar kills Osvaldo (Gonerilda's servant) who was going after Gloucester to give him a complete death, under Regania's orders, and thus prevent the sad image of Gloucester from helping to put the people on his side. Upon her death, they discover that Osvaldo brought a letter from Gonerilda to Edmundo where he urges him to kill her husband, the Duke of Albania, and to make her her wife. Faced with this situation, Edmundo, who is unaware of the letter but knows about the feelings of Gonerilda and Regania, decides to play both sides with Lear's older daughters.

Finally the battle takes place, on the one hand, Cordelia and Lear with the French army and on the other hand, Edmund and Albania (the latter believes in Lear and Cordelia, but also believes that he must expel the invading army). Lear and Cordelia are taken prisoner by Edmund, who orders a knight to take them to prison and kill them there on his and Gonerilda's orders. But Albania, who shortly before had received from Edgar (still disguised) the letter that she extracted from Osvaldo, where Gonerilda urged Edmundo to kill him, accuses them of treason and dishonor. She calls everyone who can prove her accusation and Edgar enters disguised to fight Edmundo, who is defeated. After the revelation of Edgar's identity, he decides to confess everything he knew and Edgar also tells all about his misadventure (the betrayal he suffered, his father's repudiation...) and how his father, the Earl of Gloucester, had died smiling in his mouth when his heart broke when he learned that the one who had been helping him (after the mutilation of his eyes) in his latest misfortunes was his son Edgar.

While this situation was unfolding, a gentleman entered alerting Albania that his wife Gonerilda had poisoned her own sister (Regania) and that she had then killed herself with a dagger that she stuck into her heart. Such tragedies further soften the heart of the dying Edmund who revokes the order to kill Lear and Cordelia, but they arrive late, as Cordelia has been hanged, although the executioner was executed by Lear. Shortly after, the same soldier who had taken Edmundo reported that he had finally died from injuries received during his duel with Edgar.

Finally, Lear brings Cordelia's corpse before everyone and laments all his sorrows and before everyone, he dies from the pain of losing Cordelia, since he agreed to spend his days in prison as long as they are by his side. beloved daughter Cordelia.

In the face of tragedy of such magnitude, Albania decrees mourning and returns their titles and names to Kent and Edgar.

It is very interesting to highlight an important parallel that the author draws at the end of the book. As the ending of the play approaches, a great storm breaks out outside. And as Lear freaks out and makes incoherent comments, Shakespeare indicates that there has been some phenomenon like lightning or a tree being uprooted by the wind.

Analysis

In this work, Shakespeare delves into the human condition and the unnatural relationships that can occur in the family between parents and children, as well as between siblings.

The Elizabethan conception of the universe, contemporary to Shakespeare, was that of a cosmic order whose key was harmony, which resided in respect for the hierarchy and the natural subordination of the inferior to the superior. Order and harmony had to occur in three interrelated spheres: the universe (macrocosm), the political state, and man (microcosm). What happened in one of them had its parallel, correspondence and repercussion in the others. The assassination of a king, the usurpation of the throne, or a revolution, led to a chaos that found its parallel in an atmospheric disorder, such as a storm or an eclipse, and also in man, who fell victim to insomnia or craziness.

In King Lear, this interrelationship is made explicit in the parliament of Gloucester about the consequences of eclipses and their impact on the kingdom, the family and the individual (act I, scene II). In line with the cited worldview, family disorder corresponds to that of the state, filial ingratitude corresponds to political instability, and the chaos of the elements in the storm finds an echo in Lear's madness. Coincidentally with this vision, in Macbeth the alteration that occurs in Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking.

In Shakespeare's tragedies, evil is not only external, the product of chance or destiny. The tragic hero is destroyed because there is something in him that contributes to his own destruction. In Lear's case, tragedy ensues when he breaks up his kingdom, errs about his daughters, falls prey to rage, and banishes Kent, who is his most trusted subject.

Good and evil are clearly delimited territories. The characters are distributed in two basic groups: Lear, Cordelia, Edgardo and Gloucester are on the side of good; Gonerilda, Regania, Edmundo and Cornwall are on the side of evil. However, it is not possible to simplify the characters, since they are complex people, starting with Lear who emerges as a new positive being after a purification process that makes him reborn. Edmundo, for his part, is not an evil character, but an amoral one, and has redeeming qualities such as his ability to admit mistakes, change his mind, and want to save Cordelia. Similarly they change and grow throughout the work Gloucester and Albania.

The central story of Lear and his daughters is matched by that of Gloucester and his sons. Both patriarchs contribute to the chaos in the family and the state; later Lear plunges into madness and Gloucester blindness, but in both cases darkness gives way to spiritual illumination.

By undressing in the moor, Lear gets rid of the accessory and superfluous, and reaches a pure state, the naked human essence, uncontaminated by civilization. The banishment to which Lear is subjected will confront him with the landscape; to that landscape that offers him a wild and chaotic nature and to his own inner landscape: the landscape of madness.

In this work, nature is one more character. The order that Shakespeare presents in King Lear is a pre-Christian order, a pagan order in which nature is a god and man is governed by the force of the elements and the stars. the Storm as a physical manifestation and as a theme represents the central axis of the piece, marking a turning point in the main characters.

Spanish versions

King Lear is one of the great works of Shakespeare less performed in Spanish, given its complexity. The three productions by Miguel Narros in 1967, 1982 and 1997 stand out, starring respectively Carlos Lemos, Fermí Reixach and Helio Pedregal. In 1981 it was premiered in Mexico by Salvador Garcini with the incarnation of Lear by Ignacio López Tarso.

In 2004 Calixto Bieito premiered a new version at the Teatro Romea in Barcelona starring José María Pou. In 2008 the National Dramatic Center would present it with the direction of Gerardo Vera, the adaptation of Juan Mayorga and with Alfredo Alcón in the character of the King, who will repeat the same role in Buenos Aires the following year with the direction of Rubén Szuchmacher.

In 2014 Teatro El Galpón in Montevideo presented the version directed by Sergio Pereira, played in his main role by Walter Rey. In 2015 the Teatre Lliure in Barcelona hosted the staging directed by Lluis Pasqual, with Nuria Espert in the leading role. Another actress, Carmen Gallardo, embodies the monarch in the production that Atalaya premieres in 2018 at the Central Theater in Seville, directed by Ricardo Iniesta.

Accommodations

Opera

• 1831: Le Roi Lear. Conceived only as an obertura (op. 4), this musical piece was composed by Héctor Berlioz in Nice in 1831 during his return to France after a stay in Italy. The opening was opened on December 22, 1833 at the Paris Conservatory.
• 1850: Re Lear, drama of four acts by Giuseppe Verdi (even).
• 1890: Le Roi Lear. Book based on Shakespeare and Holinshed, written by Jules and Eugene Adenis, with music by Henry Litolff (composed to be completed by 1890).

Theater

• Lear from Edward Bond.

• We are all King Lear by Guillermo Schmidhuber de la Mora, Mexican playwright.

Cinema

• 1953 - King Lear led by Andrew McCullough with Orson Welles as King Lear.
• 1969 - King Lear led by Grigori Kózintsev, with Jüri Järvet as King Lear.
• 1971 - King Leardirected by Peter Brook with Paul Scofield as King Lear. The script was reduced and remade in several parts.
• 1974 - King Lear, TV movie directed by Edwin Sherin.
• 1982 - King Lear, TV movie led by Jonathan Miller with Michael Hordern as King Lear.
• 1984 - King Leardirected by Michael Elliott with Laurence Olivier as King Lear.
• 1985 - Ran led by Akira Kurosawa.
• 1987 - King Lear directed by Jean-Luc Godard, version of the work set in a postapocalyptic world and interpreted by Woody Allen in the role of Mr. Alien
• 1997 - King Lear, TV film directed by Richard Eyre, with Sir Ian Holm.
• 1999 - King Lear, digested by Brian Blessed and himself acts as King Lear.
• 2001 - My Kingdom Richard Harris and Lynn Redgrave. A modern version set in a zone of misery.
• 2002 - King of TexasA television adaptation set in Texas, led by Uli Edel, with Patrick Stewart as John Lear.
• 2008 - King Lear film by the Royal Shakespeare Company with Ian McKellen in the role of King Lear.
• 2018 - King Leardirected by Richard Eyre, with Anthony Hopkins as King Lear and Emma Thompson as Goneril.

The play in Spanish

The piece was not translated into Spanish until 1870 in the volume Shakespeare's Great Dramas, by Francisco Nacente. Fourteen years later it was performed by the company of the Italian Ernesto Rossi.

Other translators were the Spanish playwright Jacinto Benavente, the Uruguayan poet Idea Vilariño (Losada) and Vicente Molina Foix in 1989. The first of the aforementioned versions was staged at the Teatro Español in Madrid in 1967, directed by Miguel Narros and interpretation by Carlos Lemos, Agustín González, Juan Luis Galiardo, Ana Belén, Víctor Valverde, José Luis Pellicena, Berta Riaza and Julieta Serrano.

The translation by the Chilean poet Nicanor Parra also stands out, initially made between 1990 and 1992 for a production by the Universidad Católica Theater School under the direction of Alfredo Castro, and later published in his book Lear, rey & beggar (2004). This translation is filled with Parra's own interpretation, with a crude and ironic language typical of his anti-poetry.