King Lear is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1606. The first known performance of the play took place on 26th of December, 1606. This was the only recorded performance from Shakespeare’s lifetime. It is considered to be one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays, which delves into the issues of madness, age, power, lust and betrayal.
Sources of The Play
The work is based upon the legend of Leir of Britain. Shakespeare used Holinshed’s The Chronicles of England, Scotlande and Irelande(sic)as his predominant source material. Holinshed discovered the legend in an even older text, Historia Regum Britanniae, which dates from the 12th century.
It is thought that the subplot, of Gloucester and his two sons, was inspired by Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia, written by Philip Sidney.
Adaptations of King Lear and Censorship
The play returned to the stage in the course of the restoration, during the 1660s. It was unpopular though, and many considered the bleak conclusion of the play too morbid.
However, in 1681, Nahum Tate revised the play and gave it a happy ending in which Cordelia and Lear survive. Edgar and Cordelia are married, and Lear resumes the throne. In addition, Tate removed the part of The Fool and created a new character, Arante. This version graced the stage until the latter part of the 18th century.
During the late 18th and early 19th centuries the play was banned from being performed. It was at this time that George III was displaying signs of insanity and it was thought inappropriate to have a stage representation of a mad monarch. Shakespeare’s version of the play was not performed again in London until 1838.
Cordelia & The Fool
There has been much debate about the role of The Fool. It is often supposed that there was a doubling of roles, and that Cordelia and The Fool were played by the same boy actor (during Shakespeare’s lifetime women were not permitted to act, therefore female roles were played by boys).
It can be argued that the two roles certainly mirror each other. For example, both characters refuse to humour Lear and are resolute in telling the truth as they see it. In addition, Lear’s line in the final scene “And my poor fool is hanged…” as he holds the dead body of Cordelia. Lear may be speaking of Cordelia when he says this. On the other hand, it could be that he is referring to The Fool as a seperate character, as in Trevor Nunn’s production in which The Fool is hanged on stage.
However, in Elizabethan English the word fool was a term applied to a young child. Therefore, Lear could simply be referring to Cordelia and remembering her as a young girl.
Lear's Madness
Debate over King Lear’s mental malaise has also been rife during the play’s existence. Madness is something which Shakespeare shows more than just a passing interest, there is evidence of this within Hamlet and Titus Andronicus. It could be argued that Lear’s mental state is brought about by his daughter’s actions and exposure to the elements.
However, although it is clear that his condition is exacerbated through the course of the play, there is evidence to suggest that he is not of sound mind from the outset. He disowns the daughter who is honest and expels his most loyal subject, Kent.
The peak of Lear’s madness is displayed during the storm and it is only dissipated when he is reunited with Cordelia.
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