King Lear A Shakespearean Shakespearian Tragedy

The play King Lear is what is known as a Shakespearian tragedy. All that this means is that it was written by Shakespeare, possibly one of the most famous playwrights in history, and that the play is considered to fit into the category of a tragedy. A tragedy can be simply described as a play with an unhappy ending. Shakespeare wrote a number of tragedies, and readers of the plays debate which tragedies were the best. King Lear is certainly a well-known tragedy, but should it be counted as one of the best? Should it be considered one of Shakespeare’s four greatest tragedies? Many people do regard it as one of the best Shakespeare tragedies, but it generally comes down to opinion. In order to determine the best Shakespeare tragedy, it has to be stacked up against other well-known Shakespearian tragedies like Macbeth, Othello, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, Antony and Cleopatra, and Hamlet in multiple ways, both objectively and subjectively. When compared to these plays, it i s evident that King Lear should not be counted as one of the top four Shakespearian tragedies on account of three things, its popularity in relation to the other tragedies, its character development in relation to the other tragedies, and the clarity of its overall message compared to the other tragedies. This is not to say that King Lear is a poorly written play, just that although it is great in its own right, it does not deserve to be in the top four Shakespearian tragedies of all time list; otherShow MoreRelated William Shakespeares Othello as a Victim Essay1370 Words   |  6 Pageshis culture, his social position and naÃÆ' ¯ve. Othellos victimisation could also show Shakespeares meaning of the term tragedy. In other Shakespearean tragedies the lead character is shown as cunning, ruthless and manipulative, more similar to Iago than Othello. This could represent a change in Shakespeares opinion of a true Shakespearean tragedy. The main cause of Othellos victimisation is his race. Unlike the other characters in Othello he is a Moor, a naturalRead MoreDifferent Directors Perspectives in King Lear Essay1733 Words   |  7 Pagesdifferent interpretations of â€Å"King Lear† have been made, each valuing and highlighting different aspects and themes of the play. It is necessary for these interpretations to be made and adapted in order for â€Å"King Lear† to have relevance within the context of the society. Each interpretation of the text extracts and concentrates on certain ideas, issues, themes, values of the play, altering the way the play is received amongst audiences and critics. Shakespeares tragedy King Lear can be interpreted inRead More Action and Observation in Shakespeares King Lear Essay2306 Words   |  10 PagesAction and Observation in King Lear      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Auden once asserted that Shakespearean tragedy is necessarily parabolic, pertaining to the only myth that Christianity possesses: that of the unrepentant thief. We as the spectators are thus implicated in the action since each of us is in danger of re-enacting [this story] in his own way.1 The sufferings of the hero could be our own sufferings, whereas in Greek tragedy, such a notion is precluded precisely because the misfortunes of a characterRead More Shakespeare’s King Lear Essay1464 Words   |  6 Pagesof Shakespeare’s King Lear Shakespeare’s King Lear is a tragic about an aging King of Britain and his three daughters. When it comes time to divide his kingdom, he puts his daughters through a test to prove how much they love him. The two older daughters, Goneril and Regan, give King Lear flattering answers and therefore receive great amounts of finer land. The third and youngest daughter, Cordilia, says that she has no words to describe how much she loves her father. King Lear becomes enraged withRead More Locating Macbeth at the Thresholds of Time, Space and Spiritualism 2629 Words   |  11 Pagesevil of all his tragedies, the tragedy of Macbeth. Themes of witchcraft, infanticide, suicide and death pervade the fabric of the play, which possibly contributes to the theatrical superstition that surrounds its production to this day. Nevertheless, it seems curious to me the play is seldom discussed as one that focuses on madness, when it deals with two of the most insane and depraved characters in all of Shakespeare. 1 It seems curious to me that Shakespeare’s tragedies so often revolveRead MoreThe Dramatic Impact of Act 1 Scene 3 in Shakespeares Othello and Its Importance to the Whole Play3277 Words   |  14 PagesIn this domestic tragedy, Othello’s evil lieutenant Iago draws him into mistaken jealousy in order to ruin him. Othello is destroyed partly through his gullibility and willingness to trust Iago and partly through the manipulations of this villain, who clearly enjoys the exercise of evildoing just as he hates the spectacle of goodness and happiness around him. At the end of the play, Othello comes to understand his terrible error; but as always in tragedy, that knowledge