A review by ed_moore
The History of King Lear: The Oxford Shakespeare the History of King Lear by William Shakespeare

dark reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Comparing to the most recent Shakespeare I read, the Tempest, King Lear was a significant improvement. It is one of the “four great tragedies” and it lives up to the name. Regarding the “tragedy” section of its title, Lear in no means disappoints. It is a tale of backstabbing and greed as the ageing King Lear divides his kingdom and grants it to his three daughters. The finale of the play is as a whole satisfying whereas my only gripe would be that some of the tragedy seems to just ‘happen’ off stage without any real cause or explanation, and seems to exist solely for shock purposes in what was already a very shocking finale. Other than that quibble, the build up and finale were largely satisfying and in the plays effort to live up to its title as a “great” tragedy I shall let the unnecessary shock elements pass.