This section contains 6,002 words (approx. 21 pages at 300 words per page) |
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by William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was about 41 years old when he wrote King Lear, the tragedy that many deem his greatest. He created the play to be performed for King James, who had assumed the English throne shortly before, in 1603. Featured in the tragedy is a ruler who in some ways diverged sharply from James. James showed a commitment to peace and to preserving the integrity of and even unifying Britain, in contrast to Lears fatal division of his kingdom, which prompted bloodshed and war. Shakespeare wrote this tragedy well after the halfway point of his twodecade career, at a time when his acting company, the Kings Men, was cementing its position as Londons preeminent theatrical troupe. Shortly thereafter, he would stop writing tragedies altogether. King Lear is therefore one of Shakespeares last great statements on the tragic potential in human...
This section contains 6,002 words (approx. 21 pages at 300 words per page) |
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