or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
26 used & new from £0.01
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
King Lear (Cambridge School Shakespeare)
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

King Lear (Cambridge School Shakespeare) (Paperback)

by William Shakespeare (Author), Jonathan Morris (Editor), Elspeth Bain (Editor), Rob Smith (Editor) "I thought the king had more affected the Duke of Albany than Cornwall ..." (more)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
RRP: £6.25
Price: £6.14 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £0.11 (2%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, November 10? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
10 new from £2.41 16 used from £0.01

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with York Notes on William Shakespeare's "King Lear": (Advanced) (York Notes Advanced) by William Shakespeare

King Lear (Cambridge School Shakespeare) + York Notes on William Shakespeare's "King Lear": (Advanced) (York Notes Advanced)
Price For Both: £9.97

Show availability and shipping details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

York Notes on William Shakespeare's "King Lear": (Advanced) (York Notes Advanced)

York Notes on William Shakespeare's "King Lear": (Advanced) (York Notes Advanced)

by William Shakespeare
4.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £3.83
Death of a Salesman (Heinemann Plays For 14-16+)

Death of a Salesman (Heinemann Plays For 14-16+)

by Mr Arthur Miller
3.4 out of 5 stars (5)  £6.78
Cambridge Student Guide to King Lear (Cambridge Student Guides)

Cambridge Student Guide to King Lear (Cambridge Student Guides)

by Celeste Flower
£4.50
Pride and Prejudice (Penguin Popular Classics)

Pride and Prejudice (Penguin Popular Classics)

by Jane Austen
4.5 out of 5 stars (54)  £2.18
The Oxford Shakespeare: The Tempest (Oxford World's Classics)

The Oxford Shakespeare: The Tempest (Oxford World's Classics)

by William Shakespeare
4.6 out of 5 stars (9)  £4.78
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Cambridge University Press (22 Aug 1996)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0521466970
  • ISBN-13: 978-0521466974
  • Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 15.2 x 1.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 115,192 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #9 in  Books > Poetry, Drama & Criticism > Shakespeare, William > The Plays > A-Z > King Lear
    #9 in  Books > Poetry, Drama & Criticism > Shakespeare, William > Criticism & Study Aids > Plays > King Lear
    #66 in  Books > Children's Books > Education > A & AS Level > English > Literature

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

  • See Complete Table of Contents

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
   Shakespeare's Birthplace opens new browser window
tickets.shakespeare.org.uk  -  Save 10% when you book online to visit Shakespeare's Birthplace 
   Compare & Save on Books opens new browser window
www.Gettextbooks.co.uk  -  Oxford School Shakespeare Compare Prices & Save up to 60% ! 
   Shakespeare Education opens new browser window
Ask.com  -  Find the Best Results for Shakespeare Education. 
  
 

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

King Lear stands alongside Hamlet as one of the most profound expressions of tragic drama in literature. Written between 1604 and 1605, it represents Shakespeare at the height of his dramatic power. Drawing on ancient British history, Shakespeare constructs a plot that reads like a fable in its clear-sighted but terrifying simplicity. The ageing King Lear calls his daughters, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia to witness that he wishes "to shake all cares and business from our age" and divide his kingdom between his three children. When Cordelia refuses to flatter her father with sycophantic words of love, her banishment leads to chaos and civil war as Lear's disastrous "division of the kingdom" gives free reign to the greed and ambition of his two remaining daughters.

As Lear sinks into rage and madness he is deserted by everyone except his "bitter" Fool, the loyal Kent and the exiled Cordelia. The play descends into a nighmarish theatre of cruelty and absurdity as Lear realises he has "ta'en / Too little care" of the poverty and corruption of his kingdom, and his loyal but foolish friend Gloucester has his eyes gouged out. Metaphors of monstrosity and perversions of nature structure the dramatic action, and the play's ending remains one of the most harrowing in all of Shakespeare. Many see a profound despair and nihilism in King Lear, and would agree with Kent's conclusion that "All's cheerless, dark and deadly". Other writers have identified a radical but pessimistic critique of contemporary conceptions of kingship and absolutist authority, yet it remains a remarkable tragedy of public misjudgement and intensely private grief and anguish. --Jerry Brotton



Product Description

Like every other play in the Cambridge School Shakespeare series, King Lear has been specially prepared to help all students in schools and colleges. This version of King Lear aims to be different from other editions of the play. It invites you to bring the play to life in your classroom through enjoyable activities that will help increase your understanding. You are encourage to make up your own mind about the play, rather than have someone else's interpretation handed down to you. Whatever you do, remember that Shakespeare wrote his plays to be acted, watched and enjoyed.
See all Product Description
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
I thought the king had more affected the Duke of Albany than Cornwall. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 
women
shakespeare - tragedies
shakespeare
masterclass theater
king lear
france
elizabethan and jacobean drama
crime and punishment

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

King Lear (Cambridge School Shakespeare)
80% buy the item featured on this page:
King Lear (Cambridge School Shakespeare) 5.0 out of 5 stars (5)
£6.14
"King Lear" (Arden Shakespeare.Third Series)
9% buy
"King Lear" (Arden Shakespeare.Third Series) 4.5 out of 5 stars (4)
£7.02
York Notes on William Shakespeare's "King Lear": (Advanced) (York Notes Advanced)
6% buy
York Notes on William Shakespeare's "King Lear": (Advanced) (York Notes Advanced) 4.0 out of 5 stars (1)
£3.83
The Tragedy of King Lear (The New Cambridge Shakespeare)
3% buy
The Tragedy of King Lear (The New Cambridge Shakespeare) 1.0 out of 5 stars (1)
£6.69
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (5)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Death, madness and fear- Shakespeare's best, 9 Jan 2003
By "lexi_wades" - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: King Lear (New Penguin Shakespeare) (Paperback)
I studied this play years ago for A-level and even flogging its themes and plot to death didn't detract from its brilliance. Taking away its dubious misogynies (which, of course, are a sign of the time it was written) we are left with a work of brilliance.
The pain Lear goes through to be betrayed by two of his daughters after his own lack of foresight is heartbreaking- as is the climax. This is a truly dark and disturbing work but never was Shakespeare so powerful and provocative in his treatment of realtionships and human evil.
Read it, watch it or act it- and shudder
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read... and very educational too!, 19 Nov 2000
This review is from: "King Lear" (Arden Shakespeare: Third) (Paperback)
To be honest with you, I never really liked Shakespeare books, I never could understand it. Then I was told I had to buy a King Lear book and study it for my A levels. I searched high and low for a book I thought I could understand and get into, then came this marvellous book. It comes complete with a huge introduction about the play and (lo and behold)it also includes pictures of the marvellous play and how it was performed. It basically, is in script form but for the casual reader it also has definitions on the bottom of the page. A Shakespearean play has never been edited so good! I do understand the play now and thanks to R.A Foakes, I might even get a decent grade. For you people out there who don't understand Shakespeare but are curious about it, I recommend this book as it is a great read. But I warn you now, you might not be able to put it down!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful and Everlasting, 29 Aug 2001
This review is from: King Lear (New Penguin Shakespeare) (Paperback)
The tale of Lear's betrayal by his family and subsequent tragic descent into madness is powerfully gripping. Shakespeare keeps the plot simple, but ensures that the undertones are remarkably complex. In Lear's most poignant speech, when he begins the journey to insanity, he demands that we "allow not nature more than nature needs" and forewarns that his heart will "break into a hundred thousand flaws". These predictions unfold in vivid and dramatic style throughout a play laced with reference to nature's omnipotence. The ending shatters your heart.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Student Edition Poised to Cultivate Enjoyment via Understanding
Without futilely wasting words on one of the most overstudied pieces in the most overstudied literary canon, "King Lear" is staggering. Read more
Published 7 months ago by chatvarin

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazingly Tragic!
I am not an intellectual by no means. I am just a regular young adult studying 'A' Level English Literature, so when told I would be studying King Lear, probably the most dark and... Read more
Published on 20 Jan 2001

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject























i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.