Shakespeare's King Lear

The author provides a scene-by-scene commentary on the action, which tracks the development of character and explores Shakespeare's handling of the moral and spiritual issues to which the play gives rise.

He also examines attitudes to the play down the ages, from scholars, critics and the play-going public, and demonstrates that a sceptical era like our own finds, perhaps to its surprise, that it has much in common with the age of Dr. Johnson. Davies surveys more recent stage and film productions to show how contemporary directors have used King Lear to work out their social, political and historical preoccupations.