King Lear will be explored – one act per day – through the great questions it gives rise to, ethical, philosophical and aesthetic. The problems centre on the death of Cordelia: is it random or inevitable?
There are two distinct texts of King Lear, the Quarto of 1608 and the posthumously published Folio version of 1623. We shall be using the Folio version, but students will need to be familiar with both texts, which will be compared on the course.
Course details
Tutors
In 1681, sixty-five years after Shakespeare’s death, a minor poet named Nahum Tate rewrote King Lear in accordance with the literary taste of his day. His version of the play, which most people today find ridiculous, held the stage for something like a hundred and fifty years. Tate changed many things, but the most notorious is the ending: a happy ending, in which Lear is restored to his throne and Cordelia marries Edgar, he thereby becoming heir to the throne of Britain. Why did Tate do this? Why was it so successful? Might such a revision, but adapted to our taste, have some chance of success today? It could be argued that the play, as it approaches its dénouement, does seem to be leading to a happy conclusion and that Shakespeare forces upon his audience a hideous surprise in making the ending so tragic – worse than tragic, it has been said: unbearable. Cordelia, for instance, is profoundly good and deserving of happiness; there is no reason to punish her and her death, far from being the fulfilment of a tragic fate, seems arbitrary, unnecessary and – to borrow a modern concept – absurd. Why does she have to die?
Like Shakespeare’s other tragedies, King Lear asks serious questions, none of which can be answered conclusively. The central question is asked by Lear himself, addressing Poor Tom: ‘Is man no more than this?’ he asks of the naked madman, and concludes: ‘unaccommodated man is no more but such a poor, bare, forked animal as thou art.’ It will be our purpose on this course to look for these questions and discuss them, even when they cannot be answered. They will bring us back to Cordelia and her death. Is it random or inevitable?
The structure of the course will be extremely simple. We shall work through the play at a rate of roughly one act per session and conclude with a discussion of the play as a whole. There are two different texts of King Lear. We shall use the Folio text of 1823, but reference will be made from time to time to the Quarto of 1605.
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes for this course are:
- A deeper understanding of King Lear
- The ability to read, contextualise and interpret Elizabethan plays
- The capacity to develop critical and exegetical skills
Classes
1. Act 1
2. Act 2
3. Act 3
4. Act 4
5. Act 5
Required reading
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of King Lear. Edited by Jay L. Halio. Cambridge University Press, 2005.
Shakespeare, William. King Lear. Edited by Stanley Wells. Oxford University Press, 2008.
Typical week: Monday to Friday
For each week of study you select a morning (Am) and an afternoon (Pm) course, each course has five sessions, one each day Monday to Friday. The maximum class size is 25 students. Your weekly courses are complemented by a series of two daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.
| c.8.00am-9.00am | Breakfast in College (for residents) |
| 9.00am-10.30am | Am Course |
| 11.15am-12.30pm | Plenary Lecture |
| 12.30pm-1.45pm | Lunch |
| 1.45pm-3.15pm | Pm Course |
| 4.00pm-5.15pm | Plenary Lecture |
| c.6.00/6.15pm-7.15/7.30pm | Dinner in College (for residents) |
| c.7.30pm onwards | Evening talk/event |
Evaluation and Academic Credit
If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses.
Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £65 per essay.
For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.
Certificate of attendance
A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically within a week of your courses finishing.