King Lear Cort Welch Mickey Rowe Laura Kammerdiener Melanya Larson-Materne Michelle Mean William Price Michael Stoumbos Sara Tierney Chris Veys

Lear Adaptations Presented King Lear Directed and starring by Laurence Olivier (1983) Ran Directed by Akira Kurosawa (1985) Slings and Arrows Directed by Peter Wellington and featuring Paul Gross (TV Series 2003) Directed by Trevor Nunn and featuring Ian McKellen (2008)

King Lear – Directed by Trevor Nunn Starring Ian McKellen 2007 Stage-to-Screen presentation of the Royal Shakespeare Company

Madness and the Body Madness in terms of medical discourses of age and mental declension Uncontrolled trembling and Alzheimer’s Connects with contemporary audiences Fatalistic message Uncontrolled Contrast Goneril and Regan

Movie Clip Act III Scene iv

The storm McKellan’s physicality emphasizes: Connections between madness and age Connections between madness and body That is, his physicality plays out his body’s betrayal off his mind. The emphasis on age and infirmity writes Lear’s death as inevitability, regardless of what he might learn over the course of the play. The setting of the heath, bleak and stripped down, emphasizes a nihilistic reading of the play.

King Lear as Film: Lights and Set Overall lighting, set and costume designs Visually convey a fatalistic reading of Lear Overall sense of a stripping away mirrors the paring down of Lear’s mind as he descends through the play. In Act I.i Lighting is bright, somewhat warm. Quickly the lighting is darker and darker, where the stage is cast in darkness but for the cold, white-blue moonlight.

Lights and Set (Continued) Lear’s costuming Steadily stripped of its pomp, color and finery At the end it is plain white linen. The set from Act I.i. Fuller, with warm woods; After this moment, the sets are more and more barren Ending on the stark heath.

“Slings and Arrows” Television Series, 2003-05 Follows a Shakespeare Festival in New Burbage (fictional town) in Canada 3rd and final season, producing King Lear Metatheatrical – Play within a TV Show

Characters Geoffrey Tennant – Artistic Director Ellen Fanshaw – Geoffrey’s Girlfriend Richard Smith-Jones – Executive Manager (the businessman) Darren Nichols – Director of the Musical/Geoffrey’s Rival (The Ghost of) Oliver Welles – Former Artistic Director/Geoffrey’s Mentor Charles Kingman – Cast as Lear Old man, dying of colon cancer Taking heroin to counteract the pain Gradually going senile - “Madness!” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9ZvbkorGUY&feature=channel Treats Madness with Representations Characters Play Figures in Lear

Geoffrey’s Lear History of madness, in a position of power, things go awry… Gives control of the festival to Richard and Charles (Regan and Goneril) Charles: holds responsibility of play as the leading player Charles – Bullies the cast; condition (senility, cancer, drugs) prevent him from functioning Richard: given reign over the creative development and producing of the Musical Richard – Cancels the Lear in favor of the Musical Ellen cannot tell Geoffrey what he means to her (mirrors Cordelia’s “Nothing”) Gets kicked out of his house Eventually loses the theatre to Darren Nichols Loses ‘Everything’ “Don’t have to be artistic director around here to be king.”

Oliver Welles - The Fool Only seen by Geoffrey and Charles (the Lears) Ties into both men’s madness Comic relief Literally fades out of scenes, (as the Fool disappears after the third act) Oliver Welles seen hanging by his neck “…My poor fool hanged…”

Lear’s Madness Charles: “Lear is the storm!” (scene) Oliver: “He’s not playing Lear; he’s living it.”   Geoffrey: “I thought dying would make you more compassionate—” Charles: “It doesn’t; it pisses you off!” “…‘Tis our fast intent//To shake all cares and business from our age;//Conferring them on younger strengths, while we//Unburthen'd crawl toward death.” Charles (about Lear’s line): “But he doesn’t mean it. Of course! He doesn’t really think he’s going to die; no one does; I don’t. That’s the real insanity of it.” “Slings and Arrows” draws out the process of Lear’s madness Assigns multiple reasons Allows for him to lapse in an out of coherency Discusses the madness

King Lear – Directed by Laurence Olivier

Madness Lear is perfectly sane in the beginning of the play. He gradually loses his sanity and wits throughout the play. His wits begin to fain in the storm scenes. He appears to be far gone when he is alone. Imagines Cordelia is alive.

Lights and Sets Dark setting Ominous sun/lighting

Idiosyncrasies Stonehenge standing for Britain emphasizes how old Lear’s world is. Possibility that Edmund finds out he’s a bastard in the first scene. Goneril’s concerns about feeding the knights and their misbehavior. Regan does not assist Cornwall after he is stabbed. Lear’s facial hair is shaven and is in clean clothes. Represents the inner change in him. “the great rage is gone from him.”

Ran – Directed by Akira Kurosawa

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