Helpful Shakespearean Theater Site
http://king-lear.org/shakespeares_theatre
This webpage educates readers about the theater that the actors in Shakespeare's plays performed in. It gives details about the type of actors that would have been in the play as well. The whole website is well done and full of information about King Lear. There is information about each of the movies that has been made, each of the characters, and information about the plot. There is even a timeline that shows how King Lear fit into the rest of his life.
This webpage educates readers about the theater that the actors in Shakespeare's plays performed in. It gives details about the type of actors that would have been in the play as well. The whole website is well done and full of information about King Lear. There is information about each of the movies that has been made, each of the characters, and information about the plot. There is even a timeline that shows how King Lear fit into the rest of his life.
William Shakespeare
Helpful Shakespeare Website
http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/life.htm#TopOfPage
This website effectively educates about Shakespeare through the use of primary documents and links. Documents from Shakespeare'e life like his baptism record are given. This helps show his date of birth. Following the baptism record a drawing of his place of birth is given. Biographical information about his life is shown through the use of these documents. In addition his birth, his marriage record is shown, the birth of his children is shown and also several correspondences with people of the time. At the end there was a list of links to other helpful sites such as to other biographies or pages with answers that readers often question like if Shakespeare actually wrote all of his plays.
http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/life.htm#TopOfPage
This website effectively educates about Shakespeare through the use of primary documents and links. Documents from Shakespeare'e life like his baptism record are given. This helps show his date of birth. Following the baptism record a drawing of his place of birth is given. Biographical information about his life is shown through the use of these documents. In addition his birth, his marriage record is shown, the birth of his children is shown and also several correspondences with people of the time. At the end there was a list of links to other helpful sites such as to other biographies or pages with answers that readers often question like if Shakespeare actually wrote all of his plays.
My Modernization of a Shakespearean Passage
Lear (2.2.1-35)
My modernization of a passage from King Lear
Oswald: Good morning sir, Do you live here?
Kent: Yeah
Oswald: Do you know where we can put our horses?
Kent: In the swampy mud.
Oswald: Please be nice and tell me.
Kent: I will not be and won't tell you.
Oswald: Well then I think you are a worthless idiot.
Kent: I would watch your words if I were you.
Oswald: Why are you getting all worked up. I don't even know you.
Kent: Oh, but I know you.
Oswald: And what is it you know me for?
Kent: An idiot, fool; lowlife, shallow bastard, worthless good for nothing piece of crap. You think you are all that but really you no more than a piece of gum on the bottom of my shoe. You are a vain, arrogant pimp. If you deny any of this you can be sure I will beat you to a pulp.
Oswald: You are some monster if you think you can speak that way to someone who you don't even know!
Kent: What a jerk you are that you don't even recognize me! Don't you remember it was just two days ago that I beat you up in front of the king. Draw your sword. There's plenty of moon to fight by. I'm going to make you wish you were never born. Draw idiot, draw!
Oswald: Get away. I'll have nothing to do with this!
Kent: Draw I say! You come here with letters against the king and you support his horrid daughters in all this mess. Draw your sword or will slice you where you stand. Draw!
Oswald: Help!
Act 1 Scene 1
This short section from King Lear succeeds in showing the dramatic switch that occurs with Lear as he turns from his favorite daughter, pushing away the only child who really loved him. This was able to be done by the good acting and its ability to stay true to the play. The clip was from 1:15 to 5:49. It was interesting to see the play acted out by the characters since Shakespeare provides little stage direction to the actors. This clip really develops the affection that King Lear felt for his daughters with the strongest affection residing with Cordelia. As the first two daughters speak he is more formal and kingly than a father but when he awaits Cordelia's utterance he approaches her and touches her fondly before hearing her words that pain him. His gestures towards her when combined with the sweet dialogue establish the favoritism that he has for Cordelia. It was also interesting to see the crown stripped from her head signifying that the honor to be one of his daughters is taken away. The clip really did not change much from the actual play but the filming was a little bit distracting at time because the camera bounced around a bit.
Act 1 Scene 1
This video effectively portrays this emotion filled soliloquy of Edmund which is accomplished through convincing acting and setting The scene helps show the cruelty and cunning ideas that fill the mind of Edmund. Just reading the play forces the reader to imagine how the character would sound delivering their lines. This actor does a good job portraying the emotion that fills Edmund's speech. His facial expressions have a sort of mischievousness about them as he meanders about the dark room. His eyes seem to have an evil spark in them as they pierce the camera. The setting is also effective with the dark room and the lack of noise. The quiet adds to the suspense that hangs on his words.
Act 2 Scene 4
This video is done by the Trinity Theater Company and the portion that was looked at was until 3:13. The first portion was well portrayed with the acting. The simplicity of the setting allows the concentration to fall on the work of the actors. This scene shows the silliness of the fool but at the same time the intelligence that he possesses with the delivery of his wise speeches. Also this is towards the beginning of Lear's knowledge that his daughters do not have good intentions. His alarm is clearly portrayed as he moves quickly about the stage and disbelief hangs in his voice as he questions Kent in the stocks for who put him there.The fool starts out his lines with a more silly delivery but as the scene progresses and the King leaves a more serious tone overtakes his clever riddles and the viewer can understand that there is a bit of truth being revealed by his ramblings.