... Kelly brought up the question, "is King Lear a tragedy or disaster?" To which he stated: "If the play is seen as exemplifying the mindless, haphazard cruelty of a godless universe, it is indeed a drama of disaster. But if it exemplifies choice and responsibility, it is a tragedy in disaster the force comes from beyond our control, whereas tragedy assigns responsibility to the protagonist ... for the unhappy fate of the self or of others." This distinction takes us back to the first scene of the play, when, according to Gloucester in Act 1, Scene 2, Lear ... plays are open to interpretati...

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• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School