"King Lear can be read in a variety of ways.
Discuss the above statement with reference to two different readings, one of which must be a production either real or imagined.
Ben Jonson once said, "He was not of an age, but for all time". In our present era, Shakespeare's works and poetic visions have transcended its times, becoming contemporaneous with all time. He shaped his material to deal with the issues of human existence whilst reflecting the contextual influences within the Jacobean era. Believed to have been written in the early 17th Century, the tragedy of "King Lear" lends itself to considerable diversity of interpretations and thus, is read in a variety of ways. Each reading of this play reflects the interests, anxieties, political, religious and aesthetic ideologies of the times, such as Carson and Granville-Barker's 1940s dominant reading production. This production presented a historical insight of the Jacobean times, allowing us to appreciate the beliefs and values of that era. The various readings of King Lear are established in the context in which it is read in, and is dependant on its audience and the medium in which it is presented.
The dominant reading is one that provides a historical insight of the Jacobean era, initially presenting the grand rituals and the magnificence of the Jacobean court at the time. The Jacobean era was an extensively hierarchical society. The Golden Age, as otherwise known, was an age of peace and harmony when there was economic and political stability of the arts. The Jacobeans believed in the chain of being, a cosmic order depicting human society in the middle position with God and the angels above, royalty beneath them and animals and plants below. Therefore, Jacobean's beliefs, values and political issues significantly affect the dominant reading of "King Lear" within this epoch. Through his play, Shakespeare explores the issue of man's predicament in a universe when transcendental morality ensured that actions resulted in predictable consequences.
