King Lear Context
- Created by: jessbrickell123
- Created on: 09-06-15 14:04
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- King Lear Context
- Set/Written/ Published
- Roughly 800bc - second earliest setting of plays
- Written between 1604 and 1606, first performed in 1606 on boxing day for King James 1 at Whitehall Palace
- First published version appeared in First Quarto in 1608
- Religion
- Henry VIII created protestant state in 1530
- Deep suspicion of Roman Catholics as potential traitors, reinforced Gunpowder plot in 1605
- Roman Catholic attempted to destroy government
- KL written same year, time of uncertainty/unrest
- Influences
- Lawsuit where the eldest of three sisters attempted to get father (Sir Brian Annesley) declared as insane to possess property
- Annesley's youngest daughter - Cordell, successfully defended her father against her sister.
- William Allen - Mayor of London who was treated very poorly by daughters after dividing wealth among them.
- Lawsuit where the eldest of three sisters attempted to get father (Sir Brian Annesley) declared as insane to possess property
- Shakespeare's life
- 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems
- Between 1585 and 1592 he begain a successful career in London as an actor, writer and part owner of a playing company (Lord Chamberlain's men, later known as King's men)
- Produced most of his work from 1589-1613,
- Women and Patriarchy
- Husbands/fathers had absolute authority over women
- Women's rights restricted legally, socially and economically
- Lear shows assertive, powerful and impressive female characters.
- Ultimate subservience evident at end of play as all three sisters lie dead.
- Family
- Extremely hierarchical society - absolute deference and respect be paid not only to the wealthy and powerful but also to parents and the elderly.
- Demonstrates how vulnerable parents and noblemen are to the depredations of unscrupulous (immoral) children and thus how fragile the fabric of Elizabethan society actually was.
- Abdication of Lear (renouncing the throne was considered shameful act - going against the belief of the divine right of kings.
- Audience would have been shocked and may have predicted tragic downfall of Lear.
- Nationalism
- Renaissance society was intensely nationalistic
- Shakespeare fascinated of rivalry between evolving nation states - politics/power
- Royal Courts were of great interest to people of time.
- Play's were subject to censorship and direct criticism of monarchy or court wouldn't be tolerated.
- Shakespeare could change setting/context of plays for this reason.
- Set/Written/ Published
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