King Lear

"He was the man who of all modern, and perhaps ancient poets, had the largest and most comprehensive soul" (Dryden, Essay on Dramatic Poesy). Shakespeare's comprehensive soul in King Lear is shown by the way each section of this program can assist in understanding the play.

The subjects covered in the following pages include:

• Staging Lear
• Lear and the social background
• Lear and the historical background
• Lear and the intellectual background
• Lear and the literary background

See also:

• A modern text of King Lear.
• Old-spelling texts of Folio 1, Quarto 1, and Quarto 2.
• A list of book facsimiles that contain King Lear.
• The essential facts about the play.*

• King Lear Web site (Alan Young, Acadia University).
• The Furness Library at the University of Pennsylvania has extensive materials on King Lear.
• Ed Frielander has also created this non-scholarly site intended as a resource for students and general readers of King Lear.