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Enjoy this profoundly Christian play in historical context, exploring the story’s themes of love and betrayal, good and evil, nihilism and meaning, and more.
Total classes: 6
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 9th through 12th
Suggested credit: 1/2 semester Shakespearian Literature or English. For a full semester add another course.
Description
King Lear is Shakespeare’s tragic masterpiece. While the plot involves a king of England who reigned before the time of Christ, the play is profoundly Christian. The themes in the story include love and betrayal; good and evil; nihilism and meaning. We will also look at how the play refers to the Catholic England of the Middle Ages as well as the Protestant England of the Renaissance — and prophetically anticipates the post-modern England of the present.
Outline
Introduction
Act One
Act Two
Act Three
Act Four
Act Five and Conclusion
Materials and Homework
Course Materials: King Lear, any notated edition. No Fear Shakespeare is a good online resource for the text and a helpful side-by-side modern paraphrase.
Homework: A close reading of each Act will probably take about an hour per week. Also, plan on occasional quizzes and a final essay.
