52 in 52 Week 7: Shakespearean Tragedy - King Lear

The weight of this sad time we must obey; 

Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say. 

Albany in King Lear

Cordelia is so courageous. What a heroine. I love the moral of this story. Evil lurks in the halls of power. King Lear is loonie! Even though this is a tragedy. Some parts made me laugh. Scofield (A Man for All Seasons) was amazing as King Lear!


This is the only dramatized edition that really wasn't unabridged. So, I followed along with my Kindle version and turned it off to read the small parts that were omitted. It added so much to the reading to have these fantastic actors make it come alive!


Here is what the jacket from the dramatization says: 


The tragedy of King Lear receives an outstanding performance in an all-star cast led by Britain’s senior classical actor, Paul Scofield. He is joined by Alec McCowen as Gloucester, Kenneth Branagh as The Fool, Harriet Walter as Gonerill, Sara Kestelman as Regan and Emilia Fox as Cordelia. This is the ninth recording of Shakespeare plays undertaken by Naxos AudioBooks in conjunction with Cambridge University Press, and is directed by John Tydeman. It was released to mark the eightieth birthday of Paul Scofield in January 2002.

CAST

King Lear – Paul Scofield
Gonerill his eldest daughter – Harriet Walter
Regan his second daughter – Sara Kestelman
Cordelia his youngest daughter – Emilia Fox
Duke of Albany married to Gonerill – Peter Blythe
Duke of Cornwall married to Regan – Jack Klaff
Earl of Gloucester – Alec McCowen
Edgar his elder son and heir – Richard McCabe
Edmond his illegitimate son – Toby Stephens
Earl of Kent (later disguised as Caius) – David Burke
Fool – Kenneth Branagh
King of Burgundy suitor to Cordelia – John McAndrew
King of France suitor to Cordelia – Simon Treves
Oswald Gonerill’s steward – Matthew Morgan
Curan a courtier – Steve Hodson