Members of the Lower and Upper Sixth Forms visited the Royal Shakespeare Company to see King Lear last Tuesday
The English Department took thirty-seven Lower and Upper Sixth literature students to the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-Upon-Avon last Tuesday. The Students enjoyed a superb realisation of King Lear, the Shakesperean tragedy which depicts the King’s descent into madness.
Dr. Dunford of Bloxham School wrote the following review:
“King Lear is arguably Shakespeare’s most powerful play. A true tragedy in which nothing comes of nothing and all is lost. There is no hope, only misery. And yet, in all the nihilism, Shakespeare’s mastery of words and emotions brings to life all that is bittersweet in human existence. This production’s bold but minimalist set pulls into focus the desolation of grief and lost love. Antony Sher’s performance makes for an unsettling descent into madness and forced me to consider the emotional consequences of once mysterious personality changing conditions that we now know more familiarly as dementia and brain tumours. Regan and Goneril were convincingly cast and Cordelia embodied the fragility of heart-breaking familial love. A strong performance by Edmund brought laughter tumbling from the audience but in my opinion Gloucester stole the show, aided poetically by the stark set and bold use of visceral props. Picture this: Gloucester blinded, bloodied and despairing the loss of his sons and fortune under the bare boughs of a twisted oak. This production is well worth catching if you can!”