joel fishbane

shakespeare unbard

a 38 episode podcast in which joel fishbane explores each of Shakespeare's plays, offering tidbits, trivia, and revisionist interpretations of all those plays they made you read in school. 

Shakespeare Unbard, Episode 28: Kent v. the King or Who is really the main character of "King Lear"?

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Critics like Harold Bloom like to suggest that Lear is better read than performed. Setting aside the problem with his thesis - Shakespeare was meant to be performed, not read - it's easy to sympathize with Bloom's assertion that he has never seen a production of Lear that he liked. As long as producers insist on pretending Lear is the main character, they will be performing the wrong play. It's Kent, along with Edgar and Edmund, who deserve our attention. In Episode 28, Joel gives his unique perspective to one of Shakespeare's best plays.

In this episode you'll hear excerpts and clips from:

 

  • Arkangel Recordings. King Lear. 2014.

  • Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of King Lear. The Riverside Shakespeare, Houghton and Mifflin, 1974.

 

Films discussed:

 

Other films to check out:

 

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joel fishbane