King Lear

During the nineteenth century, King Lear was thought to be unfit for the stage. Discuss how this view derived
from that era’s realistic expectations for theatrical representation. Describe how Shakespeare’s own theatre
was not devoted to realism, and how the play only returned to theatrical prominence when modern practitioners
began to once again employ the theatrical conventions of the early modern period. Be sure to mention:
Universal lighting. The proximity of the audience.The lack of realistic scenery or stage effects. The title King
Lear must be italicized (not underlined or put in quotation marks) every time you use it within the body of your
essay. DO NOT, HOWEVER, ITALICIZE THE NAME OF THE CHARACTER KING LEAR. Quotation
Guidelines: You must quote directly from the play in your essay. This means from the written text of King Lear,
Broadview Anthology of British Literature Edition, ISBN 978-1-551-119670. Follow the quotation guidelines for
the Twelfth Night as described above. If you only quote from King Lear, no Works Cited page is needed. Where
differences occur between Quarto and Folio texts, the Broadview edition lists both versions. You can quote
from either one and list the line numbers from either one. For the purposes of this paper, there is no need to
specify whether you are quoting from Quarto or Folio.