• Congratulations to the Class of 2024 on your results!
    Let us know how you went here
    Got a question about your uni preferences? Ask us here

My King Lear Draft: I need opinions (1 Viewer)

sando

HSC IS EVIL
Joined
Oct 31, 2005
Messages
1,123
Gender
Male
HSC
2006
Thanks actors for gathering here today. I just called this short meeting to explain to you my interpretation of the play King Lear and how I wish you to perform it.

A central theme that can be found in the play King Lear is political authority. In my interpretation the play will focus on how chaos is created when authority is disregarded or given away as King Lear has. My personal interpretation can be strongly compared with that of a power struggle view, as used by….

When King Lear gives away his authority, all control in Britain is lost and there is anarchy. Every character is fighting for their own power, which leads to disputes ending in gruesome death.

My interpretation will emphasise the struggle for power in the royal family, and visually show, how, not one character, has seized power for the entire play. Abuse and misuse of authority are the key reasons behind the failure and downfall of many characters.

Ok, actors, I’d like all of you to turn to Act 3, Scene 7 in your copies of King Lear.
The setting will take place in a relatively empty, dark, predominantly black, depressing room, only filled with a table and chairs and dimly lighted to create a bleak emotion.

Scene 7 is the start of heated discussions between Cornwall, Regan, Gonerill, and Edmund, trying to decide what to do with Gloucester. Even this can be looked as a power struggle, with each character pushing for their idea to be used, but ultimately seeking strength over someone else. Cornwall actually uses Gonerill’s idea of “pluck out his eyes”, which could question Cornwall’s loyalty to Regan, or that Gonerill holds greater influence over Cornwall.

Cornwall would dress in silver royal gowns giving an impression of high class.
Gonerill would be taller in height than Albany to assert that for the majority of the play she possesses greater power and influence.
Regan would dress in emerald green to forecast her with envy of Gonerill leaving with Edmund.
Oswald would be an insignificant character and talk with no confidence to show that he has no power over anyone in the room.
Gloucester would dress in white rags, with the white colour conveying his innocence
Servants---

Although scene 7 is filled with bloody onstage violence, my interpretation would focus more on what each actor is saying rather than their actions. This is because authority and power, or lack of it, is also strongly displayed through each word spoken.

Betrayal is a motif, appearing several times in the play. Betrayal shows the wickedness in the political realms. The social order is inverted; the young now have greater power and are cruel to the elderly.

Cornwall does not have the authority to kill Gloucester but he ignores this factor and says “Our power shall do a curtsy to our wrath, which men may blame but no control”. Because the dramatic and vivid effects of violence are taken out of my play, I need Cornwall to speak this line so viciously and hastily that it makes the audience gasp with trauma. This will evidently add to Cornwall’s authority and makes him the dominant male in the room over the weak Gloucester.
 

sando

HSC IS EVIL
Joined
Oct 31, 2005
Messages
1,123
Gender
Male
HSC
2006
P.S. It is suppossed to be a 3 minute speech
 

sando

HSC IS EVIL
Joined
Oct 31, 2005
Messages
1,123
Gender
Male
HSC
2006
I really need some opinions--- the speech is due on Thursday
and i recieved 10/20 for my last assignment and i am afraid i am heading the same way
 

silvermoon

caffeine fiend
Joined
Mar 14, 2004
Messages
1,834
Location
getting the blood out of my caffeine system
Gender
Female
HSC
2004
just quickly - my first impression was that you were trying too mard to make it a 'speech' - you need to be direct and not talk about 'my impression': thats like saying "i saw it with my own eyes" - it couldnt be anyone else's opinion/interpretation, YOU'RE the director. just go straight into 'this is what impression i want to create and this is how we're going to do it'. show you know the techniques and how they convey meaning.
 

silvermoon

caffeine fiend
Joined
Mar 14, 2004
Messages
1,834
Location
getting the blood out of my caffeine system
Gender
Female
HSC
2004
Cornwall would dress in silver royal gowns giving an impression of high class.
Gonerill would be taller in height than Albany to assert that for the majority of the play she possesses greater power and influence.
Regan would dress in emerald green to forecast her with envy of Gonerill leaving with Edmund.
Oswald would be an insignificant character and talk with no confidence to show that he has no power over anyone in the room.
Gloucester would dress in white rags, with the white colour conveying his innocence
Servants---/QUOTE]
oh, and with this bit:
*substitute 'would' for 'will' - otherwise you're changing tense throughout the speech and you want to be always speaking to your actors in present tense or future tense.
*"forecast" is a poor word choice. what you are alluding to is called 'foreshadowing'
*silver royal gowns --> the 'royal' colour is actually purple, not silver


you said earlier that you wanted a room for III.vii that was black and with the sole prompts being a table and chairs (btw, you may want to cool it on the adjectives, you don't need a shopping list of synonyms) but you haven't explained why. this setting would suggest a domestic setting with the focus of the play therefore being the family dynamic and the interplay between fathers and daughters in the nuclear family unit, or how outside influences affect the family - but this is completely contrary to what you go on to say is the focus of your Lear
 
Last edited:

sando

HSC IS EVIL
Joined
Oct 31, 2005
Messages
1,123
Gender
Male
HSC
2006
Would u say my interpretation is more marxist or aristotelian ???

and thanks silvermoon, that was a great deal of help
 
Last edited:

sando

HSC IS EVIL
Joined
Oct 31, 2005
Messages
1,123
Gender
Male
HSC
2006
and if you have read the whole essay, do u think i will get another 10/20 the way this one is heading
 

sando

HSC IS EVIL
Joined
Oct 31, 2005
Messages
1,123
Gender
Male
HSC
2006
plz... more suggestion... speech duue this thursday
 

sando

HSC IS EVIL
Joined
Oct 31, 2005
Messages
1,123
Gender
Male
HSC
2006
Thanks actors for gathering here today. I called this meeting to explain to you my interpretation of the play King Lear and how I wish you to perform it.

A central theme that can be found in the play is political authority. The play will focus on how chaos is created when authority is disregarded. This was strongly inspired by Alexander Shurbanov’s Marxist perspective which also focussed on a struggle for power.

When King Lear’s power is relinquished, all control in Britain is lost and there is anarchy. Every character battles for power, with disputes ending in gruesome death.

I will use Act 3, Scene 7 as an example of my interpretation. The setting takes place in Gloucester’s castle. The Great Hall is a majestic spacious room, filled with bright colours to present to the audience that the Earl lived a wealthy and fulfilled life.

The curtain will be drawn to reveal a wide open stage. Gloucester is situated in the centre of the stage, with Cornwall and Regan circling him, persecuting him to make him look weak.

The room will be well lit, brighter lights shining on character’s who possess more authority. Regan and Cornwall will stand directly over Gloucester to forecast a shadow on his face, giving the impression that Gloucester is weak and vulnerable.

Scene 7 is the start of heated discussions between Cornwall, Regan, Gonerill, and Edmund. This will be looked as a power struggle, with each character pushing for their idea to be used, but ultimately seeking strength over someone else.

A Marxist view will be established with an emphasis on power struggle. This theme combined with exaggerated emotions will visually show the failure and downfall of characters. Cornwall presents this theme when he states “Our power shall do a curtsy to our wrath, which men may blame but no control”.

Betrayal will be a motif, which shows the wickedness in the political realms. The social order is inverted; the younger need to revolt and become cruel to the elderly in order to hold greater power. For example, the social hierarchy and economic power changes dramatically in this scene when Cornwall is stabbed by a servant.

Each character will be portrayed in a way that shows different perspectives of social class.
Gonerill will be taller in height than Albany to assert great power and influence. Few lines are said by Gonerill, although, her dominance will still be shown through the snarls and smirks she gives to Regan.
Cornwall will clothe in black gowns to give an impression of a villain.
Regan shall dress in emerald green, to foreshadow that she is envious of Gonerill leaving with Edmund.
Oswald is an insignificant character and will talk with no confidence to show that he has no power over anyone in the room.
Gloucester will dress in white rags, the white colour conveying innocence.

Although scene 7 is filled with bloody onstage violence, I want the focus to be more on what each actor is saying, rather than their actions. For example, Cornwall ignores that he does not have the authority to kill Gloucester when he says, “Upon these eyes of mine I’ll set my foot”.

Without the dramatic and vivid effects of violence in my play, I need Cornwall to speak this line so viciously and hastily that it makes the audience gasp with trauma. He has just pulled out Gloucestor’s eyes, but the audience will be just as fixated on his words as he shall speak them with the same cruel connotation.
This will evidently make him the dominant male in the room over the weak Gloucester.

Include Conclusion.

Need to cut a bit out cos this goes for almost 4 minutes.

Well what do u think of this new version compared to the old? Or u could just tell me wat u think of the new one?

All opinions welcome!!!!!
 

Riviet

.
Joined
Oct 11, 2005
Messages
5,593
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
Overall, it's better than the first one you posted. I'm not doing King Lear, but it's good that you are relating the costumes and designs of the stage to the play, and the fact you're using less first person, as too much first person spoils the tone of the speech.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top