Approaches to Teaching Shakespeare’s King Lear
- Editor: Robert H. Ray
- Pages: x & 166 pp.
- Published: 1986
- ISBN: 9780873524988 (Paperback)
- ISBN: 9780873524971 (Hardcover)
“Any dedicated teacher of the play will find the book’s variety both thought-provoking and refreshing and will arise from it with a renewed sense of commitment and excitement about the play. This volume makes a significant contribution to the teaching of King Lear.”
—Christianity and Literature
“If you teach King Lear, you must have this book and you can use most, if not all, of the varied advice these teachers offer.”
—Bibliothèque d’humanisme et renaissance
Perhaps Shakespeare’s greatest play, King Lear is likely the one most often taught at the undergraduate level, but many instructors agree that it may also be the most daunting to teach. A survey conducted for this collection of essays found several common difficulties teachers face in presenting the play: the inability of students to empathize with an old man, bewilderment caused by the pessimistic vision of the play and its ending, difficulty in conveying the universality of the play, and confusion over complex imagery. Approaches to Teaching Shakespeare’s King Lear suggests ways that teachers can meet these challenges and make King Lear engaging and accessible.
The volume, like others in the MLA’s Approaches to Teaching World Literature, is divided into two parts. The first part, “Materials,” surveys the editions of King Lear most used by instructors, lists recommended readings for students and teachers, and discusses audiovisual materials available for classroom use. In the second part, “Approaches,” sixteen teachers share ideas for teaching King Lear in different settings, from freshman survey courses to seminars devoted entirely to the play. The essays present overviews of the play from a variety of critical perspectives as well as describe specific approaches, such as focusing on theme and character, discussing dramatic and philosophical contexts, and analyzing the roles of the written text and of oral and visual performance.
