No, I will weep no more. In such a night
To shut me out? Pour on; I will endere
In such a night as this? O Regan, Goneril!!
Your old kind father whose frank heart gave all?
No more of that.

<Kimg Lear, Ⅲ ⅳ, 17>

 

Can We Measure Love?
      We are living in the world of Mammonism. People praise those who have power and money. But, sadly those who do not have any, rarely get any attention. The play King Lear was written more than 400 years ago, but this story not only mirrors Shakespeare’s times, but also modern society. The story of an old and weak lion tries to test his three daughters tells us hatred, selfishness and obsession of power leading to a tragedy. At the beginning of this play, King Lear gives some parts of his land to Goneril and Regan whom he believes that they love him, but no to Cordelia. King Lear visits his two daughters’ castle but is turned out by them. At the end, Cordelia tries to save his father but her effort is unsuccessful.

All Is Not As It Seems
      Whoever had a chance to learn English literature would have read one of the 4 Shakespearean tragedies. Needless to say, reading the original English version is quite challenging, even it was not easy for me to read in Korean. Because Korean translation was full of archaic word, I found it was really hard to read and understand. But the play, acting out on the stage at Daejeon Culture and Arts Center, was engaging, indeed. Some questions came up to my mind. What is power all about? Why do people act against morality in front of power> It was ridiculous of King Lear to test and measure his daughters’ love towards him by just asking them to tell him what they think about. “Love, and be silent”<King Lear, I i, 64> People should always remember that the true love does not speak loud. Although this play is a tragedy, Shakespeare does not let leave people suffering from the gloom. For example the Clown part, which seems the hardest performance, was creamed up by the actor, Kim Hak-su. I was impressed by his act. It was such a great opportunity to think about the depth of life, power, and arrogance. If you have a chance, I would suggest you watch the play, let alone reading the book. I bet Shakespeare is one of the greatest writers.

 Who is Shakespeare?
      William Shakespeare is the poet and playwright whose body of work is considered the greatest in history of English literature. Even though Shakespeare is renowned as the world’s greatest playwright, there is little information known about his life. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire in 1594. The specific birth date is unknown but it is possible to infer from the date of him baptized, that ism Shakespeare was born in April 23rd. He married Anne Hathaway and left Stratford for London to make his fortune. His theatre company became the royal company called the King’s Men, making Shakespeare an official playwright to the King of England. During his lifetime, he wrote 38 plays and many poems including 154 sonnets.

 

By  So Hae-jin CP Reporter
so-hj@cnu.ac.kr

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