king lear and context (1 Viewer)

[**blu_rose**]

with king lear im having problems with the whole idea of "context shapes meaning"
i kinda understand it but im having problems writing about it especially for the modern audience of the 21st century as well as how are readings are determned through the political, social, religious, culture and philsophy of the contemporary audience
plz help im really stuck

 

[lislabella]

The same story in a different place and time influences meaning, and then the audience and thier thinking/context will change the meaning again as thought throughout society changes.

A silly OC example that may be of help...
King Lear is considered to have a heavy 'phsycological family' theme, put this same story into a context such as the OC, it would not have the same drama or the same meaning. We watch the OC and see Marissa and think 'oh god what a drama queen', where as if the OC was played only ten years ago the audience reaction would be completely different.

Have you watched Ran? This reading has a heavy influence on culture and is a great example of how King Lear can be used to emphasise culture. The 'love test' for example is a loyalty test - loyalty and respect for elders are an important part of the 16th C japanese culture.

Have alook at this thread...
http://www.boredofstudies.org/community/showthread.php?t=69234
it has a whole heap of great resources and shows some different readings that should help you out abit...

goodluck with King Lear

 

[rusty_rouge]

It basically means - how different societies, with our different values and opinions, would receive the same text.

For example, the traditional view of women in Shakespeare's time was that for them to have power was unnatural, whereas feminist critics argue that today, this idea is completely irrelevant.

You can argue that King Lear's universal themes are relevant to every context/society, and are able to be shifted/changed, in order to enhance their significance for contemporary viewers

...Um, did that make any sense??

 

[Kiev]

Is that anything to do with 'textual integrity'???? That's the terminology in the syllabus but nowhere does it give a definition!!!

 

[goan_crazy]

Context of king lear

from KL FAQ
King Lear has often been thought of as one of the greatest tragedies Shakespeare ever composed. The date he wrote it is undetermined, but is generally accepted to be near 1600. At this time, there are two “original” versions composed by Shakespeare-the Quarto & the Folio. The Quarto has a slightly more meandering structure to it, while the Folio seems to be more edited, with certain passages eliminated or shortened.

Shakespeare’s play was written in a period when social order was beginning to change, where previously accepted ideologies were being challenged. Even so the play, criticising as it did certain social aspects, was somewhat risqué to perform in a time when royal approval was of the utmost importance. It should be noted that the play with its political allusions, gore and reference to disorder, were tailor made for Elizabethan/Jacobean audiences who would have understood the nature of the court and be somewhat desensitised to the violence.

Because King Lear does not re-affirm man’s dignity as many felt a real tragedy should, it was often criticised, especially in the Restoration period. This lead to a rewrite by a man known as Nahum Tate, who made the play less “ghastly” by editing out the Fool, and inventing a romance between Edgar and Cordelia which led to a happy ending.

It was a considerable amount of time before the play was restored to anything close to its original state. Until at least 1823, no producer dared to stray back to the original version due to the reception it was given by audiences.

 

[rusty_rouge]

Is that anything to do with 'textual integrity'???? That's the terminology in the syllabus but nowhere does it give a definition!!!

As far as I'm aware, 'textual integrity' refers to how well a text can be received in different contexts/societies.

For example, King Lear can be argued to have great textuak integrity, as it explores universal themes. whch can be manipulated to remain relevant for different audiences.

- Hope that helps!

 

[kalen]

Textual Integrity refers to wether a contemporary/different version of the play (in this case King Lear) still keeps the themes, issues and 'shows the meaning' that Shakespeare intended when writing the play. Some critics may argue, for example that by taking out a scene of the play you would lose textual integrity whilst others decide that this scene may not be needed to keep the same overall meaning that is to be expressed through the play. A lot of the time you will need to analyse wether the 'new' version of a play into a movie has had an impact on the textual integrity. If you can express how the director/composer still expressed many of the themes that Shakespeare would have intended you can show that textual integrity was not lost and the new production instead made the play more accessable & understandable to a contemporary audience.