Shakespeare Globe

King Lear

by William Shakespeare
Until 17 August

**** "Dromgoole’s account of this most gutting and emotionally extreme of the tragedies is fluent, fast-paced and admirably direct... Casting David Calder in the central role is Dromgoole’s masterstroke. This superb actor has the gift of fusing thought and dangerously molten passion. Here, he delivers a magnificent performance... Strongly recommended" The Independent

"Outstanding production of King Lear... An exceptionally humane and moving reading of the mightiest of Shakespeare’s plays" Daily Telegraph

"Magnificent Lear... Genuine five-star moments" The Guardian

"I found myself as overwhelmed by David Calder’s King Lear as any interpretation I have seen in 25 years... It is the rare, real, tragic thing" Evening Standard

"Fast, visceral and direct... The Himalayan zenith has seldom seemed so approachable" Daily Mail

Old King Lear, weary of royal duties, decides to break up his kingdom, divide it among his three daughters, and present the largest part to the one who loves him most. His two eldest daughters profess their love extravagantly, but young Cordelia refuses to flatter him. Enraged, he banishes her to France. But the old king’s rash generosity is cruelly repaid. Cast out by his daughters onto a bare heath during a pitiless storm, Lear discovers too late the false values by which he has lived and, devastatingly, the suffering common to all humanity.

Its tempestuous poetry shot through with touches of humour and moments of heartrending simplicity, King Lear is one of the most far-reaching artistic explorations of the human condition.

King Lear reunites Dominic Dromgoole, Jonathan Fensom and Claire van Kampen after their stunning production of Love’s Labour’s Lost in 2007.

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