Explanatory notes and guidance to help students understand Shakespeare's plays. Lear, once all-powerful, gives away his kingdom to his daughters Goneril and Regan, yet still demands of them unquestioning love and absolute obedience. But both daughters abuse him cruelly. He falls from the condition of king to that of the most wretched beggar, and in the storm on the heath he experiences a vision of humanity at its lowest and most elemental: 'the thing itself. Unaccommodated man'.These guides help students to evaluate the historical, social and cultural contexts for a broader understanding of Shakespeare’s plays. The content of each book in the series follows the pattern of an introduction; detailed running commentary on the text; insight into historical, social and cultural contexts; analysis of the language; an overview of critical approaches and different interpretations; essay-writing tips and lists of recommended resources.
The first Shakespeare A Level study guide series to be published since the major changes to A Levels Rex Gibson as series editor Complements the play editions of both Cambridge School Shakespeare and New Cambridge Shakespeare or any other edition