The Tragedy of King Lear, written by Shakespeare in late 1605 or early 1606, it tells the tale of a king of Britain (not England) who, in his old age, turns away from the responsibilities of rule and hands the reins over to his daughters. It is unlike Shakespeare's other tragedies. The title character is not a young man struggling against fate, nor an ambitious lord seeking to gain more power. He is rather an old man who desires rest and affirmation of the love of his daughters. As the play goes from such unassuming beginnings to the dark closing scenes, it raises questions about nature, family, and reason.

Many consider it to be the greatest of Shakespeare's plays, and yet when I read it as a younger man, I found it much less attractive than the more flamboyant tragedies. I was often told that Lear is an old man's play, and requires an old man to properly appreciate it. So I am returning to it after several decades to see how it strikes me now.

I'm inviting you to help me bring this play to life and to help me grow in my understanding of it. Before the course begins, we will all sign up for roles. Then we will read the play out loud together, dramatizing it as best we can. With that common experience of the text and our background, we will then discuss it together.