Analysis Of Shakespeare s King Lear - 1262 Words

The opportunity to view both productions of King Lear has appeared twice for me in the past two years. The first time I viewed Trevor Nunn’s 2009 production of King Lear my review would have been based solely on my ability to understand the dialogue and my appreciation of the acting of Ian McKellen. Two years later I have a better understanding of the actual play and while I still enjoy the 2009 production the 1982 production directed by Jonathan Miller presents the words of William Shakespeare in a more accurate and period specific manor. From the opening scenes of Trevor Nunn’s 2009 production of King Lear, the audience is made aware of a dark, ominous cloud that is about to envelope them. The use of low lights and spotlights allows for a slow augmentation of the yet to come tragic aspects of the play. The minimal use of props and background sets allows his audience to focus on the characters and their dialogue. Besides the set design, background music for any movie can also make or break a production. The 1982 production directed by Jonathan Miller declined to have any music from the opening scene and went directly into dialogue whereas Nunn’s version has an opening musical score that is reminiscent of a scene from the Phantom of the Opera. The music is a lead in to an over dramatic scene where the people bow down to King Lear and subsequently the dialogue of the play begins. The 1982 production withdraws from any musical score and begins the opening scene with theShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Shakespea re s King Lear Essay1733 Words   |  7 PagesPaola Moreira Garrity AP Literature 28 November 2016 KING LEAR Although Lear and Cordelia start with a continuous quarrel, the compassion between these characters has a sense of necessity in both their lives. Neither of their souls would feel content without one another’s compassion. The King’s dialogue was created in order to cause Cordelia to suffer. 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