30 Day Book Challenge // Day 8: A Play You Loved

Day 8: A Play You Loved

For as long as I can remember, I've loved watching productions on stage. From musicals to plays, I think there is something really magical about going to the theatre. I've seen a lot of plays over the years, and I think my favourite has to be a classic: Shakespeare's King Lear. 

I studied King Lear during school as part of my A Levels, and this was my first real introduction to Shakespeare. I'd done bits and pieces before on a surface level, but this was my first opportunity to really get into the text. I surprised myself by really enjoying it, and it remains my favourite play to date.

The play tells us about families struggling between greed and cruelty, on the one hand, and support and consolation, on the other. Emotions are extreme, magnified to gigantic proportions. We also see old age portrayed in all its vulnerability, pride, and, perhaps, wisdom—one reason this most devastating of Shakespeare’s tragedies is also perhaps his most moving.

Blurb taken from Goodreads.

I think this play still resonates so strongly with me because I think a lot of the messages within it are still important in this modern day. King Lear teaches us that being too proud to accept criticism from the ones we love can lead to us losing everything. We also learn that we need to be careful who we trust, with a number of the characters being betrayed. These are messages that are still so crucial for us to be wary of today.

I wasn't sure if I would really enjoy reading the style of writing that Shakespeare utilizes.  However, I loved reading something new, and being able to throw myself into the text. It takes a lot of focus to really understand Shakespeare's plays, and I like the feeling that I am learning something new and developing  a new skill through reading it.

I've also been lucky enough to see King Lear performed on stage by the Royal Shakespeare Company. My best friend and I visited Stratford-Upon-Avon two summers ago, and watched the performance. It was incredible to see the words explored by actors, and it really did bring the themes to a new level. I'd love to see more Shakespeare plays in the future.

I haven't read a lot of Shakespeare, but I'd definitely like to read more in the future. King Lear has allowed me to appreciate his work, and I'm looking forward to continuing that journey.