The madness of Hamlet and King Lear: When psychiatrists used Shakespeare to argue legal definitions of insanity in the courtroom
Well-known Shakespeare characters such as King Lear and Hamlet suffer (or appear to suffer) from madness—and early American psychiatrists took note. Observations drawn from literature began to bleed into courtroom testimony regarding insanity pleas.
Drawing Shakespeare: King Lear
Artist Paul Glenshaw writes about drawing the bas-relief of King Lear by sculptor John Gregory on the front of the Folger Shakespeare Library building.
Excerpt: 'Year of the Mad King' by Antony Sher
What’s it like to play the role of Lear onstage? In this excerpt from Year of the Mad King: The Lear Diaries, actor Antony Sher gives us a window into the rehearsal process for the Royal Shakespeare Company 2016 production of King Lear.
Excerpt from Dunbar: Edward St. Aubyn retells King Lear
In “Dunbar,” a new novel by Edward St. Aubyn that retells the Shakespeare play “King Lear,” Henry Dunbar makes the mistake of handing over control of his global corporation to his eldest daughters, who bribe a doctor to declare him…
'Sweetly Writ': King Lear and the First Folio in Oregon
Barry Kraft as Lear in King Lear, produced by Southern Oregon University, Oregon Center for the Arts. (Credit: Prechtel photo) What can we learn from Shakespeare’s revisions to his plays, and what does that mean for the actors and directors…