Because some of my students couldn't quite wean Lear and Company of their Shakespearian lingo (see the previous post), I offered this imaginative exercise
Think of Lear, I told them, as Chairman of the Board of Directors of a major corporation, not a king. He's going to give his daughters his wealth before he dies--maybe to avoid the inheritance tax? But the two he rewards the most by signing over all his assets and giving them power of attorney, kick him out of his McMansion and he ends up a street person sleeping on a vent. Kent is a former trusted VP, or CEO of one of subsidiary companies... etc
Now... how would they talk? Rewrite the lines so they would sound right coming out of the mouths of these modern characters.
And for those who want to be more creative... why not a write (a shorter version), of Lear in this form? The object would be to catch as much of the dramatic complexity, but as humor--a parody.
The Tragedy of Lear, COB
I mean really, what could be more timely?
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