British Literature Module 4.4

Study Guide: British Literature (Excellence in Literature, English 4)

Focus Text: King Lear by William Shakespeare
You will need the text (Ignatius Critical Edition recommended), as well as a video of this play.

Printable: http://publicliterature.org/books/king_lear/xaa.php

Honors Text: Hamlet by William Shakespeare

King Lear Context Resources

Readings

http://www.pathguy.com/kinglear.htm

http://www.bardweb.net/grammar/grammar.html

Tales from Shakespeare

https://excellence-in-literature.com/tales-from-shakespeare-by-charles-and-mary-lamb-king-lear

http://www.penguin.com/static/pdf/teachersguides/kinglear.pdf

The Author’s Life

Shakespeare by Peter Chrisp

http://www.bardweb.net/man.html

http://absoluteshakespeare.com/trivia/timeline/timeline.htm

http://ise.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/life/lifesubj.html

http://www.shakespeareoxfordfellowship.org/discover-shakespeare/

Poetry

https://excellence-in-literature.com/poetry-by-shakespeare-contemporaries

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/william-shakespeare#about

http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poets/shakespeare-william

Audio

http://amzn.to/2qdxE7b

http://librivox.org/king-lear-by-william-shakespeare/

Music

http://www.curtisclark.org/emusic/renaissa.html

King Lear Overture by Hector Berlioz:

• https://excellence-in-literature.com/shakespeare-resources/

http://www.hberlioz.com/Scores/skinglear.htm

• May need http://www.sibelius.com/products/scorch/index.html to view the above score.

Video

King Lear (a BBC production with Laurence Olivier as Lear) on the Amazon website

• Short clip: https://excellence-in-literature.com/olivier-king-lear-video-excerpt

Visual Arts

http://www.shakespeare.org.uk/visit-the-houses/shakespeares-birthplace.html

Painting: King Lear and the Fool in the Storm by William Dyce

Painting: King Lear and Cordelia by Benjamin West

http://www.folger.edu/sites/default/files/picturing-shakespeare-images/003039.jpg

http://www.english.emory.edu/classes/Shakespeare_Illustrated/Brown%27sLear.html

http://absoluteshakespeare.com/pictures/king_lear.htm

http://english.emory.edu/classes/Shakespeare_Illustrated/LearPaintings.html

Historical Context

http://elizabethan.org/compendium/

http://www.britainexpress.com/History/Elizabethan_life.htm

Note: we specifically recommend this version from the 7th edition, not the 8th edition.

• http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/nael/16century/review/summary7ed.htm

Virtual Globe Theatre

The website for the reconstructed Globe Theatre offers a virtual tour, filmed on site:

http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/about-us/virtual-tour

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Index of British Literature context link pages

Note: All Amazon links are affiliate links provided for your convenience; full information in footer.

British Literature Texts (recommended editions)

British Lit study guide, and links to focus and honors texts (opens in a new tab at the author’s Everyday Education site)