Russian Version Of King Lear example essay topic

William Shakespeares classic tragedy King Lear presents a mam who having given away the responsibility of the crown to his daughters, suffers their filial ingratitude, foolishness, madness blindness and both the national theatre company version (NTC) and Grigori Kozintscv's Russian version, despite using different methods are effective in showing the different strands of power and powerlessness within the play. The National Theatre Company version uses many different lighting and visual techniques to display the gradual change in power. At the beggining the stage style setting is red, indicative of the power held by lear and the costuming is suggestive of prestige. however as this appropriation proceeds the colour of the rooms gradually changes from red to grey to white, symbolic of the power seeping out of the kingdom and as this happens goneril and regan's outfits also change from grey to red showing their aquisition ing of power. Unlike the Russian version, The NTC focuses more heavily on the relationship in the play using abstract symbolism tp present the ideas of power and powerlessness. Later in the production King lear played by Ian Holm in this production wears a fools hat and changes from the royals expensive clothing to a peasant style outfit indicative of stripping away his responsibilities and therefore his power, making a subliminal statement about the foolish statement he made at the begging of the play. The use of fog is also evident to show the confusion of Lears mind, that everything is not what it seems, infact the NTC version uses this to emphasise the disagreement between characters, showing that the fine line between power and powerlessness in the play, is blurred and cannot be easily defined.

The russian version of king lear however focuses more on the context of Russia and the degradation of the land, emphasising the theme of nature within the text and making a statement on the lack of power that the country's rulers hold within the country and the ever increasing gap between the powerful and powerless. Lear within this version is presented as a frail man throughout the production his hair becomes more and more disheveled and the lines on his face more defined and emphasised. this makes it easier to sympathise with his character and to question wether he ever held any power to start with. Kozintscv also uses mis-en-scene and careful framing to show the difference in power levels between the peasants and the King himself. The difference in scene structure between the two texts also shows the gradual change in power as in the NTC production lear has no problems telling his daughters of his rage and their filial ingratitude banging his head against the table as he says "o reason not the need even the basest of beggars make all things superfluous" Whereas in the Russian version he waits until they lock him in a room before he admits his views showing his loss of power and goneril and regan gain of power evident in their ability to lock him out of a room without argument. This version also uses more of the quarto text of lear including the imaginary treason trial of lears daughters. even the difference in deaths at the end have an impact on the strands of power within the play, cordelia and lear having been carried of seperatley give the impression that they are of a higher status than Goneril and Regan.

Despite his focus on the ideal of nature reflecting what happens in the play evident in the quote: "These late eclipses portend no good to us" Grigori Kozintscv is still just as effective as the national Theatre company in presenting the various strands of power and powerlessness within William Shakespeares classic tragedy King Lear.