Wednesdays 6:30pm-8:30pm starting February 6th
Gordon Jones, a Putney School faculty member, is offering a six-week study of Shakespeare’s King Lear this winter at the Putney Public Library. If there is sufficient enthusiasm, Gordon will go on to present similar programs on other great Shakespeare plays.
King Lear was written and performed in 1606, at a time of considerable political and religious uproar in London. The play concerns an old man who won’t listen—an autocratic and cranky old fellow who has decided to hand over the running of his kingdom to his three daughters—and there’s the quarrel! In short order, he banishes his favorite daughter for her unwillingness to flatter him, only to be rendered homeless by the other two. Lear is a play that asks many questions while offering no workable answers. It features torture and hilarity; sadism, tenderness and sexual intrigue; homelessness, mental illness and illusion; tears and mirth.
Sessions will be held here at the Library on Wednesday evenings, from 6:30pm to 8:00pm, starting on Wednesday, February 6th , through March 13th. Participants, who can be of any age, will be expected to read one Act of the play per week, and the discussion-based sessions will provide plenty of opportunity to practice speaking Shakespearean verse. You will need a copy of the play [any edition, print or digital—print copies will be available to Putney Library cardholders at the front desk], besides which all that is required is a good faith effort to stick with the six-week program. If you wish to enroll, or have any questions, email Gordon at gjones@putneyschool.org.
Gordon, a UK citizen, has taught English literature on four continents. He is also an enthusiastic painter and pianist.
Putney Library is located at 55 Main Street in Putney, VT. This program is free and open to the public.