Tragedy of king lear, the

For this critical edition of 'King Lear', Professor Halio has added a new introductory section on stage, film, and critical interpretations of the play. He gives an account of Shakespeare's sources and the literary, political and folkloric influences at work in the play; a reading of the action; and a stage history of major productions. Professor Halio chooses the Folio as the text for this edition. He explains the differences between the quarto and Folio versions and alerts the reader to the rival claims of the quarto by means of a sampling of parallel passages in the Introduction and by an appendix which contains annotated passages unique to the quarto. A reading list completes the edition.