King Lear / Edition 1

The text of the play included here, prepared by Craig Walker for , has been acclaimed for its outstanding introductory material and annotations, and for its inclusion of parellel text versions of key scenes for which the texts of the Quarto and the Folio versions of the play are substantially different. Also included in this edition are excerpts from a variety of literary source materials (including Geoffrey on Monmouth’s , the anonymous , and Samuel Harsnett’s ); material on the historical Annesley case that raised many of the same issues as does Shakespeare’s play; and the happy ending from Nahum Tate’s version of the play, which held the stage for 150 years after its first performance in 1681.