A new King Lear text-guide

New worlds of emotional experience

Part of the thrill in studying great literature is that it gives you insight into life and experiences beyond that which you already know.

I have never forgotten my A Level English teacher identifying with the middle aged Cleopatra’s desperation to hold on to her sexual allure. Now I am heading to that age myself, I understand the reality of Cleopatra’s – and Mrs C_’s - hopes and needs.

King Lear opens up worlds of relationship that you may understand (sibling rivalry, anyone?) or may not yet have observed (for example, the intense grief about one’s failing powers and memory). All of this is conveyed through dramatic plotting, full of twists and turns, and couched in memorable poetry. Encountering Shakespeare’s mighty tragedy can be a life changing experience.

Understanding technique

But of course an examiner wants to know not just how you have responded to the text, but why. They want to see your analysis of what is it that Shakespeare has done to create that reaction within you…. It is a relief to know that there is help at hand to give you a thorough understanding of Shakespeare’s technique.

Launched this week, the new Crossref-it text-guide on King Lear will help all students currently in lower or upper Sixth form, who may be studying the play for:

• A Level English Lit., with OCR and WJEC boards
• A Level Language and Lit, with AQA
• Cambridge Pre U exam.

In the new guide you can place Shakespeare within the context of his contemporaries via the Timeline. Accessing Synopses and commentaries gives you speedy reminders of what’s going on or you could explore the Themes of the play. Every tricky concept has a handy pop-up to illuminate the meaning and there is loads of advice about how to write effective essays.

Teaching the text

Meanwhile teachers may have already got an eye out for the texts they will be teaching in the reformed specifications first being delivered from this September. Has your English department opted for:

• AQA Eng. Eng. Lit. B
• Edexcel Eng. Lit. 
• WJEC Eng. Lit. or Lit. & Lang? 

King Lear appears on all these specifications and knowing that there is an accessible but academically rigorous guide to help you teach it successfully might spur you to lay claim to the class set in the stock cupboard!

Probably composed in the same year as the Gunpowder plot, Crossref-it.info Context sections help you see how King Lear reflected topical concerns about the role of the monarch and the insecure social conditions of the time. You can discover how verbal Motifs run through the play and of course can link these to our free searchable text on site. There’s lots more, so why not explore?

The Crossref-it team believe in the power of literature to transform – and take the headache out of preparation. What’s not to like!