Cambridge King Lear , The

This CD-ROM offers an archive of textual and performance material relating to Shakespeare’s King Lear. Over time the text of King Lear has changed drastically, due to the work of editors and theatre artists. This CD reveals the play’s fluidity. From the outset King Lear existed in two very different versions, the Quarto of 1608 and the Folio of 1623, both of which are contained here in modern spelling editions and as facsimile, along with five other editions and adaptations of the text, 500 illustrations of performances, essays on international stagings of the play, extensive annotation and reference material. All are fully searchable, using DynaText software. A newly-conflated edition of the text serves as a central navigational device, taking users through the performance and textual history of each act and scene. This unique resource is intended for both library and individual purchase and as a teaching aid for university use.