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In this first workshop on King Lear the director looks at some crucial scenes in which the development of the King's madness and its causes and significance, can be closely examined.
Subtitle Number Time In Time Out Subtitle Text
100:00:01,00000:01:05,000Lear: Know that we have divided in three our Kingdom,
200:00:06,00000:00:11,000and 'tis our fast intent to shake all cares and business from our age,
300:00:12,00000:00:18,000conferring them on younger strengths, while we, unburdened, crawl towards death.
400:00:20,00000:00:23,000Our son of Cornwall, and you, our no-less loving son of Albany,
500:00:24,00000:00:30,000it is this hour our constant will to publish our daughters several dowers,
600:00:31,00000:00:33,000that future strife may be prevented now.
4500:00:33,00000:03:36,000(Julian Glover) He chooses that word "darker" rather than "hidden" or any other synonym.
700:00:35,00000:00:39,000The Princes France and Burgundy, great rivals in our youngest daughter's love,
800:00:40,00000:00:44,000long in our court have made their amorous sojourn, and here are to be answered.
900:00:45,00000:00:50,000Tell me, my daughters, since now we will divest us both of rule,
1000:00:51,00000:01:01,000interest of territory, cares of state, which of you shall we say doth love us most,
1100:01:02,00000:01:09,000that we our greatest bounty may extend where nature doth with merit challenge.
1200:01:11,00000:01:15,000Gonerill, our eldest-born, speak first…
1300:01:15,00000:01:17,000John Russell Brown: Yes, OK, very good.
1400:01:18,00000:01:22,000The contrast to the scene we've just done couldn't be more- -Julian Glover: Absolutely not.
1500:01:22,00000:01:25,000John Russell Brown: ..more astonishing. I mean the first thing is…
1600:01:26,00000:01:32,000..his control over syntax, so that what he has to say can contain a parenthesis…
1700:01:32,00000:01:34,000and yet come to a full close.
1800:01:35,00000:01:42,000The marvellous way in which he can bring every degree of attention…
1900:01:42,00000:01:48,000..down to that simple word "love" which is like the kind of trigger for the whole play.
2000:01:48,00000:01:51,000What he cares about here is not merely his power,
2100:01:52,00000:01:54,000but actually something very secret which is called love.
2200:01:55,00000:02:01,000A simple monosyllable, and there's a whole syntax in the metre of that speech…
2300:02:01,00000:02:04,000that brings it all down to that crucial point.
2400:02:04,00000:02:06,000(Julian Glover) But what's amazing is that what he's doing…
2500:02:06,00000:02:10,000..at this advanced time in his life is to actually challenge them...
2600:02:10,00000:02:12,000..on the most important thing in the world, which is love,
2700:02:13,00000:02:15,000which is the most outrageous thing he could possibly do,
2800:02:16,00000:02:19,000and I think he's been working on it for a long time.
2900:02:19,00000:02:21,000John Russell Brown: Yes, and I was very interested as you did that.
3000:02:23,00000:02:29,000There was on your face a flicker of humour at the ironies,
3100:02:30,00000:02:32,000"…and we unburdened crawl towards death…"
3200:02:32,00000:02:34,000You're not going to crawl to death - -Julian Glover:No way!
3300:02:34,00000:02:36,000John Russell Brown: You're going out hunting, with a hundred knights!
3400:02:37,00000:02:41,000But you are saying that – I wonder whether that irony,
3500:02:43,00000:02:48,000the irony actually should… could in fact be more private,
3600:02:50,00000:02:55,000(John Russell-Brown) that you get the humour for yourself, but you won't show it to them.
3700:03:00,00000:03:05,000Julian Glover: That's interesting , one would have to debate whether it's more valuable…
3800:03:05,00000:03:07,000(John Russell-Brown) Exactly. - Julian Glover: ..to show them the humour or not.
3900:03:08,00000:03:08,000(John Russell-Brown) Yes, in the strategy of the whole play…
4000:03:09,00000:03:14,000..I think it's terribly, terribly difficult decisions, the sort of…
4100:03:15,00000:03:20,000..there are about half a dozen decisions to make about this first scene, the one is that-
4200:03:21,00000:03:24,000Julian Glover: Yeah. It's also very interesting, that word he uses,
4300:03:24,00000:03:28,000"We express our darker purpose", he uses the word "darker" for the word "hidden",
4400:03:29,00000:03:33,000so he does put a mystery onto it anyway, doesn't he? (John Russell Brown) Yes, well…
4600:03:36,00000:03:40,000John Russell-Brown: I think there' s two ways of taking this first scene, one to take all…
4700:03:40,00000:03:42,000well two major ways, and this is a major decision–
4800:03:43,00000:03:48,000that is, to play the sub-text about darker purposes and the sly intention…
4900:03:49,00000:03:54,000..and putting them on the spot and judging them, and show us Lear enjoying doing that,
5000:03:55,00000:03:59,000(John Russell-Brown) which I think was the decision which you had made in that.