Lear

By W.Wm. Mee

W.Wm.Mee’s ‘LEAR’ is a fresh look at a very old story; ‘the foolish old king that gives his kingdom away to his grasping, money grubbing children.’ A tale that seems right out of today’s ‘Fake News’ or the ‘Dr. Phil’ show --- BUT WITH A TWIST! The main character tells the tale ‘in his own words’ (along with some rather ‘creative editing’ of the Bard’s play tossed in.)
Come meet Lear, loyal Kent, the handsome snake Edmund, the fair Cordelia and the two heartless harpies of the play, Lear’s elder daughters Goneril and Regan --- only this time see them all through LEAR’S EYES. Iron Age Britain’s ‘royal family’ will seem like the squabbling neighbours next door! The ‘No Fear Shakespeare Series’ continues!

• Language: English
• Publisher: W.Wm. Mee
• Release date: Aug 27, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463737682

W.Wm. Mee

Wayne William Mee is a retired English teacher who enjoys hiking, sailing and walking his Beagle hound. He is also a 'living historian' or 'reenactor'. You can see Wayne's historical group on Facebook's 'McCaw's Privateers' 18th Century Naval Camp' page. Building & sailing wooden sailboats also takes up a chunk of Wayne's time, but along with his wife Maggie,son Jason and granddaughter Zoe, writing is his true love, the one he returns to let his imagination soar.Wayne would like you to 'look him up' on FACEBOOK and click the 'Friend' button or even zap him an e-mail.If you enjoyed any of his books, kindly leave a REVIEW here at Smashwords and/or say so on Facebook, Twitter, Tweeter or whatever other 'social network' you use.Thanks for stopping by ---and keep reading!!Drop him a line either there or at [e-mail]'ll be glad to hear from you!'Rest ye gentle --- sleep ye sound'

Book preview

‘LEAR’

by

W.Wm.Mee

A Retelling of Shakespeare’s

‘KING LEAR’

(In Lear’s own words)

Dedicated to all the closet

Thespians out there like me.

Copyright 2018 W.Wm.Mee

Smashwords Edition.

Introduction.

‘What a piece of work is man!

How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty,

In form how like an angel ---

Yet in action oft how like a devil!

Man delights me not --- no, nor Woman either.

Especially not women!’

That last bit, ‘Especially not women!’, are my own words. Not that milk-sop Hamlet’s and not that Elizabethan quill-pusher, Shakespeare’s! Mine!

That I’m not over fond of the so called ‘gentler sex’ is well known --- and I have damned good reason not to be!

Look what happened when I foolishly trusted my three ‘loving’ daughters! Each one of them betrayed me in their own way!

Goneril and Regan --- (two rare gorgons both!) --- with their two faced smiles and honeyed lies --- and Cordelia, my youngest, with her lukewarm affection and brutal honesty!

At the time I didn’t know which cut me the deepest, the lies or the honesty.

Truth be told, I still don’t! But ‘there’s no fool like an old fool’ --- a lesson I’ve learned the hard way!

In my wayward youth I was far from a model husband --- nor father. My family I neglected for my kingdom --- and my own baser appetites.

War, women and wine I loved --- foolishly thinking that with might and bluster alone I could conquer all three.

War it turned out however, was the only thing I was good at. Woman and wine both fogged my head and caused me to do rash and often savage things. The kingdom gained much --- lands, riches, power --- but my family suffered greatly.

My lady wife, Dathruda, so lovely and ephemeral in her youth, in middle age sickened (most probably of me!) and died; as a result two of my three daughters turned into smiling monsters, while my youngest, simply turned away.

I loved all four women as best I could ---- hard to do for an over proud, vain, privileged man like myself --- but each one needed more than I could give --- or at least was willing to give. So, in my declining years, when the wars had all been won, the milk-maids had all been bedded and the wineskins had lost at least some of their flavor, I foolishly decide to ‘give them my kingdom’. An idiotic, irrational (and, as it turned out, very dangerous) attempt to buy their love, their respect and more importantly, their forgiveness.

I see it all plainly now, but back then I was still proud and overly vain, thinking I could use my wealth to buy what my cold, empty heart now longed for; that gold, silver, land and power offered to my grown daughters could magically erase the many tears they cried in their lonely childhood.

I was a fool then.

Perhaps I still am.

Give a listen to the Bard’s lines

(with a little ‘tweaking’ of my own),

and make up your own mind.

***

Chapter 1: ‘The Fool On The Hill’

King Lear’s castle. Themes estuary Iron Age Britain

‘Day after day

Alone on a hill

The man with the foolish grin

Is keeping perfectly still.

But nobody wants to know him,

They can see that he's just a fool.

But the fool on the hill

Sees the world spinning round.

(The Beatles 1967)

***

(Enter the king’s champion, Wickford of KENT, Lord GLOUCESTER, and his bastard son EDMUND)

KENT (looking worried about the aging king he loved)

I thought the king liked his daughter Goneril’s husband Albany more than Cornwall, Regan’s husband?

GLOUCESTER

It did always seem so: but now, with this strange division of his kingdom, no-one knows what to expect!

KENT (politely changing the subject)

Is not this your son, Edmund, my lord?

GLOUCESTER (grinning like a cat in the cream)

His breeding, sir, hath indeed been at my charge! This young fellow's fair faced mother had a son for her cradle ere she had a husband for her bed! Do you smell a fault, sir?

KENT

Not I, sir! He seems like a handsome, proper young man!

GLOUCESTER

That he is! That he is! And right proud of him too I am! I had another son, Edgar. A lawful, legitimate son a year older than Edmund here, but he died some time ago. But enough for now. The king is coming!

Horns blow. Enter KING LEAR, CORNWALL, ALBANY, GONERIL, REGAN, CORDELIA, and Attendants

KING LEAR

Let me speak plainly to you all! Know you that I have divided in three my kingdom: and ‘tis my intent to shake off all cares and business; conferring them on younger strengths, while I unburdened, crawl slowly towards my death.

(A ripple of whispered voices, but Lear silenced them with a stern look.)

My two daughter’s husbands, Cornwall and Albany, are both deserving to rule, as are the princes of Gaul and Burgundy, two friendly rivals for my youngest daughter's hand. All that shall soon be decided, but first, tell me true my daughters --- which of you shall say doth love me the most? Goneril, my eldest-born, speak you first.

GONERIL (a tall, stern, yet striking woman)

Sir, I do love you more than words can wield the matter. Dearer than eye-sight, space or liberty you are to me. Beyond what can be valued, rich or rare! A love that makes breath poor, and speech unable. Beyond all manner of things, so much I love you.

LEAR

Well said, eldest daughter. Your words have near moved me to tears of joy. Now, what says my second daughter, dearest Regan, wife to Cornwall? Speak.

REGAN (also tall, but thinner, hawkish-like)

Sir, I am made of the self-same metal that my sister is. I too sprang from your noble loins, and in my true heart I find she names my very deed of love. Only she falls too short