Duke of Albany in Comparison of Two Versions of “King Lear” by W. Shakespeare

Abstract

The aim of the study is to conduct a detailed comparison of the quarto and folio of “King Lear” by W. Shakespeare and to highlight the differences between two editions associated with the image of the Duke of Albany, a minor character who personifies order in the chaotic universe of “Lear” and acts as a kind of normative moral reference point. The scientific originality of the study lies in the fact that a detailed comparison of the quarto and folio texts in connection with the image of the Duke of Albany has not been carried out. As a result, it is proved that, although Albany occupies a more significant place in the quarto version, where his role is increased by 30 lines, the folio version not only cuts the role, but offers different understanding of Albany’s place in the structure of the tragedy, which also explains the fundamental difference in the ending of the play in different editions.

References

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Funding

The publication was prepared within the framework of the project “Genesis of a literary text in the late Middle Ages and early Modern Age. Interaction of genres and styles” with the support of the Development Fund of Saint Tikhon’s Orthodox University of the Humanities.

Author information

About this article

Publication history

• Received: December 8, 2021.
• Published: February 28, 2022.

Keywords

• У. Шекспир
• драма «Король Лир»
• английская драматургия
• драматургия Ренессанса
• W. Shakespeare
• drama “King Lear”
• English dramaturgy
• Renaissance dramaturgy

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© 2022 The Author(s)
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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)