King Lear

16/02/18, 19:00

A tragedy of foolishness

Boleslav Polívka in the title role

Once upon a time there was a mighty king who had three daughters – Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. One day, he decided to divide his empire up between them depending on the words they used to express their love for him... The Elizabethan genius raised the ancient Celtic tale to the heights of a great drama. The basic conflict that drives the play, which is considered to be the peak of Shakespeare´s tragic art together with Hamlet, consists of the contrast between the old, patriarchal world and the new, ruthlessly individualistic one. In the very heart of this dramatic exploration of the human lot is the powerful image of a pilgrim and his journey. The exiled king wanders from the palace to the wild, from pride to humility, from bossy and authoritarian self-centredness to compassion and forgiveness, from a royal crown made of gold - a symbol of fame, wealth and power - to a wreath made from weeds and meadow flowers, and from smug reason to madness as a paradoxical source of knowledge about the intangible meaning of all worldly efforts, about the hidden reason behind all earthly existence. This work of genius, written four centuries ago, touches all of us deeply with its poetic power, its engrossing though raw testimony and the urgency of the questions which it asks. Boleslav Polívka stars in the title role.