Discussing ageing in King Lear with Sir Ian McKellen

Sir Ian McKellen took on the role of King Lear in a 2007 production of the play for the Royal Shakespeare Company, directed by Trevor Nunn.

In this video, Sir Ian shares with us some of the unique insights he gained into the play, through inhabiting the role of its title character.

When preparing for the role, Sir Ian says that he was struck, first and foremost, by King Lear’s considerable strength. A man in his eighties, being ‘fourscore and upward’, Lear nevertheless survives a night on a stormy heath, and after all his other ordeals, he is still capable of killing his daughter’s murderer and carrying Cordelia’s dead body onto the stage in the final scene of the play. Sir Ian interprets Lear as a resilient and powerful man, and therefore, he does not associate the character’s madness with the frailty of dementia.

Sir Ian talks to us about the play’s exploration of the trials and complexities of ageing. He emphasises that Lear’s decision to hand over his kingdom is an act of retirement, rather than one of abdication: Lear is an ageing man looking forward to rest, but his decision to relinquish all his power quickly proves a destructive one, for himself and for his kingdom.

As well as discussing Lear’s act of retirement, Sir Ian also emphasises the crucial role played Lear’s companions. Although Lear is remarkably strong for his age, he still relies on his band of supporters - on his Fool, on his faithful courtier Kent, and eventually, on his loving daughter Cordelia. In the play’s parallel subplot, the elderly Gloucester, too, is dependent on the kindness and guidance of others. Sir Ian talks about King Lear as a play which understands and demonstrates the vital importance of carers. King Lear, crucially, is never left entirely on his own, and the selfless acts of friends and strangers in this play should remind us of the importance of looking after the older generation in society today.
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Видео Discussing ageing in King Lear with Sir Ian McKellen канала University of Warwick