Top 10 books I read in 2012: King Lear (#4)

King Lear

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Barnes & Noble, 2007; 408 pages.

Who is it that can tell me who I am? — Lear

I am sitting here staring at a blinking cursor because, come on: What am I going to say about King Lear that hasn’t already been said?

I re-read King Lear for my church classics book club and I eagerly threw myself into it. I confess that reading this particular version (Barnes & Noble, 2007) was very helpful, as it provided an accessible gloss and very readable marginalia (without making the text cluttered). It’s been many years since I read Shakespeare, and my brain needed a little assistance. So, if you’re like me in that respect, I recommend this edition.

It’s just… so good. SO GOOD. Everyone should read it before they die. I’ve read 18 of Shakespeare’s plays (not that many, actually, within his body of work) and this one is the most profound and affecting to me. I think I could read King Lear another hundred times and still be blown away with every re-reading. That’s all. Now go read it.