King Lear

The main strength of James K. Lowers' Cliffs Notes for Shakespeare's "King Lear" are the commentaries on the play's specific scenes. If you pick up this little yellow volume with the black stripes looking for essays on specific characters or themes you are going to be very disappointed. All of that is present, but it is scattered throughout Lowers' analysis of the play. The first sections of this volume cover Shakespeare's sources for "King Lear" and some of the critical appraisals of the play throughout history. Following a list of the characters and a synopsis of the play, Lowers launches into his Synopsis/Commentary section, which is probably the longest I have come across in these volumes. More than most Cliffs Notes, Lowers makes good use of the play's text, providing ample quotations (with citations), which is absolutely crucial when dealing with Shakespeare: you need to make use of his actual language when you are writing about any of his plays. Clearly the intent here is to be of use to those who have read the play, rather than those looking for a short cut. As always, it is to be hoped that your copy of Shakespeare is adequately annotated for explaining the meanings of all those words he is making up as he goes along. The best way of using this volume is to read the commentary after you have read each scene of the play. If you do that I think it is the best way of using these notes to help you understanding Shakespeare's play.