Sima's Blog

  Mahesh Dattani is considered as one of the best Indian playwrights and he writes his pieces in English. He is an actor, playwright and director. A Look at His Early Years: Mahesh Dattani was born on the 7th of August in 1958 in Bangalore, Karnataka. He was educated at Baldwin’s Boys High School and then went on to graduate from St.Joseph’s College, Bangalore. After graduation, he worked for a brief period as a copywriter for an advertising firm. In 1986, he wrote his first play, ‘Where There is a Will’. Mahesh Dattani’s Works: After his first play, Mahesh Dattani began to concentrate on his writing and wrote more dramas like Final Solutions, Night Queen, Dance Like a Man, Tara, and Thirty Days. From 1995, he started working exclusively in theatre. All his plays address social issues, not the very obvious ones, but the deep-seated prejudices and problems that the society is usually conditioned to turn away from. His plays deal with gender identity, gender discrimination, and commu...

  “I am a very foolish fond old man, Fourscore and upward, not an hour more nor less. And to deal plainly I fear I am not in my perfect mind.”           – King Lear (Act IV, Scene VII) King Lear has become homeless after being driven out by his two eldest daughters, to whom he had bequeathed his kingdom. The behavior of his ungrateful daughters coupled with the hardships of stormy weather he has had to endure has driven Lear towards madness. This line is said by Lear, in madness, to his youngest daughter Cordelia who is trying to bring him back to his senses. He is saying that he is a foolish, senile old man who is more than eighty years old, not an hour more or less; the last part added to suggest his insanity as it makes no sense. He then adds that to put it simply he fears that he is not entirely sane. The line is important as Lear is admitting his mistake to Cordelia of expelling her because she didn’t flatter him. It is also ironic as it is in insanit...

  Themes of the play King Lear Age : Age and the process of aging is a significant theme of the play, King Lear. When a person starts aging, he starts losing his significance. As King Lear starts aging, he starts making decisions about his kingdom and makes a bet on the persons expressing their profound love for them. However, old King Lear does not understand Cordelia is the loyal one. Sadly, he trusts the deceitful ones. On the other hand, Edmund also waits for his father, Gloucester, to die so that he could inherit something to win social legitimacy in the eyes of the social fabric he wants to live in. In fact, King Lear’s age heralds a new social circle forming around him where he is not the kingpin, but just a commoner having no authority as in the past. However, he wants to retain the same authority even in his old age, that seems impossible. That is why he admits of his being old and the desire for retirement without having to abandon his privileges. Therefore, old age and i...

Characters of the play King Lear  King Lear: Lear  is King of England. Old and tired of the duties of kingship, he decides to retire, and to split his kingdom between his three daughters and their husbands.  He is irascible, hot-tempered, full of self-regard, and lacks self-awareness; though he allows his Fool to tell him the truth, he also threatens him with whipping for coming too close to the mark. He is fond of his daughters, especially his youngest, Cordelia, and expects the same in return from them. He sets great store by the fact that he has never broken his word, even when given in anger. Infuriated by Cordelia’s refusal to play his game of ‘Who Loves Daddy Best,’ he disowns her and splits the kingdom between only the two older daughters, Goneril and Regan. He is so angry that he banishes his oldest and best friend, Kent, when the latter speaks up in Cordelia’s favor. Unaware that the older daughters’ flattering replies were nothing but flattery, and that they do ...

  Brief over View of The Plot : • King Lear divides his kingdom into three parts for his three daughters and their husbands, but his youngest daughter Cordelia disappoints him and he therefore gives her share to the other two. • The King of France agrees to marry Cordelia despite what has happened and she goes with him to France. • The Earl of Gloucester’s youngest son Edmund fools his father into believing that his older son, Edmund’s half-brother Edgar, wants to kill Gloucester. • Edmund tells Edgar to run away because his life is in danger and Edgar disguises himself as a ‘mad’ beggar called ‘Poor Tom’. • King Lear goes to stay with his oldest daughter Goneril. She asks him to reduce the number of his followers because of their noise and behavior. He is deeply offended and goes to stay with his daughter Regan instead. Regan makes sure she is not at home and goes to Gloucester’s house. • Outside Gloucester’s house, Goneril and Regan unite against their father. He refuses to give...