Around

Today I lay on the grass and felt the earth turning beneath me in a hot summery haze. It's only May, and the ground is sere, the leaves are browning, the air trembles as if afraid to move on to its natural destinations. And oddly enough, I found myself contemplating King Lear again, that play which is my father's favourite and also one of mine.

I have always had sympathies for Kent. He was always concerned for the Old Man, even when things were all pear-shaped. His was a rather robust and unforgiving loyalty in some ways; and yet, he had that quality which the medieval called puissance. He was a lion, and never forgot it.

There are many alternative interpretations of the story though; the earliest ones are typical fairy tales that end happily ever after, more or less. Those are the Celtic tales of Leir (or Llyr), the legendary king. But one which really pushes the envelope of cross-cultural tragedy is Kurosawa's Ran. It is worth looking up. Those who can read Chinese characters are likely to recognise the pictogram of the title.

Anyway, it is all the same. The Greeks may have tried to put a distinctive stamp on tragedy, but it is part of the human condition and everyone is likely to have a unique taste of it sooner or later. What goes round, comes around, and it isn't always love that makes it do that.