Compare And Contrast The Queen And King Lear

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King Lear and The Queen Comparative Essay

Stephen Frears’s 2006 movie ‘The Queen’ and William Shakespeare’s performance of ‘King Lear’ written in the 16th centaury both share the common universal themes of power of nature and power of words. This essay will show readers the similarities and the different on how both composers use their different techniques to betray each of the themes.

At the beginning of the Queen Stephen Frears includes intertextuality a quote from Shakespeare. The quote appeared on an all black screen and was from Henry the 4th part 2. The quote was:

Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown

The black screen allowed the quote to be the main focus and salience of the shot.
In Clip three The Queen arrives in London,
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This makes the words more powerful and the audience focuses more on the impact they have on the Queen.
As she keeps walking around soft remorseful music begins to play.
The Queen then approaches a little girl holding a bunch of flowers. She asks her if she wants her to place the flowers with the rest of them. The young girl replies
‘No, these are for you’.
This short close up dialogue give the audience an understanding of the impact those simple words had on The Queen giving her hope that people still respect her.
The music changes to a more cheerful feel while still keeping its original sorrowful sounds. The music chosen allows audience to connect with the contemplative Queen.

In King Lear Power of words is presented through Shakespeare’s’ sophisticated use of language. In act 1 scene 1 Gonerill and Regan confess their ‘love’.

Sir I love you more than word can wield the matter
Dearer than eyesight, space, and liberty

Those words are so important and powerful because they manipulate Lear to give up his land and kingdom to his villainess daughters.
In King Lear power of words can also be considered as the communication had between the
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In King Lear nature is seen through the massive and continuous storm that is being driven by Lear mental state. The Queen however focus not so much on horrors of nature but the simplicity it has to bring out the Queens never seen ‘humanlike and normed’ behavior.
In the Queen power of words is felt through the use of low angle shots complemented with soft changing music making the views feel as sense of sympathy towards the Queen. In King Lear the readers receive this same feeling for King Lear but through reading and understanding Shakespeare complex text.

In the Queen Power of nature is represented through a particular stag, which is repeatedly mentioned. Prince Charles and the residents’ of_____ regarded this stag as a wining prize and of a grand beauty.
The stag can be seen as a representation of Princess Diana and her life.
The public viewed and looked at the Princess as someone part of nature’s beauty. The ‘hunters and the stalkers’ who followed the deer for miles and miles in order to kill it are mirrored by the paparazzi who had ‘hunted’ Diana down until the very end.
Before the stag was killed, a commercial guest wounded the deer. Coming back to Diana this refers to her being hurt by the royal family before her

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