Rescripting: The Intermission

I’m about half-way through rescripting, and I’ve figured out where to put my intermission (or interval, for readers of the British persuasion). Staging practices in Shakespeare’s time didn’t involve intermissions, and I confess that I do enjoy a swift, uninterrupted production of a Shakespeare play; but I recognize that opinion puts me in the minority. And let’s face it, there’s just no way that a production of Lear is going to be “swift.” You mightaswell tell the London Symphony Orchestra to pick up the pace on Beethoven’s Ninth. It takes as long as it takes.

A lot of productions put the intermission after Act 3, Scene 7, which is the scene where Gloster gets his eyes put out. Peter Brook’s famous production (1962, I think) even had the actor playing Gloster stumble into the audience as the house lights came up. Personally, I think that horrendous act of violence can be put to better use after the intermission. If it’s put right before the break, all it’s going to do is cut down on concession sales.

No, I like Act 3, Scene 6, the “trial” scene. Lear is still totally bonkers at the end of this scene, but at least he settles down a bit—in fact, he even manages to fall asleep (which some of the audience may also be doing, after an hour and a half). But what I particularly like about this scene is Edgar’s soliloquy at the end (it’s in the Quarto, not the Folio):

When we our betters see bearing our woes,
We scarcely think our miseries our foes.
Who alone suffers, suffers most i’th’ mind,
Leaving free things and happy shows behind,
But then the mind much sufferance doth o’erskip,
When grief hath mates, and bearing fellowship:
How light and portable my pain seems now,
When that which makes me bend, makes the King bow.
He childed as I fathered. Tom, away,
Mark the high noises and thy self bewray,
When false opinion whose wrong thoughts defile thee,
In thy just proof repeals and reconciles thee.
What will hap more tonight, safe scape the King.

Basically Edgar is saying “misery loves company.” It’s kind of over-simplistic for a play as broad as Lear. But you know what? The audience has already seen, and shared, a great deal of misery. They know the play is only half over, and they probably know it’s going to get worse from here. Sending them out to the lobby with a grain of compassionate wisdom seems like a good idea, and much kinder than having their heads echo with the sound of crushed eyeball.

Incidentally, here is my rescripted version of the same speech. I’ve changed it quite a bit (ie. more than I usually would) because I also want the audience to understand the simple message quickly (it’s been 90 minutes, and their brains are tired):

How light and portable my pain seems now,
When that which makes me bend makes the king bow.
When we see our own betters bearing woes,
We scarcely think our miseries our foes.
Who suffers solo, suffers most in the mind,
Leaving free acts and happy shows behind.
But when our grief has mates and fellowship,
Then does the mind much suffering o’erskip.
Whate’er befalls tonight, safe ‘scape the king!