A unique exploration of Shakespeare's King Lear, with its themes of banishment, alienation and hope, via a personal memoir that embraces the history of Australia.

Philippa Kelly is Resident Dramaturg at the California Shakespeare Theater, USA. In 2002 she left her life as a teacher of literature in Australia to live in Berkeley, California. She is still deeply connected to her Australian roots, and works with Australia's Endeavour program each year and as a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the University of New South Wales.

Introduction: 'Speak What We Feel, Not What We Ought to Say' \ 1. Fathers and Mothers \ 2. Twenty Years Have Passed \ 3. Playing the Fool \ 4. Polemics \ 5. The Meaning of Words: Changing the Stage \ 6. Age is Unnecessary \ 7. The Man as the King, the King in the Man \ Bibliography \ Index