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About
The King wants progress. By insisting that his people forget tradition in pursuit of the rational, he takes away their old certainties. With their beliefs gone, will they turn to him, or grab power for themselves? This modern play in the renaissance form examines the crisis facing Western civilization, as it seeks to influence the world while no longer certain of itself.
The key to the play is in its modern use of the renaissance form. The originals of this type of play cemented the concerns of the time and put them into a form that would resonate for all time. This is possible partly because dramatic poetry humanizes the political and social. A poem written hundreds of years ago can still resonate with our own experience. But after such a long period of time, the language needs translating. And sometimes we strain at the text because certain attitudes, inevitably, have changed.
Despite this, directors, actors and audiences enjoy engaging with these plays, from amateur outdoor performances to films such as Derek Jarman's political re-working of Marlowe's Edward II. If this is the case, why don't we write new plays in this style? This approach would allow us to cement our own problems into texts that will be relevant on some level for all time, but have an immediate urgency because they deal with the concerns of our time in our language.
King Arthur has obvious potential for large-scale production and could be directed in many styles, to suit any stage. This version has been adapted to tackle universal subjects: the importance of myth, the rise of a dictator, the corruption of youth, the struggle for power. But at its heart, just as in the original tragedies, is a current concern. It examines Western civilization, still seeking to impose democracy on other cultures when it itself is in crisis.
The form of the play itself is a comment on the crisis. We need new material to feed the culture. In the age of media spin, I believe there is the need for something straightforward to serve as a counterbalance to how we view the world. There is a reason for the impulse to gather round to watch 'sad stories of the death of Kings'.
Lucy Nordberg