NOTE '' Lo scritto qui pubblicato consiste nell'introduzione a una raccolta dedicata alla figura letteraria di Re Lear, curata da Harold Bloom per la serie Major Litera1y Characters della Chelsea House Publishers di New York e Philadelphia (1992). Ringraziamo la casa editrice e il Prof. Bloom, che hanno consentito alla pubblicazione in traduzione italiana. 1 La versione originale non specifica la fonte della citazione. La traduzione di questa e delle successive citazioni sono nostre, eccetto quelle del Re Lear. 2 Come la nota 1. 3 Tutte le citazioni in italiano sono tratte da Re Lear, Milano, Garzanti 1991. Traduzione di Agostino Lombardo. «And I'll go to bed at noon.» 4 «[S]o, so. We'll go to supper i'th'morning.» «And my poor fool is hang'd!» 6 «How ill white hairs become a fool and jester! » 7 «I cannot hide what I am. » 8 «And I am I, how'er I was begot.» 9 «I am not what I am. » 10 «I should have been that I am had the maidenliest star in the firmament twinkled on my bastardizing. » 11 «Yours in the ranks of death. » 12 «To both these sisters have I sworn my love; Each jealous of the other, as the stung Are of the adder. Which of them shall I take? Both? one? or neither? Neither can be enjoy'd If both remain alive: to take the widow Exasperates, makes mad her sister Goneril; And hardly shall I carry out my side, Her husband being alive. Now then, we'll use His countenance for the battle; which being done, Let her who would be rid of him devise His speedy taking off. As for the mercy Which he intends to Lear and to Cordelia, The battle done, and they within our power, Shall never see his pardon; for my state Stands on me to defend, not to debate.» 13 «The wheel is come full circle; I am here. » 14 «Yet Edmund was belov'd: The one the other poison'd for my sake, And after slew herself. » 51
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