death on 2 legs - or is it 4?

"Death On Two Legs (Dedicated To...)" immediately came to mind after the play tonight.
(I guess I'm in a Queen frame of mind these days, and likely will be for a while.)
Although the song was penned by Freddie Mercury in response to the betrayal by their former manager, it could easily refer to the betrayal of a father by two of his three daughters.
Actually, it could also be applied toward the betrayal of the third, and favorite, daughter by that same father.
Or might not the betrayal of Edgar by his bastard brother, Edmund, be the object of the song?
I say heartily that all of these cases apply!
Lord knows there's plenty of blood-guilt to go around in "King Lear"!
Savannah Shakes has set this Shakespeare tragedy in the USA, during the turmoil of the Y2K scare, when it was feared that computers around the world would crash, prompting many people to seek shelter in churches for their souls.
In other words, those were dark times and people were fearful of God's wrath.
William Shakespeare had also taken liberties with the 8th century BC tale, making the king an elderly man seeking to engender deep love by his daughters so they would tend to him in his dotage.
Of course, "free money" doesn't necessarily endear the giver to the receivers.
I'm sure that's why the tale was fashioned by the bard into a deep tragedy with nearly everyone dying at the end, rather than the all-is-well ending for the Celtic king and his beloved daughter, Cordelia.
My thanks to Savannah Shakes for a fine tale of woe, enacted with a focus on words which still ring out forcefully and fresh.
My advice is to heed this warning from the past...
perhaps especially in this current time, when a blond man resides in the White House.
Hearken unto these lyrics, brave souls...
and take strength from this bold music which refuses to buckle to adversity without a fight.