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Introduction
Equallysurprisingandchangeableappearstobethetheatricalre-
ceptionoftheplay.Whilethenineteenthcenturytheatresawtheplay
asapretextforaspectacularshowofstagemachinery,critics,like
CharlesLamb,deemedtheplayutterlynon-theatrical.Andyetthe
playcontinuedtobestaged,andlateronscreened,withinterest
particularlyrevivingwhentwentiethcenturyinterpretationturned
itintoanexerciseinthegrotesqueandtheabsurd.
TranslationsofKingLearintoPolishstartedappearingearlier,and
ingreaternumbers,thanothertranslationsofShakespeare’splays.
SofartheplayhasbeentranslatedintoPolishfourteentimesfromthe
originaltext,andatleastthreetimesfromtheFrenchorGerman
adaptationsoftheplay.OfallShakespeare’splaysonlyHamlethas
beentranslatedmorefrequently.Despiteasignificantnumberof
availabletranslations,thePolishstagehistoryoftheplayappearsless
fortunate.Throughoutthenineteenthcenturytheplaywasstaged
frequently,thoughexclusivelyinadaptationsorconflatedversions
basedontheavailabletranslations.Intheyears1805-1935,for
example,thereweremorethan60premiereperformancesofKingLear
onthePolishstage.
7Itspopularitycontinuedwellintothesecondhalf
ofthenineteenthcenturyandtheplaywascustomarilychosenfor
anniversaryperformancesoftheleadingactorsoftheday.However,
thetwentiethcenturyandespeciallythepost-warperiod,witnessed
surprisingvariationsinthenumberofKingLearproductions.In
theyears1945-92theplaywasstagedonlyfivetimes(Hamlet,for
example,wasstagedmorethanfiftytimes,andthetotalnumberof
Shakespeareproductionsreachedalmostfourhundred),eachtimein
adifferenttranslation.Twooftheseproductionsoftheplaysstagedin
thisperiodstirredagreatdealofinterest,thoughforvastlydifferent
reasons.KingLear,producedinWarsawin1977,anddirectedby
JerzyJarocki,featuredintherepertoireforfiveyearsanddrew
whichbecameastandardforsubsequenteditors.MalonegenerallypreferredtheQuarto
text,yetheincludedallthelinespresentonlyintheFolio,andthusthepracticeof
conflationbecameastronglyestablishedtradition.ThecompositetextofKingLearwas
reprintedinCharlesKnight’seditionof1839-43,andintheCambridgeeditionof
1863-6.TheeditorialpracticeswithregardtoKingLeararediscussedindetailby
StevenUrkowitzinhisessay“TheBaseShalltoth’Legitimate:TheGrowthofan
EditorialTradition”inTaylorandWarren(1983:23-43).
7TheestimatednumberofperformancesisquotedafterHahn(1958).
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