Lear
Half-brothers Edgar and Edmund fight to the death on The Crucible stage As I sat in seat number K47 at "The Crucible" in Sheffield watching one of Shakespeare's greatest plays, I couldn't help comparing the character King Lear with the current US President. Both are old men in decline, losing the plot. Lear likes flattery and that is why he asks his three daughters to publicly declare how much they love him before dividing up his kingdom. In a similar manner, the current US President seems to enjoy fawning declarations of loyalty and admiration from his cabinet appointees , underlings and visitors. When Cordelia refuses to play the flattery game, Lear rages and banishes her. He does the same to a loyal nobleman - The Earl of Kent when he attempts to offer sound advice. Of course the current US President has a long history of firing high profile members of his administration when they appear to challenge him or veer from the path of absolute devotion. Both men are na...