I think Sam made a really good point when he was talking about how reading Shakespeare out loud can help understand the text better. I also think that King Lear, and other works by Shakespeare, have hidden meanings that can only be discovered when read aloud. By merely reading Shakespeare, one tends to loose insight that watching or acting in a play can give you.
Mr. Heidkamp has assigned us to act out King Lear. By doing so, we will be able to fully understand the text. For instance, he was talking about how Shakespeare didn't leave any stage directions which means it is up to the actors/readers to interpret how a character left and/or entered a scene, and whether something was deliberate or accidental, or just about anything else that can help the audience/reader understand how the characters were truly feeling. I think that by acting out Shakespeare, our class will be able to pick up on clues we wouldn't have seen by simply reading King Lear.
I agree, watching the movie of "King Lear" already made the text easier to understand. Reading Shakespeare can be overwhelming and I find that I often miss lines that were intended to be funny. Reading out loud requires a more thorough understanding of each line and the character's feelings.
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