Exit the King and Other Plays

IONESCO,E

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Author
IONESCO,E
Publish Date
01/01/1994
Subtitle
Exit the King, the Killer, and Macbett
Book Type
Paperback
Number of Pages
309
Publisher Name
GROVE
ISBN-10
0802151108
ISBN-13
9780802151100
citemno
077748
Edition
84
SKU
9780802151100

Description

Exit the King is a highly stylized, ritualized death rite unfolding the final hours of the once-great king Berenger the First. As he dies, his kingdom also dies. His armies suffer defeat, the young emigrate, the seasons change overnight, and his kingdom's borders shrink to the outline of his throne. At last, as the curtain falls, the king himself dissolves into a gray mist.

The Killer is a study of pure evil. Bérenger, a conscientious citizen, finds himself in a radiantly beautiful city marred only by the presence of a killer. Bérenger's determination to find the murderer in the face of official indifference and his final defeat at the hands of an impersonal, pitiless cruelty speak with the universality of Kafka's The Trial.

Macbett, inspired by Shakespeare's play, is "a grotesque joke . . . [and] a very funny play. . . . Ionecso maliciously undermines sources and traditions, spoofing Shakespeare along with tragedy."--Mel Gussow, The New York Times