Culture | The Observer

Essay

What King Lear tells us about assisted dying

We’ve grappled with the question of whether we should be allowed to end our own lives for centuries. Does Shakespeare’s tragedy settle the debate?

By Edward Docx

For today

Art

Miles Ellingham

Canapes at the end of the world

Miles Ellingham spends a lost week at the Venice Biennale

Film

Vanessa Thorpe

Sun, sea and sexy slashers at Cannes film festival

Gillian Anderson lights up the Croisette for her role in the headline-making queer horror Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

Pop

Kitty Empire

Paul Simon’s poignant last hurrah

Against the odds, the 84-year-old titan of US song captivates with a superbly arranged, spiritual swansong

Opinion and ideas

John Naughton

We used to be social media broadcasters but now we’re mobile couch potatoes

We are spending more of our time on Instagram, X and the like consuming content instead of producing it

In Real Life

Observations & scenes from the world beyond your phone screen

Finn Blythe

Inside London’s most colourful shop

Stephanie Merritt

Duet with a nightingale

John Niven

Playing St Andrew’s backwards

Ellen Peirson-Hagger

A forager’s tale

Giffords Circus

The circus family gets back on the road

Nell and Toti Gifford shared a dream: to run their own circus. Following an acrimonious succession battle after Nell’s death, the show returns for its 26th year

The critics

Audio

Miranda Sawyer

The making of Madonna

Bandsplain’s deep dive into the singer’s journey from a drummer living off peanuts to the planet’s bestselling female artist makes for fascinating listening. Plus, Bad Chat with Greg James and Alice Levine shows promise

Art

Laura Cumming

Zineb Sedira’s home movies

The French-Algerian artist’s installation at Tate Britain pays heartfelt homage to the film-makers of her parents’ homeland, but is more history lesson than cinematic experience

Classical

Fiona Maddocks

Samson et Dalila - a sizzling showcase for two star voices

SeokJong Baek and Aigul Akhmetshina excel in Richard Jones’s sharp take on the ancient battle between faith and greed. Plus, a harrowing, humane Peter Grimes at the Royal Opera

Barbara Ellen

Believe Me is a rare thing: true crime drama that puts women first

Jeff Pope’s prestige series on ‘black cab rapist’ John Worboys focuses on victims rather than sensationalising the criminal. Plus, the rompy return of Rivals