King Lear

by William Shakespeare

40 Installments—Entirely free

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Members' Rating: from 4 Ratings

Tags: Classics, Drama

ISBN:0743484959

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Bonds are broken and loyalty is questioned in this dramatic story of familial ties and political power. Who can find redemption on the wild heaths of England—and who will be left with grief and regret?

Description

A tragic story of the bonds between parents and children, King Lear ranks among the most famous of Shakespeare’s plays. Lear is an aging king who decides to step down and divide his kingdom among his three daughters based on how much each says she loves him. Goneril and Regan, the two eldest daughters, indulge the king with abundant flattery, but Cordelia, Lear’s favorite, refuses hyperbole and keeps her answer simple but true. The king, however, misunderstands Cordelia’s intentions and banishes her, dividing the kingdom between Goneril and Regan. Lear soon realizes the implications of his hasty decision as Goneril and Regan quickly strip what little authority and dignity he has left. Turned out of doors in the midst of a great thunderstorm, Lear has only his Fool for company. In exile, Cordelia gathers a French army and invades England in an attempt to help her father, but the English defeat the French force. Lear and Cordelia, captured by the English, are reunited in a tender scene of reconciliation in which Lear realizes that she was always true to him. Sadly, this crucial recognition comes too late to stop the impending catastrophe. A tale about the fraught relationship between parents and children, King Lear is a play filled with betrayal and injustice, but also with reconciliation and love.

Opening Lines (Experimental)

Persons Represented.
Lear, King of Britain.
King of France.
Duke of Burgundy.
Duke of Cornwall.
Duke of Albany.
Earl of Kent.
Earl of Gloster.
Edgar, Son to Gloster.
Edmund, Bastard Son to Gloster.
Curan, a Courtier.
Old Man, Tenant to Gloster.
Physician.
Fool.
Oswald, steward to Goneril.
An ...