King LearStandard Ebooks King Lear is a tragedy by Shakespeare, written about 1605 or 1606. Shakespeare based it on the legendary King Leir of the Britons, whose story is outlined in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s pseudohistorical History of the Kings of Britain (written in about 1136). The play tells the tale of the aged King Lear who is passing on the control of his kingdom to his three daughters. He asks each of them to express their love for him, and the first two, Goneril and Regan do so effusively, saying they love him above all things. But his youngest daughter, Cordelia, is compelled to be truthful and says that she must reserve some love for her future husband. Lear, enraged, cuts her off without any inheritance. The secondary plot deals with the machinations of Edmund, the bastard son of the Earl of Gloucester, who manages to convince his father that his legitimate son Edgar is plotting against him. After Lear steps down from power, he finds that his elder daughters have no real respect or love for him, and treat him and his followers as a nuisance. They allow the raging Lear to wander out into a storm, hoping to be rid of him, and conspire with Edmund to overthrow the Earl of Gloucester. The play is a moving study of the perils of old age and the true meaning of filial love. It ends tragically with the deaths of both Cordelia and Lear—so tragically, in fact, that performances during the Restoration period sometimes substituted a happy ending. In modern times, though, King Lear is performed as written and generally regarded as one of Shakespeare’s best plays. This Standard Ebooks edition is based on William George Clark and William Aldis Wright’s 1887 Victoria edition, which is taken from the Globe edition. This book is part of the Standard Ebooks project, which produces free public domain ebooks. |
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... - ( Enter a Messenger . ) What news ? O , my good lord , the Duke of Cornwall's dead : Slain by his servant , going to put out The other eye of Gloucester . Gloucester's eye ! MESSENGER ALBANY MESSENGER A servant that he bred , thrill'd.
... dead ; But not without that harmful stroke , which since Hath pluck'd him after . This shows you are above , You justicers , that these our nether crimes So speedily can venge ! But , O poor Gloucester ! Lost he his other eye ? Both ...
... dead ; Edmund and I have talk'd ; And more convenient is he for my hand Than for your lady's : you may gather more . If you do find him , pray you , give him this ; And when your mistress hears thus much from you , I pray , desire her ...
... dead? Ho, you sir! friend! Hear you, sir! speak! Thus might he pass indeed: yet he revives. What are you, sir? Away, and let me die. EDGAR Hadst thou been aught but gossamer, feathers, air, GLOUCESTER EDGAR So many fathom down ...
... dead ? Sit you down , father ; rest you Let's see these pockets : the letters that he speaks of May be my friends . He's dead ; I am only sorry He had no other death's - man . Let us see : Leave , gentle wax ; and , manners , blame us ...