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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... kind nursery . Hence , and avoid my sight ! So be my grave my peace , as here I give Her father's heart from her ! Call France ; who stirs ? Call Burgundy . Cornwall and Albany , With my two daughters ' dowers digest this third : Let ...
... kind o ' thing than a fool : and yet I would not be thee , nuncle ; thou hast pared thy wit o ' both sides , and left nothing i ' the middle : here comes one o ' the parings . ( Enter GONERIL . ) How now , daughter ! what makes that ...
... kind and comfortable : When she shall hear this of thee , with her nails She'll flay thy wolvish visage . Thou shalt find That I'll resume the shape which thou dost think I have cast off for ever : thou shalt , I warrant thee . ( Exeunt ...
... kind a father ! Be my horses ready ? FOOL Thy asses are gone about ' em . The reason why the seven stars are no more than seven is a pretty reason . KING LEAR FOOL KING LEAR FOOL Because they are not eight ? Yes , indeed : thou wouldst ...
... kind of knaves I know, which in this plainness Harbour more craft and more corrupter ends Than twenty silly ducking observants That stretch their duties nicely. Sir, in good sooth, in sincere verity, Under the allowance of your great ...