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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... poorest shape That ever penury , in contempt of man , Brought near to beast : my face I'll grime with filth ; Blanket my ... Poor Turlygod ! poor Tom ! That's something yet : Edgar I nothing am . ( Exit . ) SCENE IV Before GLOUCESTER'S ...
... Poor Tom ! ( The FOOL runs out from the hovel . ) Come not in here , nuncle , here's a spirit . Help me , help me ! Give me thy hand . Who's there ? A spirit , a spirit : he says his name's poor Tom . What art thou that dost grumble ...
... Tom's a - cold . What hast thou been ? A serving - man , proud in heart and ... poor heart to woman : keep thy foot out of brothels , thy hand out of ... poor bare , forked animal as thou art . Off , off , you lendings ! come unbutton ...
... poor creature of earth. S. Withold footed thrice the old; He met the night ... Tom; that eats the swimming frog, the toad, the tadpole, the wall-newt and ... Tom's food for seven long year. Beware my follower. Peace, Smulkin; peace, thou ...
... poor banish'd man ! Thou say'st the king grows mad ; I'll tell thee , friend , I am almost mad myself : I had a son ... Tom's a - cold . In , fellow , there , into the hovel : keep thee warm . KING LEAR Come let's in all . KENT This way ...