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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... hold more antipathy Than I and such a knave. CORNWALL Why dost thou call him a knave? What's his offence? KENT CORNWALL KENT His countenance likes me not. No more, perchance, does mine, nor his, nor hers. Sir, 'tis my occupation to be ...
... hold when a great wheel runs down a hill, lest it break thy neck with following it: but the great one that goes up the hill, let him draw thee after. When a wise man gives thee better counsel, give me mine again: I would have none but ...
... ? How have I offended ? All's not offence that indiscretion finds KING LEAR And dotage terms so . O sides , you are too tough ; Will you yet hold ? How came my man i ' the stocks ? CORNWALL KING LEAR REGAN KING LEAR GONERIL KING LEAR REGAN.
... Hold amity? 'Tis hard; almost impossible. GONERIL Why might not you, my lord, receive attendance From those that she calls servants or from mine? REGAN Why not, my lord? If then they chanced to slack you, We could control them. If you ...
... hold upon you, Yet have I ventured to come seek you out, And bring you where both fire and food is ready. First let me talk with this philosopher. What is the cause of thunder? Good my lord, take his offer; go into the house. KING LEAR ...