King Lear

William Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s story of a king who divides his realm between his three daughters probes the depths of human suffering and despair. First staged in 1606, for centuries King Lear was thought too bleak to perform, but its nihilism has heavily influenced modern drama. Read a character analysis of Lear, plot summary, and important quotes.

Summary

Read a Plot Overview of the entire play or a scene by scene Summary and Analysis.

Characters

See a complete list of the characters in King Lear and in-depth analyses of King Lear, Cordelia, Edmund, Goneril and Regan, and Gloucester.

Main Ideas

Here's where you'll find analysis about the play as a whole, from the major themes and ideas to analysis of style, tone, point of view, and more.

Quotes

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Further Study

Test your knowledge of King Lear with our quizzes and study questions, or go further with essays on the context and background and links to the best resources around the web.

Writing Help

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Study Guide

Ebook edition

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