King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare.
The play is written between 1603 and 1606. Like Hamlet, it's another play about madness and royal family. In the play, King Lear descends into madness after wrongly distributing his estate on the strength of flattery. The play is actually based on a real legend, legend of Leir of Britain.
Main Characters[]
Lear: King of Britain
Gonerill: Eldest daughter of Lear.
Regan: Second daughter of Lear.
Cordellia: Youngest daughter of Lear.
Synopsis[]
King Lear decides to retire because he's old and he needs to divide the country among his three daughters. He decides to offer the largest share to the one who loves him best and so on. Goneril and Regan both claim that they love him more than anything in the world, and Lear feels pleased. Cordelia speaks honestly but bluntly which Lear dislikes. In his anger, Laer divides the country on between Gonerill and Regan.
King of France in the meantime is impressed by honesty of Cordellia and he marries her even though she is disinherited by King Lear.
In the following part, Lear's daughters restrict the authority of king and Lear runs mad.
Then the King of France sends an army to avenge Lear's situation. Lear and Cordelia become reconciled but after losing the war, they get imprisoned. At the end of the story, everyone dies -like in Hamlet- except three characters -Albany, Kent, and Edgar-.